Office Has Met Its (Free) Match

A slowing economy. Rising costs. Thrifty customers.

It's a tough time to start a business. Entrepreneurs need all the help they can get.

Enter Office 2.0 -- a growing collection of free and low-cost computer applications that help keep expenses down and productivity up.

Unlike traditional software that is installed on your computer, these new programs run over the Internet.

That means no installation discs, and no worrying if your computer has enough memory. If your computer can run a Web browser such as Internet Explorer, it can run these applications.

"These new online applications are making it very easy for small businesses," said Patrick Cook, a Silicon Valley technology consultant. "Businesses can literally save thousands of dollars using these apps."

Designed by online empires such as Google, or lesser-known companies such as Zoho and ThinkFree, these applications are fighting to replace Microsoft Office and its stalwarts: Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.

Microsoft Office products still dominate the market with about 500 million users. But the online programs hope to entice you away by using startlingly similar designs.

Using these online word processors, spreadsheets and slideshow programs will be intuitive for most MS Office users. If you know how to bold, indent or highlight something in MS Word, it shouldn't take long to figure out how to do it in most of these online applications. And the programs can open MS Office documents, and save in formats compatible with Microsoft products.

Some differences do exist -- most of these free programs have fewer features than MS Office.

So-called power users who require advanced functions found in MS Office shouldn't make the switch. But most users will find everything they need, said John Ludin, a technology consultant with the Redwood Empire Small Business Development Center located at Santa Rosa Junior College.

Of course, people will need to spend a little time learning the ins and outs of these online programs.

"There is a period where people will be less productive as they learn the setup," Ludin said.

But for many people, these transition pains might be outweighed by the dramatic cost savings that are possible.

Some of the products, such as Google's word processor, spreadsheet and presentation software, are free. Other products use the so-called freemium model -- it's free to use the basic software but advanced users will want to pay for a premium account.

In comparison, Microsoft Office Small Business 2007 costs $390 -- although it can be cheaper if licensing several computers.

Also, online programs don't need the extra computing power, disk space or memory required for the latest Microsoft products. So companies can save money by using any old computer capable of connecting to the Internet and running a Web browser.

The number of small businesses using Google Docs, Zoho Writer or other programs is increasing, said Cook, director of the Technology Advisory Program at the Northern California Small Business Development Center.

"This trend is gathering momentum," he said. "It's by no means mainstream yet, but it's not niche either."

The development center is holding daylong technology boot camps to train small business owners on many of these technologies. It comes to Rohnert Park on June 24.

Perhaps the greatest advantage to online programs is that collaborating on projects is a snap. If you want to work on a project with someone in Kentucky or Timbuktu, most programs let you send them an e-mail invitation that gives them access to read and edit the online document.

But there are downsides. One is that users must be connected to the Internet to use their calendars, project planners and contact management software. That mains no working on Google Docs while on a plane.

For people who don't want to rely on constant Internet access, OpenOffice is a free suite of office applications that can be downloaded.

"It's a complete office suite. It does 70 percent of what MS Office does. And that's enough for almost 100 percent of people," Ludin said.

And Google recently announced it would release a program to let people use its applications even while offline.

Another consideration is security and privacy. Many people aren't comfortable saving private or sensitive information on the Internet.

Because each suite of online programs offers slightly different tools, the best idea is to check out a few and determine which one best suits your needs.

You can reach Staff Writer Nathan Halverson at 521-5494 or nathan.halverson@pressdemocrat.com.Web programs can

do the same things

as Microsoft Office, and for less. All

you need is a computer and a Web connection.

ZOHO.COM

Offerings: It has 17 different

applications similar to Office and has project collaboration and invoice software.

Price: Free for basic functions. Some programs have monthly fees for heavy users.

THINKFREE.COM

Offerings: writing, spreadsheet and presentation program

Price: free

GOOGLE.COM

Offerings: word processor, spreadsheet and presentation apps

Price: free

OPENOFFICE.ORG

Offerings: Downloadable office suite features six programs similar to MS Office, including writing, spreadsheet and database apps.

Price: free