Software as a service (SaaS)

Get ready for the ‘bizumer’

The high-tech media, myself included, has been pontificating plenty about the affect of consumer technology on what people are willing to use -- or at least tolerate -- in a work environment. There is the affect of social media, of course, although that is the subject for another rant. To me,...

It’s time for VARs to figure out the software services thing

Now that Microsoft's made its

Google reseller program on the way?

A Google reseller program seems to be in the works, according to this video posted Friday on YouTube. The 14-second video features Dave Girouard,...

Whose cloud is it anyway?

Raise your hand if you've heard enough about the proverbial cloud yet. Understood. The hypefest has been enormous. And the payoff? Not there yet. Continued »

Virtualization predictions for 2009

With the end of the year approaching, virtualization pundits are coming out with their predictions for 2009. I won't be coming out with any of my own -- I had to sell my crystal ball to buy a few last-minute Christmas gifts -- but here's a roundup of what the experts say to expect in the next 12...

What ‘net new’ kemosabe?

The dirty little secret of software, is the tectonic shift of the whole business from selling new licenses to selling upgrades. There just aren't that many green field opportunities left.

"Well, duh," you might say. "What's the big deal?" For resellers or for solution providers who sell...

Microsoft-hosted ERP: Still a mystery

Microsoft has been all over the map about whether it will offer self-hosted ERP. Company CEO Steve Ballmer some years ago told solution provider partners that the vendor would offer...

ERP swoon–Is it Microsoft specific?

Anecdotal evidence is that Microsoft ERP sales are in the tank this year, although it's hard to tell how much of that is Microsoft-specific vs. the overall ERP category sucking wind of late.

Microsoft fills in some cloudware bits with Azure

As expected, Microsoft started to talk up some details of its cloud computing strategy Monday at its Professional Developers Conference.

Amidst all the cloud talk, there were a few deliverables...

Salesforce.com crashes Microsoft’s party

After successfully pulling off a guerrilla marketing stunt at VMworld last month, Microsoft is now finding out what it's like to be on the other end of such a campaign. As the Microsoft...