Verizon brings Microsoft Office 365 to SMB mobile portfolio

Verizon Wireless is getting more cloud-friendly and productivity-minded with the addition of Microsoft Office 365 to its mobile portfolio of tools designed for small business customers.
The online version of Microsoft's productivity and collaboration platform will enable Verizon's SMB clientele to have another option for cloud-based email, instant messaging, video conferencing, and document sharing.
Michael C. Schaefer, executive director of the Verizon Wireless Business Solutions unit, explained in a statement that Verizon's motivation here is to address two "priorities" for SMB customers: "simplicity and cost effectiveness."

We included Office 365 with Small Business Essentials to address these needs.  Plus, we also want to emphasize it is scalable – which is ideal for companies in the growing segment of up to 50 employees.  With all of our SMB-related products and services, our goal is to help customers expedite their workflow so they can work smarter, faster and more efficiently. 

The nation's largest mobile provider also touts its integrated mobile device management and robust IT controls for the cloud-based service running on Verizon's 4G LTE network, which is spans more than 330 markets nationwide now.
Verizon will be providing support for Office 365 on iOS, Android, BlackBerry, and (of course) Windows Phone with support to sync data across smartphones, tablets, PCs or Macs.   
Microsoft Office 365 included with Verizon's Small Business Essentials is now available for $6 per month per user.

Verizon is just the latest partner to sign on to support Office 365 after Microsoft celebrated the one-year anniversary for the cloud service in July. Some of the other high-profile enterprise clients include Lowe's, Burger King and Hallmark Cards. But the Redmond, Wash.-based corporation is also keen to focus on the SMB sector as well, which makes up more than 90 percent of the Office 365 customer base.