Technology & IT | Sunday 12 April, 2015 12:30 am |

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd and Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) have expanded their global partnership to bring Microsoft mobile productivity services to more consumers and business customers. Samsung is planning to pre-install Microsoft services and apps on its portfolio of Android devices and will deliver secure mobile productivity for businesses through a new Microsoft Office 365 and Samsung KNOX Business Pack.

Microsoft is committed to reinventing productivity in a mobile-first, cloud-first world. Expanding its cloud-based services to customers in new ways and across platforms and devices is a big part of executing this strategy.

For consumers, pre-installed services include the following:
As disclosed at Mobile World Congress, Samsung will pre-install OneNote, OneDrive, and Skype on the new Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge.
In the first half of 2015, Samsung is planning to pre-install Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, OneDrive, and Skype on select Samsung Android tablets

Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge will also come with 100GB of additional free cloud storage for two years through Microsoft OneDrive, allowing extra storage space.

Businesses that purchase devices through Samsung's business-to-business sales channels will have access to three versions of Office 365 – Business, Business Premium, and Enterprise – coupled with Samsung’s KNOX security solution. The bundle also includes a setup service from Samsung to help businesses get up and running with products and provides ongoing support.

Microsoft Office 365, powered by the cloud, provides businesses with access to familiar Office applications, including email, calendar, video conferencing and up-to-date documents, all optimized for a seamless experience across any internet-connected device – from PCs to smartphones to tablets. Samsung KNOX provides a way for customers to easily switch between personal and business profiles on their devices, while helping keep them secure.

“Great things happen when you converge services and devices,” said Peggy Johnson, executive vice president of business development, Microsoft. “Our partnership with Samsung is emblematic of our efforts to bring the best of Microsoft’s productivity services to everyone, on every device – so people can be productive wherever, however and whenever they want.”

“Our goal is to meet the ever-evolving needs of both consumers and business customers and give them more power to discover new mobile experiences.” said SangChul Lee, executive vice president of the Strategic Marketing Office, IT & Mobile Division at Samsung Electronics. “We believe our suite of premium mobile products coupled with Microsoft’s productivity services will offer users the mobility they need in both their personal and business life.”