Domestic office software companies are setting out for transformation with cloud. Linked with mobile devices, domestic software products are a strategic technology for the smart work era as they provide cloud office environment where users can perform office work anytime, anywhere. These companies have embarked on defending the domestic market by catching up with cloud office products from global companies.

According to the industry on the 7th, native office software developers, such as Infraware and Hancom, produced outcomes by converting their services to cloud-based or are wrapping up the preparations for new services. Infraware, which released a cloud-based service ‘Polaris Office’ last year, recently secured 10 million subscribers. Judging that it had been successful in restructuring office business, the company’s key business, to cloud-based, Infraware announced a vision to embark on promoting cloud office business growth in 2015.

“We have moved away from the existing business structure that centers on software licenses, and thus have completed preparations for a new market development,” said Infraware CEO Gwak Min-cheol in his New Year’s speech. He emphasized, “It is time for us to start producing outcomes full scale.”

Hancom also plans to accelerate its pursuit of Microsoft’s Office 365 together with Infraware by releasing a cloud service ‘Netffice’ this year. Netffice is a cloud-based service to compositely provide the solutions of Hancom, such as not only the existing office software products, but also image editing software and e-book writing tools. With Netffice, Hancom will break away from the existing business structure to center on office software products and strengthen cloud platform business to satisfy diverse users.

Domestic office software developers’ decision to make winning move with cloud is analyzed as their self-help measure in response to the changes in working environment, such as the recent introduction of smart work system. As smart work through mobile devices became generalized, market demand for a new office software environment enabling users to work anytime, anywhere has grown.

“It is now difficult to respond to the changes in working environment with the existing office software than centers on package type products,” said an industry insider. “This is the reason global software companies are focusing on cloud as the next-generation office environment.”

The industry points out that domestic cloud office software still has a huge mountain to climb for survival in the market competition. As MS entered the market in the earlier stage with Office 365, domestic cloud office products, the late starters, need to take into consideration a number of things including the securing of subscribers and price competitiveness of their billing policies. “When it comes to cloud service, the key to success is securing subscribers,” said the industry insider. “Domestic products will experience limitations in growth unless they are equipped with differentiated features to win in competition against the services of global companies.”