System Center Online: Another Microsoft-hosted cloud service in the making

Microsoft is continuing to flesh out its Software+Service portfolio and has yet another, still-unannounced, Microsoft-hosted service that it is developing. The new member of the family? System Center Online, according to tipsters who talked under the conditiion of anonymity.

System Center is Microsoft's uber-brand for its systems management software. "Online" is the branding name for Microsoft-hosted enterprise services. So far, Microsoft has announced Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Communications Server Online, Dynamics CRM Online and Live Meeting (the only one of the family which still has yet to be bestowed with the "Online" name.") There's also a bundle, known as the Business Productivity Suite Online (a bundle of Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Communications Server Online and Live Meeting) that Microsoft has unveiled, as well. And at the very low end of the hosted services market, Microsoft is rolling out the Microsoft-hosted Deskless Worker services.

Microsoft also is expected, at some point, to deliver some kind of ERP Online service. And there have been rumors of a Forefront Online Microsoft-hosted security offering, as well.

System Center Online will be an online-management service aimed at IT pros, sources said. It is being developed by the same team that has built the Windows Update (WU), Windows Software Update Services (WSUS) and Microsof Update (MU) patch-update services. Among the services that Microsoft is expected to build into the comprehensive System Center Online service are anti-virus, anti-spyware, system monitoring, backup/restore, asset inventory monitoring, policy management and software distribution/deployment.

(Does this mean System Center Online will supplant Windows Live OneCare? No. OneCare is aimed at consumers and System Center Online at business users. Whether it will also incorporate some of the aforementioned patching services, like WU, WSUS and MU will be interesting to watch.)

Given Microsoft's S+S mantra, it's not too surprising that nearly all of its enterprise serers are getting a services make-over. What "make-over" means in this context is not trivial, however. First, Microsoft has to find a way to make its software offering multi-tenant capable. Next, the company has to decide how much of the core software offering to deliver in services form.

As Forrester Research noted in a recent study on SharePoint Online (entitled "SharePoint Shoots for the Cloud"), SharePoint Online isn't an online version of Microsoft Office SharePoint (MOSS). The Online version includes only the most rudimentary collaboration/management capabilities -- which is fine for some and not for others. From the Forrester report:

"For the time being, there is a very significant tradeoff between SharePoint Online and a full MOSS 2007 implementation. If you are willing to give up robust content management, portal functionality, business intelligence (BI) capabilities, cross-site search, and application development capabilities in favor of low cost and quick implementation, then SharePoint Online could be your solution."

Given that caveat, would you be interested in kicking the tires of a Microsoft-hosted system-management service? Why or why not?