29
Fri, Nov
0 New Articles

Microsoft Releases Office 2003

Analysis of News Events
Typography
  • Smaller Small Medium Big Bigger
  • Default Helvetica Segoe Georgia Times

Last Tuesday, Microsoft officially launched Office 2003, the long-expected upgrade to its desktop productivity suite. In the process, the software giant declared its intent to make Office the hub that connects workers with each other and their enterprise applications. That declaration holds significant implications for medium-size companies in general and iSeries owners in particular.

With Office 2003, Microsoft is trying to meet a different set of customer needs than it did with previous versions. Historically, Microsoft's primary objective for Office was to make individual workers more productive. This led the company to add hundreds of features--many of which are used by only a fraction of workers--to wring out incremental productivity gains. Today, however, Microsoft executives acknowledge that they have reached the point of rapidly diminishing returns with this strategy. From a personal productivity standpoint, Office has achieved nearly as much as it can achieve. As such, Microsoft cannot expect customers to keep upgrading their Office suites unless future versions do more than automate the desktop.

For Microsoft, Office 2003 represents a major step beyond personal productivity. While the software package targets some new features at individual workers, most of its enhancements are designed to increase the productivity of workgroups and entire companies. The suite accomplishes this objective in two major ways. First, it uses Extensible Markup Language (XML) to organize information locked in "desktop silos" and make it accessible to workgroups and enterprise applications. Second, it integrates with Microsoft server-side products that support workgroup productivity, such as SharePoint Portal Server and Live Communications Server.

XML--Microsoft's Secret Integration Sauce

Office 2003 uses XML as the primary mechanism for building information bridges between individual desktops, workgroups, and the wider enterprise. Unlike Office XP, which could only save and open XML documents, Office 2003 uses XML to actively structure, constrain, and validate data elements within documents. The suite also uses XML to share information with other Microsoft applications and any other software that generates XML data.

To show how these capabilities work, let's consider how many companies collect monthly expense reports from employees: via Excel templates that they fill out and email to their managers. Today, getting that information into corporate financial systems frequently involves many manual steps, including validation and rekeying. With Office 2003, however, a company can bind an XML schema to an Excel template that validates all expense entries and then formats them for immediate access by financial systems. Moreover, developers can write XML-based Excel applications to retrieve expense data from financial systems for review by controllers and CFOs.

If there is one Office 2003 application that exemplifies these capabilities, it is a new one known as InfoPath 2003. While the new XML capabilities in Excel, Word, and Access require considerable skill to use, InfoPath lets users create XML-based forms without having to understand the underlying technology. These forms can gather, validate, and format data from both employees and applications and then pass that data to other XML-compliant applications. This allows InfoPath to function as a workflow engine when coupled with the appropriate server-side software.

While XML makes Office 2003 a more-effective platform for collaboration and data sharing, it also increases the risk that sensitive data will fall into the wrong hands. To protect against this, Office 2003 includes Information Rights Management (IRM), a new feature that allows users to define at the file level who can access, copy, forward, and print documents. Administrators can define these rights for individual users as well as for groups.

 

Office 2003 Editions for Commercial Organizations


Office Professional Enterprise Edition 2003


Office Professional Edition 2003

Office
Small Business Edition 2003


Office Standard Edition 2003

Products and Features Included

  • Access 2003
  • Excel 2003
  • Outlook 2003
  • PowerPoint 2003
  • Publisher 2003
  • Word 2003
  • InfoPath 2003
  • Full XML support
  • IRM support
  • Access 2003
  • Excel 2003
  • Outlook 2003
  • PowerPoint 2003
  • Publisher 2003
  • Word 2003
  • Full XML support
  • IRM support
  • Excel 2003
  • Outlook 2003
  • PowerPoint 2003
  • Publisher 2003
  • Word 2003
  • Partial XML support (does not support XML schemas)
  • Excel 2003
  • Outlook 2003
  • PowerPoint 2003
  • Word 2003
  • Partial XML support (does not support XML schemas)

Retail Prices

Only available via volume licensing programs

New user: $499
Upgrade: $329
(Also available via volume licensing)

New user: $449
Upgrade: $279
(Also available via volume licensing)

New user: $399
Upgrade: $239
(Also available via volume licensing)

Not Just a Suite, but a System

While Office 2003 is a desktop suite, it extends beyond the desktop to integrate at deeper levels with Microsoft's server products. The primary goal of this integration is to enhance the suite's collaboration and workflow capabilities. To achieve this goal, Office 2003 features integration with several server products. One of these, Live Communications Server 2003, provides instant messaging and real-time information sharing services within corporate firewalls. Another, Windows SharePoint Services, is a facility in Windows Server 2003 that creates an environment for document-based collaboration. Workgroups can use Windows SharePoint Services on a standalone basis or extend it with additional features found in SharePoint Portal Server 2003.

Besides integrating with these server products, Office 2003 also features tighter integration with Exchange Server 2003, Project Server 2003, and client-side products such as FrontPage and Visio. To highlight the integration between Office 2003 and these products, Microsoft refers to them collectively as the Office System. Given the growing bonds between Office and Microsoft's server products, that title is increasingly appropriate.

To Upgrade or Not to Upgrade?

Taken together, Microsoft's Office 2003 and Office System could significantly boost the productivity of workgroups and break down the barriers between desktop and enterprise applications. However, those capabilities come packaged with weaknesses and risks that you should assess before deciding to upgrade. I'll weigh the promises of Office 2003 versus its perils in a future article, so stay tuned.

