April 27, 2008
Data
1 Comment
I was just browsing through a Teradata magazine and came across this snippet, which reminded me how fast data growth is, and the need for solutions to keep up with that growth:
1992 — First system over 1TB went live
1996 — Demonstrated world’s largest data warehouse with 11TB of data
1999 — World’s largest data warehouse in production with 130TB of user data
2004 — Largest centralized data warehouse housing 423TB of data
2006 — Teradata certified up to 4 petabytes
That’s one almighty data warehouse!
April 24, 2008
BI Market
No Comments
Microsoft is expanding its channel activities in three key moves:
- Hosting of Dynamics CRM
- The bundling of software and services by other large providers – Comcast will bundle services from Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 and Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 for free to its business Internet customers.
- Hosting of Exchange Online and SharePoint Online – marketing them directly to “businesses of all sizes.”
This move is causing some concern amongst many channel managers, many seeing the move as Microsoft encroaching on their territory. Having spent many years building strong understanding and relationships within the small and medium-sized business (SMB) environment, MS could be seen as undermining their superior customer:product knowledge. This is something that large software vendors don’t and can’t do.
Microsoft’s role in the past as been one of a ‘tools provider’, whereas partners work with the customer’s needs to provide a ’solution’.
Is this a real concern, or are channel partners pre-empting problems that just will not arise. It is no secret that the entire software industry is moving towards an on-demand SaaS environment, where current channel vendors will need to adapt their cultures and sales models to suit anyway.
Microsoft could be seen as doing no more than most other large software vendors are doing, and making a splash in the Software as a Service market. As they are unlikely to want to build the one on one relationships as established between channel partners and vendors, there is little to suggest that channels have any more to concern themselves with than natural evolution.
The big bang enterprise solutions pay out is dying under the pressure of ‘pay as you go’ models…in 2004, it was guestimated that by 2010 80% of software will be sold on this basis.
So just what is Microsoft to do……wait until every other tool provider has made the jump, and risk being a follower rather than leader.
Sorry, but that really isn’t Microsofts culture.
Smart vendors will see these moves for exactly what they are, and no more. A move towards in line with natural technology and commercial evolution.
In the future, the channel game will depend on having a breadth of products and services to offer to an increasing number of clients. This is the only way for channel businesses to grow. This will certainly test the value of a partner-customer relationship.
As for some parting advice:
- Grow
- Continue to demonstrate the value of your company, as trusted advisors.
- Expand your portfolio of products and services.
- Educate yourself in new SaaS commercial and sales models.
Don’t sit back and expect change is not going to happen!
