In a move that reflects Google decision to intensify its battle against Microsoft, Google Friday announced the acquisition of DocVerse - a San-Francisco-based technology startup founded by two former Microsoft engineers, Shan Sinha and Alex DeNeui, in 2007.

DocVerse, which essentially allows the online editing of Microsoft Office files, manufactures singular ‘plug-in’ software that facilitates cloud-based collaboration in Microsoft Office applications - Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.

Though there has been no formal disclosure about the financial terms of the Google-DocVerse deal, The Wall Street Journal has reported that Google is paying almost $25 million for the acquisition.

The DocVerse software - which according to Google Apps’ group product manager Jonathan Rochelle will be integrated into Google Apps – will give Office users the Google App-like ‘collaborative functionality’ in a more familiar and comfortable setting.

Noting that the DocVerse takeover reflects that Google is buying a bridge from Microsoft Office to the world of cloud computing; Rochelle said: “We definitely see this as an investment in the cloud, not an investment in the desktop... we're allowing people to collaborate using formats they're familiar with -- spreadsheets and documents and presentations.”

Meanwhile, as per a statement by a Microsoft spokeswoman, the Google-DocVerse deal is in explicit indication of the fact that customers worldwide are only too keen to use and collaborate with Microsoft Office documents.