The service includes antispam and anti-malware protection and taps into the Windows Live ID authentication engine.

The Outlook Live service has been a mechanism for Microsoft to hone its online applications delivery skills as part of its software-plus-services .

In November, the company for corporate users, which is initially made up of Exchange Online and SharePoint Online.

Microsoft had been working on developing those services as far back as 2005.

The software giant is not alone in the market. Google offers its own slate of free tools through its .