Microsoft WPC confidential

LOS ANGELES–Here are some threads floating around Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference that you won’t see hear in any keynote.

1: If Steve Ballmer’s out, who’s in?

Don’t get me wrong. This partner crowd is not Wall Street — there are no torches and pitchforks. But they are acutely aware of the pressure Ballmer is under as Microsoft tries to navigate this very tricky cloud course. So speculating on who’s next is sort of natural. Continued »

More HP moves: DeWitt, DiFranco get new gigs

There’s more moving and shaking at Hewlett-Packard. Today the company named Stephen Dewitt, formerly head of the Personal Systems Group to SVP and GM of HP’s closely-watched WebOS global business.

Stephen DiFranco, is stepping into Dewitt’s slot at PSG. DiFranco will continue to lead HP’s Solution Partner Organization (SPO) as the company seeks a replacement. HP recruited DiFranco out of Lenovo early last year.

Jon Rubinstein led the webOS effort (once known as the Palm business unit). Rubinstein, formerly of Apple, is now SVP for product innovation in PSG.

All three of these execs report to Todd Bradley.

DiFranco said he will still keep his hand in the HP channel. “I will still be responsible for the channel in my new role…and I’m excited about that because it showcases how important the partner program is to HP and over the last year … we’ve done a great job working better with partners,” he said in an interview Monday afternoon.

HP partner Rick Chernick, CEO of Camera Corner Connecting Point in Green Bay, said the promotion is well deserved.

“When DiFranco came in last year, face it, he had big shoes to fill [from the Adrian Jones era] and a lot of us didn’t know what to think but he proved himself a friend to the channel.”

Chernick would like to see HP pick an insider for this job as opposed to going outside again. “That would be a nice vote of confidence to the existing organization, MIke Parrottino, a vp in PSG would be a good choice, Chernick said.

 [Editor's note: This story was updated Tuesday morning with DiFranco and Chernick quotes.]

Let us know what you think about the story; email Barbara Darrow, Senior News Director at bdarrow@techtarget.com.

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Microsoft, ‘the F word’ and top ten questions for WPC

By Pat Ouellette and Barbara Darrow, ITChannel Staff

VARs heading into the  Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference next week have a lot of questions for the software giant. They want clarification of its cloud message and they need to hear just exactly why it is they should keep signing on to the Microsoft Partner Network.  But those are just a couple of the questions. Here’s an unscientific sampling of what they want to hear about at WPC 2011 in Los Angeles.

1: Will Microsoft use the “F word?”
Microsoft explored, then buried, the idea of creating  “franchise” partners–at least in the Microsoft Dynamics business solutions world. But some expect the idea to resurface at WPC, albeit under a different name. Turns out the “F word” has a lot of knotty tax repercussions attached that wouldn’t help anyone. The idea, though, is to figure out a way that a raft of small but skillful Microsoft Dynamics VARs could actually profit selling, implementing and supporting Microsoft Dynamics-based solutions.

Continued »

Oracle stacks the Exadata deck with Exastack, VAR rebates

For big software companies these days, it’s about stacks.

The latest is Oracle Exastack. This is Oracle’s effort to get third-party software vendors to optimize their applications to run on Oracle’s Exadata and Exalogic data center appliances. Oracle, trying to juice Exadata and Exalogic hardware sales, Continued »

Is Microsoft’s cloud scorched earth for partners?

If you want to know Microsoft’s position vis-a-vis partners in the cloud, check out this money line buried in a new Microsoft-sponsored Harvard Business Review-produced white paper:

“Trying to operate in the old way — for example, hiring a large integrator to run your implementation — misses the point (and the cost benefits) of cloud, experienced users believe. One company was quoted $20 million to move to a software-as-a-service solution for HR because they had brought in a third party to do it for them, when another very large company had done the whole thing for less than a quarter of that. ‘A lot of people just don’t get it yet.’” Continued »

Hardware continues to flummox Oracle

Oh, Oracle, Oracle, Oracle. You’re nothing if not predictable.

On yesterday’s Oracle fourth quarter  earnings call, there was the usual happy talk about fat margins and great execution. The by-now-expected great software license sales numbers, we all know the drill. 

But the hardware business has not been kind to Oracle and Wall Street is finally taking notice.   Continued »

The cloud vs. converged hardware

As Oracle, Cisco  and Hewlett-Packard try to convince the world that every data center needs Oracle or Cisco or HP’s own unique brand of converged hardware–that mythical IT beast that somehow combines the best of every breed plus absolute adherence to industry standards–there seems to be a growing realization in the real world that there just ain’t much of a market for such products.

Continued »

Oracle-HP slap fight continues

It would be sad if it weren’t so entertaining: The HP-versus-Oracle spat ratcheted up again this week with Hewlett-Packard suing Oracle.

Again. Continued »

HP shakeup: Livermore kicked upstairs

Ann Livermore, the respected Hewlett-Packard veteran once considered a prime CEO candidate, is relinquishing day-to-day responsibilities and will take a seat on the HP board. Here’s HP’s official statement . Continued »

Oracle hardware: It is a mystery

It’s really not news that Oracle sales people go into a discounting frenzy at the close of the fiscal year. And, that discounting has netted Oracle some Exadata deals in its fourth quarter ending May 31. At least one buyer was a large financial services company that had previously discontinued any future Oracle-Sun hardware purchases.

Continued »