Known as SaaS to the market Microsoft has long called their SaaS initiative software + service seemingly as a way to differentiate their offering from Google and the other SaaS providers out there. Call it what you like Microsoft is offering hosted Exchange, hosted Sharepoint, and other hosted applications to the world all while trying not to isolate the channel.
Isolating the channel is a large concern as there are many channel partners out there that are worried about what it means to them to have Microsoft sitting at the direct competition table whit lost price hosted software. I believe the smart providers will find a way to add additional services on top of these applications.
None of this should be a surprise to anyone. Microsoft has been pushing hosted applications since early last year with their Live offerings and it was inevitable for Exchange and SharePoint to follow.
Things are changing for sure, business owners will be able to turn on and off monthly costs for these and other applications the same way we pay more or less each month depending on how much electricity we use at home.
While I Microsoft has tried to tread lightly into this arena in an attempt not to scare us I do believe this initiative was given some urgency when Google unveiled their Google apps premier to the world.
The smart thing to do if you are a service provider is to adjust your service offerings in a way that allows you to provide value to your clients on a higher level. Create new services and put your strategic consulting abilities front and center rather than your ability to install these softwares.
Below are a few highlights of Microsoft’s attempts to ease your fears as well as a link to the full article and Microsoft’s white paper on how to think about their new offerings.
I hope you gain some insight into the shifting market and figure out your next steps. I know I already have my thinking cap on.
JC
Microsoft Online Services provide partners with opportunities to expand reach, grow revenue and increase speed to sales and implementation,” said Chris Capossela, senior vice president of the Information Worker Product Management Group at Microsoft. “By extending our enterprise software offerings as a subscription service, our partners have the ability to develop and deliver new services with little overhead but maximum revenue potential.
Microsoft partners can leverage Microsoft-hosted solutions to speed the deployment of Exchange and Office SharePoint in customer organizations, freeing them to focus on migration, customization, integration, and other services.
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2008/mar08/03-02Partner.mspx
