KDDI and Microsoft to Collaborate

KDDI has announced that the company reached an agreement with Microsoft to jointly develop and provide applications using a Software as a Service (SaaS) delivery model for corporate users. The companies will also create an ecosystem to provide extensive support to independent software vendor (ISV) partners and spur the development of new service-enabled applications to drive momentum for new SaaS applications. The service will allow customers to access their data on a PC in the office or with a mobile phone when they are on the go.

Under the agreement, KDDI will use Microsoft Connected Services Framework as a foundation for providing services to customers. The first SaaS application will be built on Microsoft Solution for Hosted Messaging and Collaboration, a carrier-grade platform that offers enterprise-class e-mail and document-sharing services to corporate customers. Subscription is a monthly fee-based model, covering mobile and fixed-line communications and the SaaS application.

The companies will embark on joint marketing activities to cultivate the adoption of SaaS among ISVs in Japan. They will also jointly educate the corporate market on the benefits of the SaaS model. A support program will be available to software vendors and corporate solution partners to ensure that they have access to resources to enable them to collaborate as well as to develop and market their SaaS applications.