Jan 13 2009 1:41PM GMT
Posted by: Colin Steele
Google,
Software as a service (SaaS),
Collaboration software,
Channel partner programs,
Email -- Exchange, Outlook,
News,
Colin Steele
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, Google Enterprise president, and 10 Google employees standing behind him. Girouard says, “On behalf of the Google Apps reseller team, I want to say thank you for taking the time to learn about this exciting new program.”
The employees then yell, “Go Apps resellers!”
Google Apps Education Edition, which offers email, word processing, instant messaging and other programs for college students and faculty, is already gaining some traction in the channel. But there’s also concern that Google’s focus on Web-based applications could take away on-premise sales opportunities for solutions providers. Maybe this “Google Apps reseller team” will help address those issues.
UPDATE (7:04 p.m. Eastern): The owner of the video has removed it from YouTube.
Dec 23 2008 12:49PM GMT
Posted by: Barbara Darrow
Direct reseller channel conflict,
Software as a service (SaaS),
Microsoft,
Cisco,
IBM,
News,
Barbara Darrow,
Authors,
Leading technology vendors,
Vendor partner business issues
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 »
Dec 22 2008 1:07PM GMT
Posted by: Colin Steele
Tech Blogs,
Software as a service (SaaS),
Microsoft,
Server virtualization,
VMware,
Colin Steele
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 months: Continued »
Nov 21 2008 2:16PM GMT
Posted by: Barbara Darrow
Google,
Software as a service (SaaS),
Microsoft,
Oracle,
News,
Sun,
Barbara Darrow,
Authors,
Leading technology vendors,
Vendor partner business issues
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 software licenses as part of their overall practice, the big deal is that most software vendors pay partners margin on “net new” sales or the elusive “customer adds.” But when it comes to the lucrative upgrade- and maintenance contracts partners are out of luck. See ya. Nice knowing ya. Don’t let the door hit you …..
Continued »
Nov 5 2008 1:22PM GMT
Posted by: Barbara Darrow
Software as a service (SaaS),
Microsoft,
Enterprise applications,
SMB,
Barbara Darrow
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.
Continued »
Oct 28 2008 8:53AM GMT
Posted by: Barbara Darrow
Software as a service (SaaS),
Microsoft,
Collaboration software,
Networking technology,
Reseller channel business development,
Application development,
Enterprise applications,
News,
Barbara Darrow,
IT channel products and technologies,
Vendor partner business issues,
Information technology services
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 mentioned in Monday’s keynotes including activation codes for four new Azure Services outlined by Microsoft chief software architect Ray Ozzie on Monday morning. Developers and VARs can use those codes to poke around and try out the hosted services.
Continued »
Oct 27 2008 11:40AM GMT
Posted by: Colin Steele
Tech Blogs,
Software as a service (SaaS),
Microsoft,
Application development,
News,
Colin Steele
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 Professional Developers Conference kicked off this morning in Los Angeles, bicycle riders outside the convention center distributed T-shirts and fliers promoting the Salesforce.com development platform, Force.com, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer Microsoft Blog. They also gave out donuts.
Mmm, donuts.
Windows Azure. Azure, formerly referred to as Windows Cloud, will also face competition from the Google App Engine and Amazon Web Services.
Oct 24 2008 10:17AM GMT
Posted by: Barbara Darrow
Google,
Software as a service (SaaS),
Microsoft,
News,
Barbara Darrow,
IT channel products and technologies,
Leading technology vendors,
Vendor partner business issues,
Information technology services
Has Microsoft lost its mojo?
There’s something different in the air. Microsoft is doing its best to drum up an uproar around next week’s Professional Developers Conference (PDC). The company’s code-name generator is in overdrive — nothing new there. But it’s become painfully obvious that the company’s ratio of code names to products completed on time, as promised, is dismal. Remember the infamous “pillars” of Longhorn? I rest my case.
Continued »