Lee Kroon is a Senior Industry Analyst for Andrews Consulting Group, a firm that helps mid-sized companies manage business transformation through technology. You can reach him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

LEE KROON
Lee Kroon is a Senior Industry Analyst for Andrews Consulting Group, a firm that helps mid-sized companies manage business transformation through technology.
BLOG COMMENTS POWERED BY DISQUS

LATEST COMMENTS

Support MC Press Online

$

Book Reviews

Resource Center

  • SB Profound WC 5536 Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application. You can find Part 1 here. In Part 2 of our free Node.js Webinar Series, Brian May teaches you the different tooling options available for writing code, debugging, and using Git for version control. Brian will briefly discuss the different tools available, and demonstrate his preferred setup for Node development on IBM i or any platform. Attend this webinar to learn:

  • SB Profound WP 5539More than ever, there is a demand for IT to deliver innovation. Your IBM i has been an essential part of your business operations for years. However, your organization may struggle to maintain the current system and implement new projects. The thousands of customers we've worked with and surveyed state that expectations regarding the digital footprint and vision of the company are not aligned with the current IT environment.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT Generic IBM announced the E1080 servers using the latest Power10 processor in September 2021. The most powerful processor from IBM to date, Power10 is designed to handle the demands of doing business in today’s high-tech atmosphere, including running cloud applications, supporting big data, and managing AI workloads. But what does Power10 mean for your data center? In this recorded webinar, IBMers Dan Sundt and Dylan Boday join IBM Power Champion Tom Huntington for a discussion on why Power10 technology is the right strategic investment if you run IBM i, AIX, or Linux. In this action-packed hour, Tom will share trends from the IBM i and AIX user communities while Dan and Dylan dive into the tech specs for key hardware, including:

  • Magic MarkTRY the one package that solves all your document design and printing challenges on all your platforms. Produce bar code labels, electronic forms, ad hoc reports, and RFID tags – without programming! MarkMagic is the only document design and print solution that combines report writing, WYSIWYG label and forms design, and conditional printing in one integrated product. Make sure your data survives when catastrophe hits. Request your trial now!  Request Now.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericForms of ransomware has been around for over 30 years, and with more and more organizations suffering attacks each year, it continues to endure. What has made ransomware such a durable threat and what is the best way to combat it? In order to prevent ransomware, organizations must first understand how it works.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericIT security is a top priority for businesses around the world, but most IBM i pros don’t know where to begin—and most cybersecurity experts don’t know IBM i. In this session, Robin Tatam explores the business impact of lax IBM i security, the top vulnerabilities putting IBM i at risk, and the steps you can take to protect your organization. If you’re looking to avoid unexpected downtime or corrupted data, you don’t want to miss this session.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericCan you trust all of your users all of the time? A typical end user receives 16 malicious emails each month, but only 17 percent of these phishing campaigns are reported to IT. Once an attack is underway, most organizations won’t discover the breach until six months later. A staggering amount of damage can occur in that time. Despite these risks, 93 percent of organizations are leaving their IBM i systems vulnerable to cybercrime. In this on-demand webinar, IBM i security experts Robin Tatam and Sandi Moore will reveal:

  • FORTRA Disaster protection is vital to every business. Yet, it often consists of patched together procedures that are prone to error. From automatic backups to data encryption to media management, Robot automates the routine (yet often complex) tasks of iSeries backup and recovery, saving you time and money and making the process safer and more reliable. Automate your backups with the Robot Backup and Recovery Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAManaging messages on your IBM i can be more than a full-time job if you have to do it manually. Messages need a response and resources must be monitored—often over multiple systems and across platforms. How can you be sure you won’t miss important system events? Automate your message center with the Robot Message Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAThe thought of printing, distributing, and storing iSeries reports manually may reduce you to tears. Paper and labor costs associated with report generation can spiral out of control. Mountains of paper threaten to swamp your files. Robot automates report bursting, distribution, bundling, and archiving, and offers secure, selective online report viewing. Manage your reports with the Robot Report Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAFor over 30 years, Robot has been a leader in systems management for IBM i. With batch job creation and scheduling at its core, the Robot Job Scheduling Solution reduces the opportunity for human error and helps you maintain service levels, automating even the biggest, most complex runbooks. Manage your job schedule with the Robot Job Scheduling Solution. Key features include:

  • LANSA Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.

  • LANSAWhen it comes to creating your business applications, there are hundreds of coding platforms and programming languages to choose from. These options range from very complex traditional programming languages to Low-Code platforms where sometimes no traditional coding experience is needed. Download our whitepaper, The Power of Writing Code in a Low-Code Solution, and:

  • LANSASupply Chain is becoming increasingly complex and unpredictable. From raw materials for manufacturing to food supply chains, the journey from source to production to delivery to consumers is marred with inefficiencies, manual processes, shortages, recalls, counterfeits, and scandals. In this webinar, we discuss how:

  • The MC Resource Centers bring you the widest selection of white papers, trial software, and on-demand webcasts for you to choose from. >> Review the list of White Papers, Trial Software or On-Demand Webcast at the MC Press Resource Center. >> Add the items to yru Cart and complet he checkout process and submit

  • Profound Logic Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application.

  • SB Profound WC 5536Join us for this hour-long webcast that will explore:

  • Fortra IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn: