Microsoft launched new tools, including a number of APIs to enable developers to tap into the functionality of the Office 365 productivity suite.

The APIs provide access to mail, files, calendar and contacts data.

Examples of how the technology could be used include a travel reservation app that connects with Office 365 calendars and contacts, or a sales automation app that fully integrates with mail and files.

Microsoft noted that 70 per cent of Fortune 500 companies use Office 365, meaning the APIs present developers with an opportunity to reach a large and highly-engaged user base.

More Office 365 APIs are promised in the future, including tasks, Office Graph and the Yammer enterprise social network.

Microsoft also announced new SDKs for Android, iOS and the Visual Studio development environment. The iOS SDK supports Apple’s Objective-C with support for the recently-launched Swift programming language in the pipeline.

In addition, the computing giant announced the extensibility of the Office 365 app launcher, which provides a customisable single point of access for Office 365 users to access the apps they use every day. Developers can now have other products appear alongside Outlook, Yammer and OneDrive.