CIO Magazine - Ditch Microsoft Office?  An  Intriguing New Alternative Glide OS

 

Many a CIO gets an almost dreamy look on his face when you discuss the idea of a Microsoft Office-less office, I learned at our magazine’s CIO 100 conference this past summer.

 

I’m betting a new alternative – Glide Business, launching on Nov. 29 – will make more companies stop dreaming and start investigating.

 

The idea that really sparks imagination is a suite of web-based apps that you access from anywhere, which delivers Office-like power, without the constant upgrade cost and hardware appetite of Microsoft Office.

 

Google garners most of the web app buzz, as it did with its recent release of Google Docs and Spreadsheets, a word processor and spreadsheet combo tool for individuals and groups. But Google hasn’t dished up a true suite, yet. 

 

Glide goes further (than Google) with its forthcoming Glide Business product. This is a Web operating system, plus a sturdy suite of office apps, plus a synchronization tool that lets you keep documents of your choosing – perhaps your entire “My Documents” folder – updated and synchronized on your local PC and on storage space on the web.

 

Apps include a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation tool, calendar, contact manager, email, and image editor, with import and export capability with their Microsoft Office counterparts…

 

The image editor lets you manipulate photos quite intuitively, using some 75 effects and manipulations. The Calendar integrates with Microsoft Outlook. Glide Business offers simple ways to add images, audio and video to documents. 

 

Summary:

 

People love to throw around the term “Office-killer.” But nobody’s going to actually kill Microsoft Office. It will be with enterprise IT for years to come. Still, Glide provides another example of why CIOs are tuning into software as a service’s potential — to save money, while simultaneously offering users more power and flexibility to get their work done. 

 

“Microsoft’s not going anywhere,” Leka says. “But you’re entering an era of new choices.”

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Chief Product Officer: Donald Leka

Glide OS, Jumptuit