A time and a place for it
http://blogs.msdn.com/sharepoint/archive/2007/12/11/re-the-office-live-workspace-beta.aspx
Abbie and I have been trying to figure out the motivation behind Office Live and the direction its going. Is it something we can use, or sell or advise clients to use? After quite a while, I can say we are not really advising clients to use it. As I see it this is a great option for WHS users, but those on SBS and up are not at all going to be happy with it. So while there is a time and a place for it, our clients and prospects are not likely to be hearing us say:
Go for it!
Now here's a scenario I can see us employing this service…A client has SharePoint for intranet sites, but wants to deploy extranet, without the costs of External Connector Lic. or additional CALS for Partner, vendor and customer Portals. I could really see Microsoft developing an add-on for SharePoint that allows for a monthly service (Office Live) that is hosted offsite, securely and provides interop with SharePoint/Office 07 and external partners, vendors and customers in a cost effective manner.
Will it happen? Will it be easy? I can't say, but I think it's the perfect answer for most SMBs trying to solve the problem of Extranet Portals, without breaking the bank.