Gates outlines next-gen software

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During the recently held Microsoft CEO Summit, Bill Gates, Chairman and Chief Software Architect, Microsoft talked of the next wave of Microsoft Office products, currently code-named "Office 12".

During the recently held Microsoft CEO Summit, Bill Gates, Chairman and Chief Software Architect, Microsoft talked of the next wave of Microsoft Office products, currently code-named "Office 12". He claimed this new set of Office products as a significant development to advance information work in this changing business landscape. "Office 12" will be available in the second half of calendar year 2006 with the first beta version expected this fall.
In the next generation of Office, Microsoft is focused on delivering tools that enable individual workers to make a stronger impact with their daily tasks, manage their communications and collaboration in a unified environment, and more readily visualize and extract valuable insights from large volumes of incoming information.
"Today's companies thrive when their employees can effectively collaborate, visualize and act on business intelligence and prioritize scarce time and resources. Information workers are the driving force behind bu

siness innovation. To adapt and succeed in the 'New World of Work' today and tomorrow, they need advanced tools that will help them make the most of their unique talents, experiences and judgment," said Gates.
The new capabilities in the software will help enable businesses to be more competitive in the "New World of Work" by extending the capabilities of software to drive better business performance. It will also give IT departments a more standardized, integrated architecture for efficiently managing the complete life cycle of documents and other content. In addition, the next generation of Microsoft Office products will further incorporate open XML standards and provide rapid development tools.
Gates described how workplace trends such as the shift from manufacturing- to services-based economies are shaping technology innovation in the coming decade, as is the growing need for people to collaborate across organizations and time zones. Other forces include the larger and more c

omplex streams of information that employees must handle in today's "always on, always connected" technology environments, the demands for greater transparency and accountability in business processes, and more intense competition to recruit talented employees from a shrinking work force.