"Adoption of alternatives next of kin to Microsoft Office is insignificant, but consequence remains prohibitive, with more than a quarter of companies actively looking by the side of or experimenting with Web-based alternatives," Forrester thought in the study. "While the uncontrolled versions of these programs kind it stress-free in place of companies to try, concerns on user acceptance and compatibility with Microsoft Office box file formats pick up again to deter broader deployments."
Interest in the alternatives ought to increase in intensity, though, for the reason that of a variety of factors: They can be cheaper, they're getting slowly but surely more talented, and IT departments will segment users into categories and not everybody will contract Microsoft Office.
There are cipher Google Apps in regard is raising concerns by the side of Microsoft. For instance, the company carry on week blogged not far off from "the Google burden," in opposition with the aim of near are unseen overheads to using Google Apps outside the $50 apiece user apiece time fee. The biggest indicator, though, is with the aim of it's launched its own online Office suite, signaling with the aim of the thought has merit.
Google Apps will contract selected attention this week by the side of the Google I/O seminar, someplace Google traditionally espouses its imagination with the aim of life is better in the cloud. The company is working to kind Apps more talented, accumulation another skin texture; demanding to advance Web values such as Web Sockets and offline luggage compartment with the aim of will enable more skin texture; and demanding to convalesce the performance of browsers and the Web so the apps can happen to more receptive.
Productivity suites aren't immediately not far off from Microsoft Office v Google Apps, of classes. Other options include traditional software such as IBM's Lotus Symphony, Corel's WordPerfect Office, and Oracle's OpenOffice, as well as other online options such as Zoho's suite.
Clothed in Forrester's survey of 150 IT decision makers, 3 percent thought they're actively implementing Web-based alternatives, 10 percent thought they're piloting or experimenting, 15 percent thought they're actively looking, 44 percent thought they're somewhat interested, and 27 percent thought they're not interested.
Regarding motives, humanizing employee productivity was the top option. Reducing license fee overheads was flash, and dipping dependency on Microsoft was third.
With numerous skin texture missing from online suites with the aim of are general in Office, single might be surprised to hear productivity as a goal to move to Google Apps. But it has single great big asset: Collaboration is built in, with a head waiter housing a single emulate of a verify and running how multiple citizens can edit it concurrently. That can be an development to crude alternatives such as e-mailing a verify between colleagues or running how it's accessed on a central head waiter.
Access to papers from smartphones and multiple computers besides can be an improvement.
Google Apps often begins with e-mail wear out but spreads from near to the have a break of the online tools. Google Apps' meat includes word mainframe, worksheet, presentation, and calendar apps.
"E-mail is the lead-in in place of many Google deployments, with Docs uptake event in a grass-roots form or being "turned on" as a company ramps its wear out. Google reports, however, with the aim of Docs adoption is growing by the side of a much earlier rate than its other apps," Forrester thought.
But Web-based Office alternatives aren't up to Office's abilities by a long shot at the moment.
"Content and collaboration professionals ought to solitary consider them as replacements in place of casual users," Forrester advised. "However, they can provide complementary collaboration skin texture in place of all users."