I came across the OBA (Office Business Applications) web site www.OBACentral.com which has lots of information about nearly 200 OBA solutions.  While there is a getting started and "on ramp" information on the site, I found the MSDN site (Office Integration) which I like almost as much.  Given the prevalence of the Office Platform, assuming it is there and building on it can make life much easier!!

Office Integration

Need to integrate two or more Office products? Need to integrate Office products with other Microsoft products and technologies? Want to learn about designing and building applications using the Microsoft Office System? This section of the portal provides pointers to resources that will help you build real-world business solutions.

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Office Business Applications

The 2007 Microsoft Office system provides a comprehensive set of servers, clients, and tools to make it easier for enterprises, software vendors and developers to build and deploy a new class of business applications called Office Business Applications (OBAs). OBAs connect Line of Business (LOB) systems with the people that use them through the familiar user interface of Microsoft Office. OBAs enable businesses to extend the Microsoft Office clients and servers into business processes running in LOB applications such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), and Supply Chain Management (SCM). This enables enterprises to create new value from existing IT investments by combining them in innovative ways.

Microsoft Office System for Architects

With the 2007 Office System, Microsoft Office has evolved beyond a productivity suite into a unified solutions platform that makes enterprise data and processes more accessible and relevant to users. Composed of clients, servers, services, and tools, it provides a single infrastructure for communication and collaboration, business intelligence, and content management solutions. This MSDN Solution Architecture Center brings together relevant ideas, concepts, and best practices to aid architects in designing and building applications using the Microsoft Office System.

Office Integration Resources

This section of the portal is a compilation of articles, code samples, videos, solutions and starter kits that provide guidance on how to integrate two or more Office products. You will also find resources on how to integrate Office products with other Microsoft technologies.

Solution Showcase

The Solution Showcase highlights how leading companies are solving critical business problems using solutions built with the Microsoft Office System. These solutions are a small sample of the many ways organizations are transforming their businesses by taking advantage of the Microsoft Office products they already own and their employees use every day.

Unified Communications

Find technical articles, code samples, developer documentation, and multimedia presentations that will help you integrate presence and Unified Communications into your applications, solutions, or Web sites.

ttfn

David