KARACHI: Microsoft has launched its latest offering of the Office suite, the cloud-based Office 365, targeted primarily towards small and medium businesses with local pricing for Pakistan.

The offering, a complete revamp of the previous Office 2010, is an innovative cloud based version with everything stored in and accessed anywhere from Microsoft’s servers. The cloud solution, the first of its kind in Pakistan, has been made available through the technology giant’s local distribution partners with affordable pricing for Pakistan.

“We are taking a giant leap in software services in Pakistan. Through office 365, Microsoft is providing world-class productivity software to businesses of all sizes, at predictable and affordable costs,” Ihsan Anabtawi, BG Lead for Microsoft NEPA region, told reporters at a press launch at its Karachi office.

Office 365 delivers the desktop suite as a cloud service, making it as feature-rich in the cloud as locally installed versions.

The cloud integration aims to reduce maintenance costs for small and medium enterprises by removing the hassle of setting up server systems and installing product updates.

“Office 365…will surely force certain businesses to say no to pirated Microsoft products,” said Anabtawi.

With special pricing for Pakistan, the services start at $6 a month – the P1 package with web apps access targeted at small businesses – making licensed Microsoft products affordable for local businessmen.

“The new offering by Microsoft will change the face of the local business forever,” said local Microsoft partner Sultan Hamdani, CEO of Maison Consulting. “Most of the local industry partners have shown a lot of enthusiasm towards Office 365 and are convinced of the potential benefits that it brings to businesses.”