Microsoft launches cloud Application model for office and SharePoint

Microsoft launched its Office 2013 Customer preview in July. To pursue new features and ensure that the productivity suite is a catalyst for Microsoft's Tablet innovation program, Microsoft has introduced a new model for office and SharePoint, and this new model has also created a new market for developers.

"This is the most significant change in office and SharePoint in the last 15 years," said Richard Riley, director of Microsoft Office, who heads the SharePoint product marketing team. ”

The Microsoft Office user base is now over 1 billion. Now there is no doubt that Microsoft is making a big bet. They want the user community to recognise Microsoft's successful experience copying Apple App Store and Google's Android Market Play store to the Office App store, allowing them to take similar roles in the business.

"For developers, the user base using Office is a huge potential market," says Brian Jones, the main product group Project manager for the Microsoft Office FX Framework team. If you are an office or a SharePoint developer, while we continue to support existing solutions, you will love what we do with the new paradigm. If you're not an office developer and you're working on a web solution, you're going to love being with us because we're going to bring you huge potential customers. ”

Microsoft introduces cloud Application model

In the new cloud application model, developers can leverage common web languages and standards such as HTML, JavaScript, CSS, OAuth, rest, and OData to create extended applications. Unlike applications created through VBA, applications created through cloud application patterns can be attached to and run on specific files because they are not in local copies of office, but on Web servers. They can be hosted either locally or by managed service providers such as Windows Azure, IIS, lamp, or AWS. Of course, enterprise administrators can centrally control, manage, and upgrade these applications.

"It's similar to the pattern you see on Facebook," Riley said. Facebook doesn't care about what you're attached to the page, but Zynga can. When you attach an application, Facebook asks for the appropriate byte. ”

Currently, Microsoft has opened a new Office Developer Center as a central repository for storing documents, discussions, tutorials, and helping new developers create new application paradigms.

Since applications are inserted into a document through a URL pointer, they can also be transmitted along with the document when the user shares the document with a colleague.

He added: "This is actually a completely new way of using Office and SharePoint." Web standards are critical to our integration in this area. ”

Office and SharePoint Application tracking documents and data

Jones says he wants more users to be able to enjoy the new features that are being applied to excel. He showed an application called the Olympic medal tracker, which collects real-time online data from the London Olympic Games and inserts the data into the form.

An app named Bing Maps can associate data with the world map in the form by clicking the key, and turning the map into a heat map, each country has a suitable sized bubble that represents each country's performance at the Olympics. If the mouse hovers over the bubbles, more detailed data, such as the number of gold and silver bronze medals, will be displayed.

Another application for Outlook development allows users to annotate e-mail messages sent or received to achieve a simple CRM function. Annotations can be associated with contacts, and users will be able to see previously made annotations as long as the user contacts the contact. In addition, developers can use these tools to create SharePoint applications, such as workflow add-ons or conference room reservation systems.

Developers can choose to release the apps they created for free or sell them in the Office APP store. Riley pointed out that although Microsoft does not have the price to guide, but because has the formidable tool and the rich experience, therefore these applications price is higher than the mobile application price.

New tools for Administrators

The new model is not just creating new opportunities for Office and SharePoint developers, but it also provides administrators with new tools.

"We've been trying to make applications better up to date to avoid migration impediments in the future, to make versions easier to upgrade and maintain, and to run them in orphaned processes to prevent Office and SharePoint performance," Jones said. ”

He added, "We have invested a huge amount of money in the maintenance of the entire lifecycle of these applications." In the enterprise, these applications already have a very detailed management method. ”

For example, an administrator can audit all Office installations and see what applications are installed. If necessary, they have the right to turn off certain applications. Administrators can choose whether to allow users to fully access the Office App Store, turn off access, or only allow users to select applications in the Enterprise directory.

In addition, administrators are able to allow users to purchase their own applications, or to launch an application program that allows administrators to approve purchase applications. If an application is helpful to all employees, the administrator can purchase a large number of licenses. (Gundy compilation)

(Responsible editor: The good of the Legacy)