New Office 2016 works perfectly with Windows 10 to provide greatest mobility, security and intelligence in mobile-first, cloud-first world
Hong Kong — October 8, 2015 — Microsoft Hong Kong today announced its partnership with HKT under the new Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program, enabling local businesses and their employees to benefit from the Office 365 cloud solution with ease in today’s mobile-first, cloud-first world. Microsoft joins forces with HKT to launch the HKT x Office 365 business cloud solution for SMEs, providing a one-stop solution to enhance productivity and security at an affordable cost. As part of the Office 365 solution, customers can download the newly launched Office 2016 productivity apps which deliver better mobility, greater enterprise-grade security and more built-in intelligence. This perfectly addresses the needs of Hong Kong businesses as unveiled in the recent New World of Work (NWoW) Study, which highlights the importance of bridging the gap between people, workplace and technology, and enabling businesses to be more competitive.
New World of Work calls for better mobility and security
The first-ever New World of Work (NWoW) Study[1], commissioned by Microsoft and conducted by global consultancy Organization Solutions, interviewed 400 respondents from Hong Kong working in enterprises and SMEs. Of these, 58.6% said that they are required to respond to external customers within four hours. Interestingly however, only 16% feel that they are very well equipped or well equipped to be responsive to internal and external stakeholders, while 56% feel that they are not equipped or minimally equipped. Further, with the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend becoming increasingly pervasive in today’s workforce, people are using nearly as many personal devices (47%) as employer-owned devices (53%) to do their work on a daily basis. As a result, being able to control and manage data security on all devices becomes crucial. The NWoW Study clearly indicates the need for local businesses to improve responsiveness, mobility and security, especially among SMEs.
“We are pleased to announce Microsoft’s collaboration with HKT to prepare Hong Kong businesses for the digital era and empower their employees to achieve more in the new world of work,” said Horace Chow, General Manager of Microsoft Hong Kong. “SMEs constitute over 90% of business in Asia[2] , and 98% of all business enterprises in Hong Kong[3]. We see the strong demand for secure, mobile and full-featured cloud-based solutions, from the largest enterprise to the smallest business, and to social enterprises. HKT, with its leading position in the commercial market and highly acclaimed customer services, will be a key partner in providing enterprise-grade Office 365 business cloud solutions at a very affordable cost for all businesses.”
In Hong Kong, Office 365 continues to gain traction with service adoption and enterprise customer growth triple-digit year-on-year, and has penetrated deeply into hospitality, insurance, retail and services industries over the years. Today, more SME customers purchase Office 365 than other Microsoft non-cloud software.
Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) offers superior one-stop experience to customers
The Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) partnership marks HKT as Microsoft’s first Telco CSP partner in Hong Kong. CSP is a new program introduced by Microsoft to its partner ecosystem, in hope to deliver more integrated and value-added cloud services to customers embracing the cloud journey. As a CSP partner, HKT will take total ownership of customer relationships and sales cycles, from the creation of the cloud subscription to after-sales customer services. In return, customers adopting the HKT x Office 365 business cloud solution will be able to enjoy more flexible billing, 7×24 after-sales support, and value-added services for Microsoft Office 365, thus ensuring SMEs are able to focus on their core business development.
Mr. Tom Chan, Managing Director, Commercial Group, HKT, said, “SMEs are the cornerstone of the Hong Kong economy. HKT has always attached great importance to supporting SMEs by introducing a wide range of solutions which best fit their business needs. Since 2012, we have already launched over 30 cloud-based SME solutions for the 4 major industries, namely Trading & Manufacturing, Retail, Food & Beverage and Professional Services. Today, we are delighted to further demonstrate our commitment to SMEs through our close collaboration with Microsoft. We strongly believe that this enterprise-grade business cloud application with a full suite of local support services will help SMEs to sharpen their competitive edge.”
Value-added services at an affordable cost
Starting at HKD78 per month per user, the HKT x Office 365 business cloud solution includes HKT Advanced Email, HKT Cloud Storage and an Office 365 business plan license with the latest Office 2016 apps. The monthly subscription model enables commercial customers to purchase full-featured commercial solution at all HKT shops in Hong Kong, without the hassle of making costly upfront investment. HKT is also committed to deliver end-to-end customer service benefits to SMEs under the subscription, including professional installation service, 24/7 local hotline support, as well as free introductory workshops and trainings on Office 365 solution to help customers realize the power of cloud.
This cloud solution offer reflects the two companies’ shared vision to help SMEs to enhance productivity and overall operational efficiency, while providing a secure enterprise-grade cloud platform that protects each customer’s business data. Through this solution, SME can not only leverage Office 365 to access, edit and view files across any devices and platforms, but also take advantage of enterprise-grade administrative tools to ensure account management in real-time, including configuring user privacy and access authority, and various security measures to protect sensitive data.
Office 2016 x Windows 10 prepares you for the New World of Work
Microsoft has recently released Office 2016, delivering new versions of the Office desktop apps for Windows. Office 2016 caters to the modern workplace as it is “built for teamwork”, “the most secured Office” and “perfect on Windows 10”. From home to business, from desktop to web and the devices in between, Office delivers the tools to get work done in a collaborative and secured way. Key features in the new Office 2016 include Co-authoring[3] in Word, PowerPoint and OneNote desktop software, Outlook 2016 for the smartest inbox, lightning-fast search and automatic removal of low-priority mail as well as Multifactor Authentication to ensure secured access to content anywhere when users are away from the corporate network. Significant new updates to OneDrive for Business are coming later this month, including offering an improved end-user experience, improved sync reliability and options for Windows and Mac users, and increased file size and volume limits.
The Office 2016 apps run seamlessly on Windows 10, providing the most complete solution for doing business today. Users can experience innovative ways to create shareable and interactive stories that look great on any screen with the brand new Office Sway. Windows Hello provides cutting-edge security that logs users into Windows and Office 365 in one simple step. Together, Office Mobile apps on Windows 10 support work-life integration and empower on-the-go productivity.
Microsoft is also pleased to announce new additions to the Windows device ecosystem of powerful and affordable Windows 10 devices. Pre-installed with Windows 10, the best Windows ever, many of these new additions will be 2-in-1 hybrid devices, with detachable keyboards that can easily transform PCs into tablets, enabling users to thrive in the New World of Work and be productive anytime, anywhere. These 2-in-1 models include Dell Venue 11 Pro 7000, Lenovo Miix 300-1030, HP Pavilion X2 and Acer Switch 11V, as well as more affordable options such as TrekStor Surtab twin 10.1 and TECLAST X98 Pro. For a full list of devices, please see the attached factsheet for more information.
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[1] The New World of Work Enterprise Survey 2015 was conducted by Microsoft APAC in collaboration with Organization Solutions, a global consultancy helping companies solve the people and organization challenges of growth. 400 respondents from Hong Kong participated in the survey – half from SMESMEs (1 – 250 employees) and half from enterprises (251 – 500+ employees).
[2] First Quarter Economic Report 2015, Government of the Hong Kong Special Administration Region, May 2015: http://www.statistics.gov.hk/pub/B6XX00012015QQ15E0100.pdf
[3] Ditto.
[4] Co-authors must be using Office 2016 or Office Online.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential. Microsoft Hong Kong was established in 1991.
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Elaine Zhang
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Hill+Knowlton Strategies for Microsoft
Oliver Kan
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