SharePoint Online 2010 Standard is Evolutionary

Microsoft follows a now familiar pattern with evolving technologies. Initial product releases are simplistic and target core functionality only. As the business model and market needs are discovered major releases transform the product into a power player. SharePoint has followed this recipe to a tee and the 2010 release should be considered the first highly mature composition (no-code) web based framework capable of supporting most enterprises in a cloud based model. Watch Steve Ballmer discuss the future of SharePoint 2010:

(More video available here.)
As I have just moved my own company infrastructure onto Microsoft’s full Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS), I will be posting regarding our experiences in making the transition to cloud based SharePoint, Exchange, LiveMeeting and Communicator. I can say now that the pending release of 2010 has me focusing our business plan to help clients leverage a very capable, cost effective solution that should help remove IT complexity from non-IT businesses.