Here’s an excellent article published by Dummies.com. It argues that as with any decision in life, there are generally pros and cons and moving to the Microsoft Office 365 cloud is no exception. It suggests that depending on whom you are talking with, the cloud is either the greatest thing since the invention of the wheel or a devilish ploy by big companies to wrestle away control of your data. Most importantly, the truth is that many people find that the benefits of the cloud greatly outweigh the detriments.

Source: Pros and Cons of the Microsoft Office 365 Cloud

The article sets out clearly six major advantages and two disadvantages in moving to the Office Cloud.

I switched across about two years ago and am very happy to pay Microsoft an annual subscription (also available monthly) for the latest software, resident on the web and a repository for my data. This is all seamlessly managed in the background, covering multiple devices.

If you’re a serious techy, there are perhaps other and cheaper solutions but they can be time-consuming and risky. Non-techies shouldn’t be ‘penny wise and Pound foolish’. Can you deal with dozens of computer security threats and risks, like trojans, viruses, worms, spyware, scareware etc.?

Dummies.com highlights that Microsoft Office 365 Cloud outsources the hassle of installing, managing, patching, and upgrading extremely complex software systems.

Thoughts?