Technology is an ever changing phenomenon. Every quarter, new hardware is being rolled out. Every year, a new feature is being pushed by manufacturers and developers. In the software end, the changes are done much faster since updating through firmware, fixes, updates; enhancements are easily made available through various channels.

One of the most popular software products is Microsoft Office. For decades now, it has been the de facto Office suite solution for students, home use, and businesses. It helped a lot that back in the 90’s Windows dominated the market and the tie-in Office suite is optimized to work best on Windows hardware.

There were attempts to unseat MS Office from its throne, but nothing comes close, even the clear cut clones and rip-offs. Currently, MS Office holds around 90% of the business productivity software market and an annual sale of 20 billion US dollars.

Certainly, this is not just because there are legions of Windows fanboys out there. But it is what businesses always needed and grown to use through the years. There are security holes, suspicious design elements, and user interface inconsistencies. The comfort of using the suite outweighs every single negative thing one could say about MS Office.

Compatibility issues are one of the kickers on why businesses remain loyal to Microsoft’s offering. What one is doing on an MS Office would look vastly different if edited in competing suites. Some of the file extensions from other suites would never open on the MS Office. This would not be a problem is the business is self-sustaining and only circulating on itself. Business does not run that way. Communication with other organizations and corporations are necessity, exchanging files and sending reports outside of one’s own Office may be otherworldly disastrous if incompatible files are sent out or received.

It is a common law for business owners to invest on MS Office. There are lots of references, tutorials, and e-books that are freely circulated all over the Internet. There are also websites that offers seminars for Word, PowerPoint, and everyone’s Achilles’ heel: Excel.

The upcoming Office 2013 will start to introduce cloud computing, social networking, and touch and pen-based inputs. This works for the best to everyone because it is inevitable that cloud computing will be the solution for businesses. Amazon, Apple, and Google are already offering cloud services. Microsoft also has several cloud computing services including SkyDrive and the online version of Office, Office 365. Training for MS Office would not just enhance the skills of the workers in the base functionality of Microsoft’s Office suite but also a gradual introduction to the future tech. It isn’t just the “now”, it is also the future.

Jasper Dela Cruz is a business blogger. He blogs for Officekonsulenterne, a Danish company that focuses on equipping business owners with business software knowledge. Aside from blogging, Jasper is also a toy enthusiast.