The Register is reporting in its article Microsoft reinvents Office Live for small biz as ‘free’ that according to a Microsoft Press Release, Microsoft has pulled together a number of on-line applications and added some news ones to make “Office Live Small Business” which will be available for free on-line for small businesses (10 employees or less) albeit with a few caveats (some chargeable). With these services Microsoft say that small businesses can “create a professional online presence without the expense of buying a server, setting up a complicated infrastructure, and hiring technical staff…“. The on-line product has also been made Firefox compatible to widen its target audience. Some of the Components include a Contact manager, Web design facilities, Outlook synchronisation, Custom domain name facilities (there are some charges for this after the first year) and new facilities including an e-commerce Store Manager and on online email Marketing system. Microsoft also have a number of Frequently Asked Questions about the service at this URL: Microsoft Office Live Frequently asked questions.

The Microsoft Office Live Small Business URL is http://office.microsoft.com/en-gb/officelive/default.aspx

You can also access the The Microsoft Office Live Small Business Blog at http://officeliveblog.spaces.live.com/

And you can visit the Microsoft Office Live Small Business Community

For a less formal view David Overton has an Office Live thread on his Blog at  David Overton’s Blog