There is an interesting article in PC World about Microsoft's new "Office 365" applications. The idea is that there is no need for a server or data centre for larger firms, but everything is web-based. The model is apparently hugely cost effective.

This is the rationale we have based Audit Assistant on, and it's the same thinking behind Google Docs, Apple Mobile Me, Xero, Saasu and many other applications. The problem with Microsoft is that it was born in another age and I'm not sure that it has the right mindset for cloud applications. Time will tell. Those who are committed Microsoft users will probably move with them, but much the same outcome is already achievable with Google and/or Apple products which are either free or very cheap, so why bother?