Microsoft’s dominance in the productivity software market has made it a natural target for Huddle, a London-based startup with big ambitions for enterprise collaboration. Last September, the company paved SharePoint users a migration path to the cloud with a mobile-friendly connector.

Today, Huddle is announcing that it’s continuing the offensive with new Office integration that enables workers to access, manage and share files from a single interface. “Skipping between the applications on your desktop and cloud service to share information and discuss files with people is time-consuming and disrupts your workflow,” said Alastair Mitchell, CEO of Huddle.

Andy McCloughlin

And, in an exclusive interview with SiliconANGLE’s Senior Editor Kristen Nicole, Huddle cofounder and EVP of Strategy Andy McLoughlin explained how user experience today is the driving factor behind transformation in the workplace—which is being extended beyond the office by technology trends such as cloud computing and mobility.

In regards to today’s announcement, Mitchell said that connecting with the people you need to, and working together on your content, has never been easier. “With Huddle for Office, you can continue working in the desktop tools you’re used to,” he explained, “but all of your feedback, files and updates are stored and shared in Huddle’s secure cloud.”

Huddle for Office lets users upload Word, PowerPoint or Excel files directly to a cloud workspace without having to save to their hard drives first. And it provides access to recently changed documents directly from inside Office. The service also delivers collaboration features through an embedded comment stream that enables teams to communicate and share feedback without having to leave the applications or open a browser. Updates are automatically logged to an audit trail for security and compliance purposes, plus Huddle layers version control capabilities on top for an added productivity boost.

Suzanne Kattau contributed to this story.