Zoho Writer 2.0 Counters Google Apps, Microsoft Office

At first glance, Google Apps and Microsoft are the horses to beat in the online software suite race. But The VAR Guy remains preoccupied with a dark horse called Zoho, which just launched Writer 2.0 and continues to gain moment across multiple software as a service (SaaS) fronts.

In recent months, Zoho has connected the dots between the company’s SaaS applications and ManageEngine‘s managed services software. (Zoho and ManageEngine are sister companies.) And Zoho has managed to recruit more than 200 resellers.

Now comes word that Zoho has launched Writer 2.0, and buzz across the Web for the software suite and its new user interface is growing:

Both of those sites have massive Web 2.0 followings, which means the next generation of software developers and users are discovering Zoho by the boatload.

Looking Back, And Ahead

The VAR Guy must concede: He’s still using Microsoft Office. Our resident blogger tried OpenOffice for a bit but ultimately moved back to Microsoft’s suite in 2008. But looking ahead, the online options from Zoho, Google and Microsoft (yes Microsoft) seem to be catching up with the traditional desktop suites.

But there’s another key trend to note: Desktop virtualization.

An example: IBM and Canonical in January 2009 announced plans to offer servers that run Ubuntu Desktop Edition (a Linux distribution) and OpenOffice. The system is designed for companies that want to centralize software for 1,000 or more desktop users.

That trend, coupled with the rise of Zoho Writer 2.0, should keep VARs busy as they evaluate alternatives to traditional Wintel desktops.

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