Microsoft is all set to offer Live Services suite from November

Zune and Zune Community to hit markets in January
 
BANGALORE: Microsoft plans to launch the entire suite of Live Services, its platform for offering software on a subscription model across user segments, in the next 6-9 months across the country.

The online subscription software market, according to some estimates is currently put at $112 billion. It is expected to be over $200 billion globally by 2010.

The hosted model where software vendors charge a rental for applications accessed and used off the net is particularly suited to emerging markets like India and China where software piracy and affordability are major concerns. Therefore, much of this estimated growth is expect to come these markets.

While Google has posed a major challenge to Microsoft particularly in the consumer space with its offerings, others like SAP have jumped into the fray in the enterprise space that is a major focus area for Microsoft.

While Windows Live, incorporating Windows Live Hotmail, Live Search, Live messenger and spaces, the blogging solution for individual or small enterprise websites, and Virtual Earth, are already available, Microsoft has lined up a slew of new offerings services some of which are already available in other markets.

“All the time lines for the launch of these services are either yesterday or today or the next six months”, Ravi Venkatesan, chairman, Microsoft India, told DNA Money.

If the company has to grow five times its current size as targeted, it is important that the live offerings are ramped up aggressively, he added.

All these offerings are part of Microsoft’s software plus services (S+S), architecture that is built around the concept of selling some software and hosted services to customers across segments.

On the consumer side, Microsoft will launch within 45 days Xbox Live.

More significantly,  the world’s largest software-maker is also preparing the ground to launch early next year Zune,
Microsoft’s reply to the iPod.

Interestingly, Zune will be launched simultaneously with the Zune Community Service in India that will allow users to download and share music, pictures and other social content with other Zune users, Srikanth Karnakota, leader, platform strategy, said.

Microsoft will be targeting all three screens, the PC, TV and mobile in India with its Live services, he said.

Hosted products for small businesses like Office Live and Microsoft’s version of hosted customer relationship management, CRM Live will follow in January followed by Live Meeting, Venkatesan added.