South Africa’s telecom giant Vodacom today announced a partnership with Microsoft South Africa to offer Office 365 to the country’s businesses.
Vodacom will now begin selling Microsoft Office 365, as an addition to its range of already existing connectivity products, in a bid to provide the most suitable solutions for the unique SME’s needs.
The partnership will enable businesses to access enterprise-class productivity and telecoms services on an affordable rental basis.
Office 365 brings together Microsoft Office, Microsoft SharePoint Online, Microsoft Exchange Online and Microsoft Lync Online in an always-up-to-date service, at a predictable monthly cost.
With Office 365, employees can work from virtually anywhere and on almost any device. SME’s will be able to operate as their bigger rivals, as Office 365 enables them to tools and services that were beyond their reach before.
“SMEs are the future of South Africa’s economy. It is crucial that we offer them the tools to compete with big businesses where customers expect fast responses 24 hours a day. The blend of our offerings with Office 365 helps deliver the benefits of agility, productivity and flexibility.
“Furthermore through Vodacom, customers will receive localised support from a provider they already know and trust,” said Chris Lazarus, Managing Executive, Vodacom Business Services.
Anthony Doherty, Operator Channels Lead at Microsoft South Africa said: “The software is our next generation cloud productivity service. It integrates the best productivity solutions in the market. By Microsoft extending its portfolio to include Office 365, Vodacom is set to offer businesses a further boost in South Africa’s challenging economic climate.”
As an introduction, Vodacom will offer exclusive bundled deals at discounted prices, and customers will enjoy free Office 365 until 30th November 2012.
Office 365 service was launched last year on a trial basis. More than 10,000 organizations globally have since signed up for its services making Office 365 become one of Microsoft’s largest global beta programmes for businesses.
