Hosted+Applications

Hosted office applications may offer several benefits over standard software packages. Some applications provide a stand-alone service such as a single word-processing or presentation application. Application service providers (ASP) may offer an entire suite of hosted office applications integrated among their own services. Because the applications and documents often are hosted remotely, divisions will not need to invest in additional hardware for storage and servers or human resources to install, patch, maintain, and update software. Some hosted office applications are free or cheaper than licensed software packages, which is a cost savings for divisions working with limited technology budgets. Providers of hosted applications do not always offer technical support for installations, patches, maintenance, and application updates. Online forums, wikis, or blogs may be available to assist with hosted applications, but divisions should carefully assess the skill levels of support personnel before selecting hosted applications. Divisions should look for hosted office applications that can keep the same look and feel as traditional software packages and incorporate the basic functions to create, import, and edit documents. Online spreadsheets may offer basic-to-intermediate formula functions, and word processors may contain common formatting and layout options but provide fewer fonts. Some applications provide a spell checker but not a thesaurus or language translator.