atsman

SEOUL, Sept. 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics Co. said Tuesday it will switch to using Microsoft Corp.'s document and word-processing software from its own system starting Jan. 1.

Samsung affiliates have been using JungUm Global, an office document software program developed independently, since 1994. The phaseout of JungUm Global will start with Samsung Electronics and eventually expand to the rest of the company, although a detailed plan has not yet been set, the company said.

Samsung said the move came as Microsoft's flagship program, Word, dominates 90 percent of the market, and its usage will make communications with Samsung's other business partners easier. The program's compatibility with other document software, such as Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint, will also add to the convenience, it said.

"Since MS Word supports almost all operating systems, such as Windows, Android and Linux, our staff can also work in a smart manner through PC, smartphones, and tablets," it said in its release.