Microsoft has announced the private beta launch of its “All-In-One” subscription service which was code named “Albany” and has been under covers for a very long time.  Albany is Microsoft’s latest move in line with its strategy of providing Software plus Services to the customers and keep up with the competition from the likes of Google Docs and Google Apps.

In essence, Albany is a suite of various Microsoft products available on a subscription basis.  The applications which come packed in Albany are Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007, Windows Live OneCare, Windows Live Mail, Messenger and Photo Gallery.  Other benefits of Albany are availability of latest security updates and auto upgrade to new version of software without any additional cost.

The suite of applications allows for a single-click installation and also includes Office Live Workspace connector which allows the users to save documents on Office Live Workspace for collaboration.

As per Bryson Gordon,  Group Product Manager at Microsoft,

We’ve pulled together the productivity tools people need to organize their lives, security to help keep their personal information safe and online services that make it easy for them to keep in touch with friends and family, and folded them all into a single service that also ensures the user’s PC is running the latest security and productivity software.

Considering the details, Albany looks useful and easy for the users as they will not be required to purchase and install individual applications and provides increased protection against security threats.

Some of the things which still remain unclear are pricing and date of Albany’s public launch.

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