Hybrid Synergy
Wikipedia defines the word hybrid as, “The combination of two or more different entities or things, aimed at achieving a particular objective or goal.” For a long time hybrids were almost exclusively the domain of biologists, but today, professionals on the PGA tour use hybrid golf clubs and just about everybody who works at Google drives a Toyota Prius, a car that has redefined the magical little word. 
So let’s talk about the potential for a hybrid software delivery model, where certain activities are done on the desktop while others make more sense in the cloud. The undisputed king of the desktop is Microsoft while Google is arguably the leader in “cloud computing”. Steve Balmer says that Microsoft has “no choice” but to embrace the web app revolution, yet they seem rather slow to get into the game. Whereas, Google is the anti-desktop - if there ever was one. So, if a hybrid software delivery model makes better sense to users (lets face it – that’s what matters), then it may be up to smaller, more nimble companies to bridge this gap.
Excel is probably the most widely used desktop application in the world, and in my opinion, it’s the best product ever to come out of Redmond. Its greatness has also become its vice, because people misappropriate Excel to solve all kinds of problems that it was never designed for. Combine Excel’s ease-of-use with the simplicity of email-plus-attachments and you have… well… a monster!
What we have with eXpresso is a way to solve this very, very real problem without disrupting the way users already work. And yes – it is hybrid solution; It is not eXpresso’s intent to replace Excel, but rather to offer a more productive way for people to collaborate using Excel spreadsheets and cloud computing. No more email attachments, no more shared drives! When creating a spreadsheet or making major format changes… use Excel. When collaborating with others on an existing spreadsheet… use eXpresso. And to make this hybrid desktop/online solution work seamlessly, eXpresso connects you directly with your online spreadsheets through the eXpresso plug-in for Excel. Try it! You might just like it…
