REDMOND, Wash. — Jan. 30, 2012 — Morocco’s Office of Vocational Training and Employment Promotion (OFPPT), a public training institution that offers vocational education across 35 fields of study via 327 training institutes across Morocco, has chosen Microsoft Office 365 to help enhance its education and vocational training solutions. In addition, OFPPT will work with Microsoft Corp. to create 100 new Microsoft IT Academies across the country. This strategic partnership is designed to transform education and enable OFPPT to continue its mission to offer quality training that aligns with the needs of young Moroccans and the regional economy.

“The approach we’ve taken with Microsoft is a model of public and private partnership for advanced professional training in the ICT sector,” said Larbi Bencheikh, general director, OFPPT. “The use of new technologies will actively contribute to human development, as well as support the growth of the national economy and ongoing infrastructure projects through effective, efficient and proven Microsoft solutions.”

Extending Adult Education

Founded in 1974, OFPPT manages vocational training centers across Morocco and provides diversified services, such as seminars and technical courses, training via mobile units, remote learning, intensive adult training, functional literacy courses, and evening classes. Along with adding 500,000 users to the Office 365 cloud solution, OFPPT and Microsoft will create 100 new IT Academies, including some in the midst of prisons around Morocco.

In addition, the partnership with Microsoft is expected to lead to 60,000 Microsoft Office Specialist and Microsoft Certified Professional certifications over the next three years for OFPPT’s trainers.

Office 365 will deliver the power of cloud productivity to OFPPT institutions, helping to save time and money while increasing student and faculty productivity. In addition, one of the major factors in the decision to choose Office 365 was Microsoft’s comprehensive commitment to quality products and programs, as well as the system’s seamless interoperation with the entire Microsoft product portfolio.

“These new deployments of Office 365 will give OFPPT trainees the best and most up-to-date tools to be competitive in the workplace,” said Samir Benmakhlouf, country manager for Microsoft Morocco. “In addition, the new IT Academies will provide opportunities for people to develop the necessary skills to be successful in the 21st century.”

More information about how organizations are turning to Microsoft technology is available on the Microsoft Customer Spotlight newsroom.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx.

NEW YORK — Jan. 29, 2013 — Microsoft Corp. today announced worldwide availability of Office 365 Home Premium, a reinvention of the company’s flagship Office product line for consumers. Office 365 Home Premium is a cloud service designed for busy households and people juggling ever-increasing work and family responsibilities. The new offering includes the latest and most complete set of Office applications; works across up to five devices, including Windows tablets, PCs and Macs; and comes with extra SkyDrive storage and Skype calling — all for US$99.99 for an annual subscription, the equivalent of US$8.34 per month.

“Today’s launch of Office 365 Home Premium marks the next big step in Microsoft’s transformation to a devices and services business,” said Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft. “This is so much more than just another release of Office. This is Office reinvented as a consumer cloud service with all the full-featured Office applications people know and love, together with impressive new cloud and social benefits.”

Microsoft also announced it will now deliver many new features and services to the cloud first, transforming the company’s traditional three-year release cycle. Now, new features and services stream to subscribers as soon as they are ready, keeping subscribers always up to date while eliminating the hassles of upgrading.

“This is a major leap forward,” said Kurt DelBene, president of the Microsoft Office Division. “People’s needs change rapidly, and Office 365 Home Premium will change with them.”

Simultaneously, Microsoft today released Office 365 University for college or university students, faculty and staff at a price of just US$79.99 for a four-year subscription — the equivalent of US$1.67 per month. Globally, the company also released updated versions of the traditional Office suite: Office Home and Student 2013, Office Home and Business 2013 and Office Professional 2013. Office 365 for businesses will be released globally with new capabilities on Feb. 27.

Time to Do the Things You Want

In a recent global survey,* nearly 60 percent of people said they don’t have the time to do the things they want to do, and more than 80 percent said they could save one or more hours a day if they were better organized. Office 365 Home Premium is designed to help people be more productive from virtually anywhere and find the flexibility to do the things they want.

“Between kids and career, I’m never completely at home or completely at work — and thanks to technology, that suits me just fine,” said Jen Singer, an author, blogger and mom of two teen boys. “With Office 365 Home Premium, I can work around my kids’ schedules, so I can drive the soccer carpool, coordinate errands while at a doctor’s office and still hit my deadlines at work. And, with one subscription for everyone in my family, it’s an absolute steal.”

To help people find more time to do the things they want, Microsoft is introducing Time to 365 (http://www.office.com/timeto365), a new crowd-sourced website where people can find and share tips, tricks, ideas and inspiration from around the world. Contributors include experts such as “techorating” pro Janna Robinson (http://www.jannarobinson.com) and everyday working parents who have found ways to simplify their lives. Tips on the site include, for example, an idea for organizing your grocery list with OneNote on your phone, a pointer on how to pick the right-sized TV for your living room, and ways to use Office applications to help plan a child’s birthday party.

About Office 365 Home Premium

Office 365 Home Premium is available in 162 markets in 21 languages and includes the following:

• The latest and most complete set of Office applications: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher and Access

• One license for the entire household to use Office on up to five devices, including Windows tablets, PCs or Macs, and Office on Demand available from any Internet-connected PC**

• An additional 20 GB of SkyDrive cloud storage, nearly three times the amount available with a free SkyDrive account

• 60 free Skype world calling minutes per month to call mobile phones, landlines or PCs around the world***

• Future upgrades, so you always use the latest time-saving technology

People can learn more about Office 365 Home Premium or try it free for 30 days at http://www.office.com.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

* Microsoft surveyed more than 10,000 people in over 20 countries.

** App availability varies by operating system, device and language.

*** Skype world minutes not available in all countries. Calls to select countries.

Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx.