Updated: AICTE has agreed to remove the word mandatory from the memo served to 11,500 colleges with respect to installing Microsoft Office 365 due to opposition by representatives of the free software movement and several Parliamentarians, reports the Hindu. Earlier: The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has made Microsoft Office 365 mandatory in all its associated educational institutions, free of charge. As part of the partnership with Microsoft, Malhaar iMarketing Advantage(IMA) will co-ordinate this adoption process, which has to be completed by June 30, 2013. (Hat Tip: @shwetank) According to the notification (pdf), Educational institutions will get Microsoft Exchange Online along with 10 GB inbox per student with 18MB attachment, Outlook calendar, 25 GB online storage space through Windows SkyDrive, Office web apps and 24/7 online support for students and administrators. Previously, in April 2012, AICTE had entered into a similar partnership with Microsoft to deploy Microsoft's Live@edu, a hosted communication and collaboration service that offers email, Microsoft Office Web Apps, instant messaging and storage in 10,000 colleges. The status of this project's implementation is not clear. Along with college partnerships, Microsoft has also been consistently pushing its products through partnerships targeting businesses. In August 2012, Microsoft partnered with Airtel to offer Microsoft Office 365 to small businesses. The service is targeted at freelancers, small businesses and even home office owners. It is also worth noting that Microsoft along with Google and Verisign is sponsoring the NASSCOM 10,000 start-up program. Microsoft's Azure accelerator program also provides start-ups with free cloud services and software development tools. Our take By making Microsoft Office 365 mandatory, AICTE…
