Microsoft Office 365 now available (but not available) in 9 more countries

Exactly a year after it launched the cloud service in other African markets like South Africa and Kenya, Microsoft is reported to have announced yesterday the launch of Office 365 in 9 more countries on the continent. The countries are Zimbabwe, Angola, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mauritius, Rwanda and Senegal.

What this means is that users in these markets will be able to access online versions of Microsoft business software include Exchange (for email), SharePoint, document management and other communication services. We tried just before posting this article to see if we could register for an account on the Office 365 site, but found Zimbabwe was not on the country list. Neither was Angola,  Cameroon, Senegal and the other announced yesterday. So we’re guessing the Microsoft PR moved way faster than business.

On cost, expect to pay about $5 per user per month.

Feasible for business, or home use? Well, it depends on the reliability of your internet access and what you are using currently to meet the business uses Office 365 provides. If you don’t have reliable internet, you want to move on and forget this for now. On the other hand, if you have, consider a comparison of the offering to Google Apps.