Microsoft has closed its Office Live Small Business (OLSB) cloud-based productivity service.
The move was announced 18 months ago with the company giving the end of April this year as a deadline for users to migrate to other cloud-based services, including Microsoft's Office 365 productivity suite.
Many OLSB customers won't see Office 365 as a good fit, especially since Office 365 isn't free.
Service and sites built on the OLSB service have been inaccessible since yesterday. Existing customers have been told to transition to Office 365 and Microsoft has softened the blow with a free six month subscription to the service.
However, users that created and ran websites on OLSB have to move to an external provider and update their DNS records to point to a new host.
The software giant has posted videos and online support to help users migrate.
But, even up to the deadline, it appeared that some users were unaware of the shutdown or were having problems moving off the platform.
Members of the product's discussion forum were still posting on the site asking questions about the move or pleading with the company to postpone the shutdown.
Some users of the service have complained that Office 365 is generally more expensive with features many users have said they are unlikely to use. Microsoft, on its webpage, admitted as much
"OLSB appealed to a lot of different people, especially because of the free website. Office 365 is targeted at meeting the needs of small business owners and professionals," read a statement on the official OLSB website. "Many OLSB customers won't see Office 365 as a good fit, especially since Office 365 isn't free."
-
RSAC Conference 2025: The front line of cyber innovationITPro Podcast Ransomware, quantum computing, and an unsurprising focus on AI were highlights of this year's event
-
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei thinks we're burying our heads in the sand on AI job lossesNews With AI set to hit entry-level jobs especially, some industry execs say clear warning signs are being ignored
-
Uncover new insights with your data in the cloudWhitepaper React faster and anticipate change - A guide and assessment for SMBs
-
Microsoft releases Office 365 bundles for enterprise, SMB and mid-marketNews Software giant takes the wraps off new Office 365 for Business products
-
Scale Computing promises SMBs a low cost way into virtualisationNews Scale-out storage vendor claims new product bundle will help firms save money on virtualisation projects.
-
VMworld 2012: VMware trumpets worldwide growth of cloud-based servicesNews Virtualisation giant's vice president of cloud services claims the firm has the world's largest cloud ecosystem.
-
Sage teams up with Rackspace to deliver CRM to SMBsNews Small business software company Sage is to deliver SaaS-based CRM through a deal with Rackspace.
-
Symantec shifts Backup Exec to the cloudNews Backup Exec gets new delivery models, with the option to get solutions over the cloud.
-
HP launches ‘Just Right’ portfolio for SMBsNews Whilst its management may be busy chasing the company’s ex-CEO, others at HP have been putting their time into a new range of products for small and medium businesses.
-
Security holding companies back from the cloudNews Businesses realise the benefits of cloud computing, but many are unsure of it over privacy and security concerns.
