Microsoft to Offer Office 365 Without Teams Globally
Addressing Antitrust Concerns and Rival Complaints
In a significant move, Microsoft is set to launch a new version of its Microsoft 365 and Office 365 subscription service that will not include the Teams collaboration platform. This decision comes in the wake of scrutiny from the European Union regulator and complaints from competitor Slack, which is owned by Salesforce.
Leveling the Playing Field
Many businesses have argued that Microsoft has had an unfair advantage by bundling Teams with its Office 365 suite since 2017. Slack went as far as calling the practice “illegal,” claiming that Microsoft compelled customers to install Teams through its dominant productivity suite and concealed the actual cost of the chat and video service. In a statement to Reuters, Microsoft acknowledged that the unbundling:
addresses feedback from the European Commission by providing multinational companies more flexibility when they want to standardize their purchasing across geographies.
New Office 365 Lineups Coming Soon
According to Reuters, Microsoft is expected to introduce the new Office 365 lineups without Teams on Monday. However, at the time of publishing, the company had not yet implemented the change. The Zero Byte has reached out to Microsoft for more details and will update the story as more information becomes available.
Previous Agreement in the EU and Switzerland
This global unbundling follows Microsoft’s agreement last year to sell the Office 365 suite without the Microsoft Teams offering in the European Union and Switzerland. The move aimed to address antitrust concerns and provide customers with more choice in selecting their collaboration tools.
As Microsoft takes steps to level the playing field and address antitrust concerns, it remains to be seen how this change will impact the competitive landscape of productivity suites and collaboration platforms.
3 Comments
Finally, Microsoft listens to the outcry, but will it really change the game?
Seems like Microsoft’s finally feeling the heat, but is it too little too late?
Well, Microsoft decided to play it cool, splitting Teams and Office—wonder if they’re ahead or just catching up?