Microsoft is “leading with online” – should you?

This year, at Microsoft’s World-Wide Partner Conference in Washington (WPC), used any moment to tell its partners that they now are leading with online. But what does this mean? And why the sudden change towards online? Should you adopt the same strategy – and why should you?

First of all – Microsoft have done some big mistakes before. Focus on their Internet Explorer product, made them loose half a century to play catch-up with Netscape. Windows Phone is another great example on a loosing strategy for Microsoft. Half a decade lost here too. So is Microsoft misleading the ecosystem? I doubt not – I believe Microsoft already lost 2-3 years of great momentum – they just got better to spot their strategy mistakes. Reality is that Microsoft’s Hosting partners have been preaching the Software + Services business model for nearly 12 years now. Since Microsoft Exchange 2000 – and a bit before – Software + Services has been a part of Microsoft, but now – truly now – customers are in fact telling Microsoft they don’t want to:

• Update any application anymore. Dealing with updates and redeployments are often 40-60% of time spend in the internal IT departments, and over 40% of the external consultant fees.
• Stay up to date, with latest features and functions.
• Pay for what they consume, and use. Customers want to have an easy opt-in options, and a structured and predicted opt-out.
• Outsourced management of their infrastructure and applications, moving focus for the internal IT department to become internal business advisors in IT usage.

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Sneak Peek – Computing by 2020

I would like to present you with a vision of how computing by 2020 cloud be, as Cloud Computing have affected and transformed the industry. Our possibilities and options have increased significantly, and new features of innovative software solutions are combining with existing software solutions, already established in the marketplace. So how would that impact the everyday information worker? Let’s look into a normal workday.

Some of the future highlights:

• Sharing becomes fun and learning full
• Dead of the multiple passwords, single sign-on for every application
• IT no matter where you are, connected
• Increased productivity and support

Cloud Paradigm on Technology: Earning while boosting your investment

It a known paradigm for many Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) and cloud computing businesses: get a capital investor to bridge your existing business model with the future of software distribution – or, try to build a new business model, whilst preserving the old revenue streams – becoming a FUSE-CO (future-service-company). It is doable. It is risky. If you pull it off – and you have the right solution, your private beach is already reserved.

If you need the muscle and in loss of time: get that capital investor, your still get a private beach (just a small one).

Microsoft recently held a conference for Microsoft BizSpark participant’s dating their ISV partners with the venture market. A great way to build an eco-system of add-value for being a Microsoft Partner; and a great quick entry for an V.C., to spot groups of ISVs in a little time – with a high investment opportunity. I had the opportunity to speak with some of the participant in BizSpark recently, and it became apparent to me that tomorrows business service companies face a set of challenges that we, as an industry, adopted upon them.