Telstra launches office apps via software-as-a-service model

By Stuart Corner
Monday, 03 November 2008 10:29

Home IT

Telstra has launched the first stage of its T-Suite software as a service (SaaS) range of applications for SMBs, announced in June. Intial software is from McAfee, Microsoft, MessageLabs and Iron Mountain.

The initial offerings cover three areas:
* productivity - including tools for messaging, team collaboration and management of sales and marketing activity;
* Security - with desktop, server and network security, providing from viruses, spyware and other malicious web attacks;
• Continuity - remote backup for PCs and servers.

When it announced plans for the service in June ,  Telstra promoted it as both a platform for established applications from major software developers and as a channel to market for small Australian software developers.

Telstra Business group managing director, Deena Shiff, said: "T-Suite will be a one-stop shop where established software names will share 'shelf space' with up-and-coming Australian companies. If an Australian software designer comes up with an innovative program it means they will have access to a national market in Australia and can use it as a springboard to the world."

Launching the service today, 3 November, she said that Telstra would soon be making further content relationship announcements with "leading Australian and global suppliers" and claimed that "T-Suite software as a service will be the place to be for software vendors as we prepare for our full-scale market launch in early 2009."

She added: "We're in active talks with more than 50 providers including locally produced software to help SMEs comply with regulatory requirements and workforce management."

According to Telstra's T-Suite web site, the initial suppliers are McAfee (anti-spam, anti-virus, firewall etc), MessageLabs (email security), Microsoft (hosted Exchange email), SharePoint (collaboration) and Iron Mountain (remote backup)

T-Suite is Telstra's third foray into SaaS. It has been offering hosted Microsoft Exchange email services for several years and last year, BigPond announced that it had signed a deal with SaaS office productivity apps provider, ThinkFree,  to become its exclusive Australian representative.

ThinkFree's range of apps are now available at no charge to BigPond customers as BigPond Office Write, BigPond Office Calc and BigPond Office Show (online presentation application) and for a monthly fee to others./

When T-Suite was announced, Telstra Business spokesman, Marin Barr told iTWire that the two services were aimed at quite different markets. "BigPond Office is targeted squarely at the consumer market and not 'business-grade'. T-Suite by contrast, is a business-grade service designed and built to meet the needs of Australia's small and medium businesses, and will offer a range of infrastructure (storage, security, network, etc.), horizontal (e-mail, accounting, CRM, etc), and vertical applications."

Prices for the first three T-Suite offerings start from $4 per user per month for desktop security; $10.95 for email; $14 for data back up and $19.95 per service per month for collaboration software.