Microsoft (MSFT) China has announced the formal opening of FW086.com, the "Software as a Service" service platform jointly established with Suzhou Industrial Park, Microsoft and Jiangsu-based Fengyun Network Services.

Eugenio Beaufrand, COO of Microsoft Greater China, says that as a cooperation project for Microsoft's "software plus service" strategy in China and an important plan for Suzhou Industrial Park's establishment of a leading position in the Chinese SaaS operating market, FW086.com is committed to providing SaaS services to Chinese enterprises, especially to small and medium enterprises.

Sun Zhiwei, general manager for the Business and Solutions Department of Microsoft Greater China, says that as part of the partnership for the two companies, Microsoft will provide SaaS back-end technology and SaaS platform software, while Fengyun will build on Microsoft's frameworks to custom-tailor the software provided by Microsoft to better fit the needs of different industries, and then finally to provide these solutions to SME users. In addition, Microsoft will use its own channels to promote the service to its clients.

The rise of the SaaS model reflects the developing trend of combining software with the Internet services. With the SaaS services, corporate users will no longer need to hire professional IT staff to install and use the software. They can instead easily purchase and use the software services through the Internet.