Just as Microsoft will be discontinuing its support for Windows XP after April 8, 2014, it will also no longer be providing any security patches or technical support for Office 2003 after that same date. Because applications that aren’t supported are vulnerable to security breaches and downtime, businesses should contact IronOrbit and switch to a newer version of Microsoft Office before it’s too late. The advantages of signing up for a hosted version of Microsoft Office from IronOrbit, as opposed to purchasing licenses for onsite versions of the application, include:
- More accessibility. Hosted applications from IronOrbit can be accessed from anywhere with any Internet-connected computer, tablet, or smartphone. With an anywhere-accessible Microsoft Office, IronOrbit users can, for example, input data into Excel spreadsheets or Access databases when performing offsite services; use a tablet to display a PowerPoint at an offsite meeting; or draft reports in Word from a Wi-Fi-enabled train or airplane. Despite being anywhere-accessible, our Hosted Applications are also centralized—the application and its files never leave our servers, and the only data sent to users’ devices is the video and audio of the application as it responds to users’ keyboard and mouse inputs.
- No onsite servers required. IronOrbit Hosted Applications don’t require the purchase or maintenance of any onsite servers or PC workstations. All an IronOrbit user needs to access our hosted solutions is an Internet-connected computer, tablet, or smartphone.
- Fully-managed and secure. IronOrbit Hosted Applications are protected by our Orbital Security System (firewalls, IDS/IPS, antivirus, and content filtering). They’re also backed with 24x7x365 US-based technical support.
Businesses can also upgrade to a newer version of Microsoft Office by signing up for IronOrbit Hosted Virtual Desktops, which are IT solutions that appear and perform the same as locally-installed Windows 7 or Windows 8 desktop operating systems. In fact, we at IronOrbit usually recommend that businesses use Desktop Virtualization to deploy Microsoft Office rather than implement it separately as a Hosted Application, for a couple reasons.
First, many of the computers old enough to still be running Office 2003 are also running the Windows XP operating system; and by signing up for IronOrbit Hosted VDIs and using them to deploy a newer version of Microsoft Office, businesses can upgrade them both at the same time. Second, a user can access all of his applications (not just all of the programs in the Microsoft Office suite, but also any other applications that he wants to install) from his assigned Hosted Desktop, instead of having to log in and access each application separately. Third, users can do more with IronOrbit Hosted Desktops than just run applications—they can also use them to store files, access email, and browse the Internet. Also, like IronOrbit Hosted Applications and Hosted IT Infrastructures, our Hosted VDIs are centralized; come with our Orbital Security System and 24x7x365 technical support; can be accessed from anywhere; and cost only a low, flat monthly fee.
To switch to a newer version of Office by signing up for these Hosted VDIs or our Hosted Applications, businesses should contact us at [email protected] or (888) 753-5060 today!