With Office 2003, Microsoft is offering companies new resources to boost collaboration levels and integrate business processes across their organizations. However, before you decide to use those resources, there are a few things you should know about the strengths and weaknesses of the enhanced application suite.
As I explained in my article last week, Office 2003 includes features that turn the suite into a hub for accessing enterprise applications and sharing information across workgroups. Those features include broad support for Extensible Markup Language (XML), deep integration with Microsoft's server software, and workflow products such as InfoPath 2003. Through these features, Microsoft is positioning Office 2003 to compete against applications that provide collaborative computing, content management, Web portals, and other functions.
As it pursues its competitors, Microsoft is recruiting allies to build momentum for Office 2003. To fuel that effort, the software giant has appointed 400 "business productivity advisors" to help software vendors and solution providers create products for the application suite. Dozens of developers have already done so, and Microsoft lists their products in its newly created Office System Solutions Directory Web site. Microsoft is also developing its own Office Solution Accelerators that enable Office to increase business productivity in areas such as employee recruiting or proposal development.
Office 2003 Pros and Cons
While it may seem risky for Microsoft to pit Office against established collaboration and content management solutions, the strategy makes considerable sense. For years, vendors of such solutions--companies such as Lotus, Novell, Interwoven, and Documentum--have offered rich workgroup functionality. However, they have been unable to displace Office as the application suite that generates most of the information they manage. With Office 2003, Microsoft is offering enough collaboration and content management capabilities to satisfy the requirements that drive many companies to buy other software for these functions. After all, if one application suite can satisfy most employees' personal and workgroup productivity needs, why spend more money on additional applications?
This is a question that many companies will start asking themselves once they evaluate Office 2003, and it is appropriate that they do so. With a little XML programming and a few add-on products, Office 2003 could handle virtually all workgroup computing tasks within many corporate departments. In doing so, it could reduce the number of applications sitting on departmental desktops, cut support costs, and create a more seamless platform for business process integration.
While Office 2003 has plenty of potential, it is not immune from the design flaws that saddle most substantive upgrades to application suites. Among the flaws, one of the most noticeable is the suite's uneven support for XML. While the Professional and Professional Enterprise Editions of Office 2003 enable users to bind XML schema to their Word and Excel files, the Small Business and Standard Editions of the package lack this capability. In addition, Microsoft has withheld XML support from Outlook. As a result, it remains difficult to integrate valuable data in messages, calendars, and contact management databases with enterprise applications.
Another flaw is the complexity of the communications and collaboration environment that Office 2003 creates. To support the complete environment, companies must deploy Exchange Server for mail, calendaring, and contact management; Live Communications Server for real-time collaboration; and SharePoint Server for advanced content management functions. On the client side, users must use Outlook for mail and calendaring services, Windows Messenger for instant messaging, and a browser for collaborating over documents on a SharePoint Web site. Unlike suites from vendors such as Groove Networks and Lotus, Office 2003 lacks an interface that unites all of these collaboration tasks in a seamless manner.
Despite these flaws, this analyst believes that Office 2003 is a positive step in the right direction. For years, companies have been struggling to achieve two objectives within their workgroups: integrate business processes and get users to share valuable information with each other. Until now, Microsoft has done little to Office to make those objectives easier to achieve. With Office 2003, however, Microsoft is applying its considerable talents to addressing this oversight. While the new suite may be rough around the edges, it is a promising start that will likely improve in future service packs and releases. As such, companies that rely on Office should consider this upgraded package alongside traditional collaboration software when considering how they can make their workgroups more productive.
Lee Kroon is a Senior Industry Analyst for Andrews Consulting Group, a firm that helps mid-sized companies manage business transformation through technology. You can reach him at
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