Microsoft should release a 64-bit version of Office at the same time as its 64-bit version of XP - due by the end of the year - if it wants to attract more corporates to its Software Assurance licensing scheme, according to Rob Enderle of analyst firm Enderle Group.
Enderle said such a move could encourage more firms to sign up to Software Assurance now that Microsoft has discontinued its Upgrade Advantage licensing programme.
"It would make sense to have a 64-bit version of Office to release alongside [64-bit XP]," he added.
And moving Office to a 64-bit environment would allow Microsoft to eliminate security holes in the 32-bit versions. "Security has become the IT manager's biggest nightmare," commented Enderle.
"A secure version of Office would make Software Assurance a more appealing proposition."
A number of delays to Microsoft's next generation of products, including the Longhorn version of Windows, has led some corporate customers to question whether the firm's Software Assurance licensing package offers value for money, said Enderle.
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Source:
VNUnet
