IBM issues a ban on Microsoft Office

IBM workers have been given 10 days to get rid of Microsoft Office

IBM is reportedly dumping Microsoft Office in favour of its own version of Open Office, Lotus Symphony.

According to reports, around 330,000 of IBM's current 360,000 employees have already started using Symphony and the rest have recently been told to stop using Microsoft Office. German economic newspaper Handelsblatt said that workers have been given 10 days to get the Microsoft software off their machines.

If IBM employees really want to continue using Microsoft Office after that they will have to get their manager's approval.

Lotus Symphony is an office productivity suite that incorporates huge chunks of customised Open Office. It was developed by IBM in an attempt at luring customers away from Microsoft Office, so it was always a source of embarrassment that the company didn't use the product internally.