This summer I discovered a new addition to Microsoft Office 2007 that adds a range of features involving internet storage and sharing. The service is called Office Live Workspace, and can be found here. In order to gain access to the service, you must have (or create) a Live ID. Once signed up, you will be able to download and install the extension. You will notice two new options when click the office button as highlighted below.

Workspace lets you save and open files from a provided online storage space and works just like saving a file locally. You can even access your files from other computers via the Office Live site. You can create folders in your workspace and share them with other Office Live users. This is where I get the most use out of the service. An example is that there are several files which both Brad and I work with regularly. We need to always work with the current version, so we put the document on in a shared Workspace folder and can change it as we please. This aides organization by not having your desktop littered with older versions of the file.

It’s easy to use and adds a whole new layer of online functionality to Office 2007. It may still be in the beta stage, but I haven’t had any issues. I foresee this becoming a standard feature in Office and other programs alike.