The VAR Guy

The VAR Guy has gotten word that Microsoft Business Division President Stephen Elop is going to officially launch Office 2010 and SharePoint 2010 in front of a live studio audience at New York City’s famous NBC Studios on May 12. But wait, there’s more.

Microsoft Office 2010 adds the kind of cloud-collaborative editing experience users have come to expect from Google Docs in the form of the new Office Web – and it’s clearly aimed at countering Google before they gain too much of a that Microsoft has gotten used to dominating.

Still, Elop faces some challenges with his Office pitch: at his keynote, he has to convince IT pros that not only is Microsoft going the way of the cloud rather than of the dinosaurs, but that Office 2010 is good enough to merit the inevitable upgrade costs it carries with it.

Similarly, SharePoint has been competing with to cloud-based alternatives, and Microsoft is going to have to fight a similar battle for the hearts and minds of resellers with the new 2010 release, which is, by all accounts, fairly incremental.

I hear The VAR Guy plans to attend the launch event. In the meanwhile, I can say with some confidence as a beta tester that Office Web is going to rock some boats.

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