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Edit MS Office Docs using MS Office from Google Drive

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Watch the Demo

Click on the image for the demo!

 

One of the hurdles many face when moving to Google Apps is how to deal with MS Office. Some users feel they cannot live without some of the advanced formatting and features; others are concerned that they receive and work on MS Office documents received from others.

Until now, in order to edit MS Office documents in their native format, users had to download or sync files to their local disk or use the limited editing capabilities of the Chrome browser extension.   Both are less than ideals.

Can you click on a Word doc saved in Drive, have it open in Microsoft Word, and have the file save to Drive?  … YES!  Yes, you can!

With AODocs File Server and the AODocs SmartBar Extension for Chrome, you can use Drive in your Chrome browser, select and edit MS Office files, and have them save directly within Drive.  You can effectively replace Windows Explorer with Drive + AODocs.

Click Here to see a quick demo with Word.  The solution works for Excel and Powerpoint files, too.

Want to know more? Contact Us for a 1:1 demo of the full AODocs File Server solution.
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Alternatives to MS Office

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NoWindows

 

With more businesses moving to the cloud, and Google Apps in particular, one of the questions that comes up is whether organizations still need MS Office.  The fact that MS Office use is drastically lower than peceived within most companies is a subject for another post.

For many organizations, they still need a solution for existing (legacy) documents as well as documents shared with them by others still using MS Office.  The good news is that you have a number of strong competitors that are free, or very low cost, and that run across multiple platforms.  Here a few.

Kingsoft Office

Cost:  Free; Premium Edition for Windows is $69.95
Platforms:  Windows, Android, iOS, Linux

Kingsoft Office is a free MS Office compatible suite available on Windows, Android (including Samsung devices and International), iOS (iPad and iPhone), and Linux.  The suite integrates with Google Drive, as well as Box and Dropbox.

Office Suite from Mobile Systems Inc.

Cost: Android: Free or $9.99 for Premium; iOS: $1.99 (promotion; normally $14.99)
Platforms: Android, iOS

Work with and print Office format documents, as well as PDF and ZIP files.  A file manager works with local files and attachments on smartphones and tablets and can also access Google Drive, Box, Dropbox, OneDrive and SugarSync, plus sharing via email, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Direct.

QuickOffice form Google

Cost: Free with Google Apps account
Platforms: Android, iOS

Edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint files read PDFs.  Works only with Google Drive and supports printing to Wi-Fi printers.

DocstoGo from DataViz

Cost: Free
Platforms: Android, iOS

Supports MS Office 97, 2010, and 2013 formats.  An in-app purchase is required to use Google Drive, Box, Dropbox, and OneDrive.

Polaris Office 5

Cost: Free
Platforms: Android, iOS

Allows workgroups to use email or social contacts to collaborate on documents.  Works with Google Drive, Box, Dropbox and other WebDAV sites. The iOS version supports OneDrive as well.

CloudOn

Cost: Free; Pro version for $3.99 per month includes printing
Platforms: Android, iOS

Rather than building apps to execute on the local device, the CloudOn connects to a free service that executes Office apps in the cloud, and opens and edits files there. Only screen updates and gestures go back and forth. CloudOn saves to a Google Drive, Box, Dropbox or OneDrive account.

OffiSync Intro and Training

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See the features of OffiSync Premium first-hand.  Learn how to use OffiSync to save, share, and collaborate using Google Docs and Google Site from a toolbar within Word, Excel, and Powerpoint.

When:  Friday 11/13/2009 — 1:00 PM ET

Click Here to Register

Click Here to Learn More

OffiSync works with

  • MS Office 2003, 2007, and 201o
  • Google Apps Premier, Education, and Standard Editions
  • Google Site and Google Docs

Horizon Info Services Named Exclusive North American Distributor for OffiSync

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WESTBOROUGH, MA – November 12, 2009 – Building on its growth as a Google Apps Authorized Reseller, Horizon Info Services (www.horizoninfoservices.com) announced its selection as the exclusive North American distributor for OffiSync (www.OffiSync.com).  OffiSync is an add-on for Microsoft Office lets users save, share, and collaborate using Google Apps from menus and toolbars within Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.  OffiSync also includes content and image search features.

“The launch of OffiSync is another turning point in the evolution of Google Apps as a business computing platform,” notes Allen Falcon, CEO of Horizon.  “OffiSync lets businesses and individuals continue to use their current desktop productivity tools and Google’s innovative cloud-based applications — either as a migration path or as part of a long-term strategy.”

Users are more comfortable changing email software since many already use more than one email program – at work and personally.  Many users are not as comfortable changing word processing and spreadsheet applications.  OffiSync solves this problem.

In a recent interview with eWeek, Matt Glotzbach, Google Enterprise Product Management Director noted that “…it’s a great set of functionality and helps a business or enterprise bridge that experience gap between users that want to work in native Office apps and those users who want to work in the cloud.”

Horizon is actively signing up resellers throughout North America.  In addition to the community of Google Apps Authorized Resellers, Horizon sees strong interest from consulting companies and IT firms that help companies deploy and use Google Apps.  It is a win-win solution.  Customers benefit from easier migrations and better integration; resellers gain from accelerated sales and an incremental recurring revenue stream.

OffiSync is designed to work seamlessly with all versions of Google Apps used by companies, educational institutions, non-profits, and individuals.  Oudi Antebi, Founder and CEO of OffiSync adds that “We created a solution that works with all current versions of Microsoft Office and every version of Google Apps – Premium, Standard, and Education, as well as individual Google Doc and Google Site accounts.”

OffiSync is available as an annual subscription starting at $12 per year per user or under a traditional perpetual license starting at $30 per user.  Both licenses include support; the subscription includes enhancements, upgrades, and future releases.

About Horizon Info Services

Horizon Info Services is offers industry-leading technology services to small businesses at affordable prices, specializing in solutions for businesses and non-profits with 1 to 500 employees.  Based outside of Boston Massachusetts, Horizon is an Authorized Reseller of Google Apps and Google Postini Services and offers a range of online backup solutions.

About OffiSync Corp

OffiSync enhances the way information workers use productivity applications by bringing together their familiar desktop environment with innovative cloud computing services.  OffiSync extends the way users use desktop software and allows them to store their files on Google Apps for better collaboration and accessibility, as well as integrates with web and image search that make it easy to bring content from the web right into document and presentations.  OffiSync is an independent, privately held company headquartered in Seattle, Washington.

OffiSync Launches

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If you follow our blog posts, you have heard us mention OffiSync.

OffiSync is an add-on for MS Office that lets user save,  share and collaborate via Google Docs and Google Sites from within Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

OffiSync lets users keep working with their familiar office suite applications while taking advantage of the collaboration features of Google Apps (all versions).  The add-on also minimizes user concerns about functional differences with Google Documents, Spreadsheets, and Presentations.

Learn more here.