<p>Microsoft Corporation says it is contributing significantly to the development of Nigeria's Small Medium Enterprise (SME) sector through the provision of cloud-based technologies specifically designed to enhance enterprise productivity and efficiency.</p><p>Industry analysts told Business Day at the launch of the solution in Lagos, weekend that Microsoft was finally stepping into the small-business cloud-computing segment with the company executives claiming downright that the internet is the one and only future for Microsoft. Branded as Office 365, the service costs $6 per user per month, and is Microsoft's Web-based version of its franchise Office product.</p><p>With the cloud-based solution, professionals and small businesses can be up and running with Office Web Apps, Microsoft Exchange Online, Microsoft SharePoint Online, Microsoft Lync Online and an external website in just 15 minutes.</p><p>These tools, according to Microsoft put email, voicemail, enterprise social networking, instant messaging, Web portals, extranets, video conferencing, web conferencing and more at everyone's fingertips. In Nigeria today, 80 percent of businesses are SMEs but their contributions to the economy from a value add perspective is insignificant. Industry analysts have blamed this rather worrisome situation on poor access to capital and low adoption of Information Communications Technology (ICTs).</p><p><a href="http://www.businessdayonline.com/NG/index.php/tech/telecoms/44542-microsoft-boosts-enterprise-productivity-with-new-cloud-service">Keep reading...</a></p>