Over the past year, many small business owners have transitioned to using cloud services for their data storage needs. This system has reduced the costs many of these companies need to pay for data storage, and in turn, has given their employees the increased flexibility to conduct their essential work from just about any internet-ready device.
However, while businesses are seeing the cloud as a way to reduce costs, major technology providers such as Google and Microsoft are now competing for business customers that use their services. While Google has picked up traction in many offices with its document services, Microsoft Office continues to be an essential program for businesses that want to transmit business information via Word or Excel.
In the five months since Microsoft announced a cloud version of the program, the company has seen traction on this variant of one of its classic brands. Microsoft later announced that Office 365, the latest version of the program{,} has been adopted by businesses eight times faster than the previous installment. And on November 30, they made the program more attractive by adding more than 30 updates to the program.
"Office is the killer app in the Microsoft universe," analyst Al Hilwa of industry research group IDC told Dow Jones Newswires. "They see this as a long-term play."
Since Microsoft's products are still so essential to many businesses' daily operations, individuals who are looking to secure work in the IT field may improve their applications by taking an online or in-person class that makes them more familiar with the company's products.
By working with a Microsoft certified instructor that can explain the ins and outs of how businesses can transition to cloud systems as well as providing training in SharePoint and InfoPath, those looking to apply for these jobs may be able to set themselves apart from the pack.