There are a few compelling arguments in favor of Office 365. Let's take a look at three reasons Office 365 might be the right choice:

1. Cost

Microsoft hasn't yet shared what the price tag will be for the new Office 2013. But, unless it follows the same bold path laid out in , history suggests the new productivity suite will start somewhere in the $150 neighborhood.

Office 365 plans start at $4 per month. Small businesses can get access to Exchange, SharePoint, and Lync in addition to the core Office productivity applications for only $6 per month. Larger businesses that want to take advantage of Active Directory integration can do so for $8 per user per month.

Breaking those down, it takes more than three years to reach $150 based on the $4 per month plan, and more than 18 months under the $8 per month plan. The 18 months is less time than a business typically gets out of an investment in the desktop Office software, but it also comes with more than the software itself.