Office productivity software, rising costs, many small businesses are asked whether there is another upgrade of the necessary investment

With the start of the beta review process for StarOffice 6.0 right around the corner and general availability expected early in the new year, these customers could find their alternative in an Office 2007 suite from Sun Microsystems.

StarOffice is aimed at cost-constrained customers who want a full-featured office productivity suite while retaining compatibility with Microsoft Office files or, more importantly, who want to put their money into revenue-generating projects rather than office software. That's why small businesses, home offices, educational and government organizations, and consumers are receptive to the value of StarOffice.

The customer considering StarOffice 6.0 needs to answer a few questions. First, how cost sensitive are you? For many, such as home users, schools, governments and small businesses, a $699 computer is still a lot of money. Paying several hundred more for upgrades every 18 months is just not a realistic option--especially when the value of the new features continues to decrease.

Second, are you in or considering a multi-platform environment? If the Solaris or Linux operating systems are part of your environment or plans, then you'll want to be able to read Microsoft Office files as they come from outside the organization, but you'll want your internal efforts to use the same productivity technology. One of the core strengths of StarOffice is the ability to maintain the same experience and interoperability across multiple platforms with the best filters for reading Microsoft office files.

Third, are you able to take advantage of a product with an open-sourced technology base? StarOffice is based on the OpenOffice.org project. While this might not matter to everyone, many people are reassured that the open-source base of the software means that no single company dominates the direction and developments. In addition, it gives participating organizations the ability to customize their office software to their own specifications.

Fourth, are you locked into a single company's office-productivity experience? While there's a vast difference between a replacement and an alternative, most people today value the benefits of having a choice. For some, however, the choice has been made, and the costs of switching are too great. Although there's little sense in evaluating Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007 now, for these customers, it may be a future option.