Microsoft launches Office 365 in Botswana

Isaac Pinielo | Tuesday November 11, 2014 15:29

Office 365 is cloud-based, which means that it can be accessed remotely. It delivers the full suite of Office applications including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and Outlook in the cloud. With this software, documents can be easily shared and edited by simply sharing them over the Internet. Users can subscribe for the applications they really need. These world-class cloud services have also been made available in six new territories across sub-Saharan Africa including Botswana, Ethiopia, Namibia, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, bringing the total number of sub-Saharan African countries with access to the suite to 18.

Bryan Wesonga, spokesperson for Microsoft East and Southern Africa said customers in Botswana were now able to sign up for a 30-day trial to sample various versions of Office 365 including Office 365 Enterprise suites, and the new Office 365 Business, Office 365 Business Essentials as well as the Office 365 Business Premium, via the Office website. The firm would however, slap a monthly fee on the new system, as is the norm across the world.

Wesonga explained that being based in the cloud also meant that Office 365 was available in a pay-as-you-go monthly subscription model, which made it affordable to businesses and individual consumers alike. “Office 365 helps improve productivity whether at home, in the office or on the go – perfect for the needs of modern consumers, businesses, public sector professionals and educational institutions,” he stated. According to Microsoft, the small and medium business sector in East and Southern Africa continues to play a big role, contributing towards GDP growth and employment.

In Botswana, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are estimated to contribute in the range of 30 – 45 percent of GDP as per the Task Force Report, published by the Local Enterprise Authority (LEA). But despite their importance, many of the SMEs in the country remain constrained by lack of resources, particularly financial, which impacts technology budgets. Designed for companies with between one and 10 employees, Office 365 Small Business Premium gives organisations access to the richness of Office applications of up to 20 percent of an SME’s software budget, without them having to compromise on the technology, according to Microsoft.  “Office 365 is more affordable and less complex – within 15 minutes a company can be up and running with a domain, website, email addresses and the other functionality they require to function,” read a statement from the firm.

However, president of the Botswana Information Technology Society (BITS), Pontsho Pusoetsile expressed misgivings about the Office 365 suite.  “This suite is predominantly about online presence. My worry is whether Batswana will benefit fully from this, considering that not many of them have Internet connection or constant online access,” he said. Internet users in Botswana were last measured at 142,200 in 2011, according to the World Bank. Nevertheless, Pusoetsile commended Microsoft for going the cloud way, stating that the firm had no choice but to take that route.