[ITmedia Business Online] Will we move away from Microsoft? How to use unique office products to challenge “too high monthly fees” and “cloud dependence”

``We have become 'digital sharecroppers,' unable to become wealthy no matter how hard we work.'' - A report published by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in 2022 states this line:

"Digital sharecropper" is a term used to criticize Japan, which relies on overseas platform companies for business applications, cloud services, AI tools, etc., and continues to pay monthly usage fees and license fees.

For example, when it comes to ``office suites,'' which include word processors, spreadsheet software, presentation software, and communication tools, products from Microsoft or Google have become the ``implicit standard'' (de facto standard). In a survey of groupware usage conducted by IT product information media ``Keyman's Net,'' ``Microsoft 365/Office 365'' ranked first at 57.4%, and ``Google Workspace'' came in second at 21.0%.

However, some companies are now choosing to not rely on products from Microsoft and Google.

``We are starting to see cases in Japan of companies that are burdened by the cost of Microsoft accounts and are moving away from Microsoft,'' says Reihei Saito (sales account manager) at Synology Japan (Chuo-ku, Tokyo), which produces its own office suite products.

Mr. Saito responded to an interview after a media conference held by Synology Japan on November 11th about how Synology, a Taiwanese manufacturer, is taking on Big Tech.

A rival to Microsoft?

Synology, a Taiwanese company, manufactures and sells NAS (Network Attached Storage), a storage product that allows files to be saved and shared over a network.

The company offers ``Synology Office Suite'' for free, which is an office suite that requires storing business files on a NAS. It has basic applications such as email, chat, document creation tools, spreadsheet tools, and video conferencing tools.

Synology says, ``Given stricter governance requirements and increased costs for cloud solutions, a return to on-premises productivity solutions is progressing.'' Synology hopes to use its strength in both hardware and software to develop the market.

They are especially conscious of Microsoft and Google, and the FAQ on the product page includes phrases such as ``How is it different from Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace?'' and ``Unlike productivity tools in other public cloud services...there are no subscription fees.''

However, it may be difficult for Japanese companies to switch from Microsoft or Google. In response to this question, Mr. Saito admitted, ``That's right. I understand that as your company grows, it will be difficult to break away from Microsoft and Google.''