What is coming next for Office 365

Now that the formal debut of Office 365 is out of the way and we all understand it a bit better, it’s time to dig into just what Microsoft is going to do next with its new productivity tool.

Actually, before we do that, let’s go over again just what Office 365 is, for everyone’s sake:

Aimed at businesses rather than individuals, the service comprises Exchange Online (for email and calendars), SharePoint Online (for online collaboration), Lync Online (for text, audio and video messaging and conferencing), plus browser-based versions of Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint in addition to the traditional installed versions.

Priced between $2 and $27 per user per month, Microsoft is targeting enterprise customers, small businesses and the education market with Office 365. Microsoft is promising updates to the service every 90 days.

That out-of-the-way, let’s talk about what is in the pipeline. According to an in-depth report on ZDNet, there are two things coming for Office 365 that are known at this point: CRM Online and Windows Intune.

Yes, Dynamics CRM Online will be making its way into Office 365 in the future. We are not sure if it will be a part of the first ‘every 90 days’ update, but Microsoft did promise to ZDNet that it would land before the end of 2011.

And Microsoft Intune? It’s coming as well. As Intune is a more obscure Microsoft product, let us explain it to you: Intune is Microsoft’s tool that allows for remote computer management through a browser, and provides increased security. It’s a way to keep a fleet of computers up to date, secure, and in sync.

We are not sure when Intune will be coming to Office 365, but since it is essentially a cloud product, it will fit well inside the new cloud suite. Sound off in the comments, are you going to use Office 365?