There's more than one way to make Microsoft software 'serviceable'
Summary: Microsoft's Software+Services (S+S) strategy comes in many guises. At its Convergence 2008 conference in Orlando this week for its business-applications customers and partners, Microsoft highlighted yet another one of its S+S forms: Third-party service extensions to its on-premise software.
Microsoft's Software+Services (S+S) strategy comes in many guises. At its Convergence 2008 conference in Orlando this week for its business-applications customers and partners, Microsoft highlighted yet another one of its S+S forms: Third-party service extensions to its on-premise software.
Microsoft's business applications include four different ERP suites, plus its Dynamics CRM offering. Microsoft has made noises about delivering versions of its Axapta, Great Plains, Solomon and Navision ERP products that will be multi-tenant and Microsoft-hosted (with no firm due dates so far). And Dynamics CRM 4.0, the latest version of Microsoft's CRM product, can be deployed by customers in on-premise, partner-hosted and/or Microsoft-hosted configurations.
(Microsoft reconfirmed this week that its Dynamics CRM Live 4.0 release will be "broadly accessible" in the spring of 2008. Not sure if that is Microspeak for moving from beta to final, or just talking about a broader beta....)
At the Convergence conference on March 12, Microsoft announced that it also would make available paid service extensions to its on-premise Microsoft ERP and CRM products. (I haven't seen prices for these published anywhere yet. I have a question in to Microsoft about pricing.) The services unveiled today:
- Payment service: Fraud prevention technology from PayPal and Chase Paymentech Solutions, for those using credit cards.
- Marketplace service: Integration with eBay allows customers to sell their products on eBay as well as through their own Web stores and offline channels.
- Keyword marketing service: Campaign tracking and management for search engine marketing (via Microsoft's adCenter, I am assuming).
This isn't the first time Microsoft has unveiled service extensions to its software. Last year, the company rolled out a number of third-party services (including credit-card processing, marketplace services and payroll services) to its Office Accounting Express 2007 product.
And earlier this year, Microsoft announced it would follow a similar strategy for its Office Live Small Business service. (So, in this case, we're talking services extensions to a service, rather than software.)
Paid extensions to Microsoft's recently consolidated SKU of Office Live Small Business include Store Manager, a hosted e-commerce offering from Microsoft for $39.95 per month, that will help customers sell products on their own site, as well as on eBay; custom domain name and e-mail support, which will provide customers with private domain-name registration, plus 100 company-branded e-mail addresses, each with 5 GB of storage. Microsoft is offering that service for free for the first year and $14.95 per year after that.
Are any of these kinds of Microsoft and third-party service extensions of interest to you users of Microsoft business applications?
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Talkback
Can't find this..
~ Which service exactly? We've scoured the Microsoft site and MSDN blogs, no sign of a "free 1st year" .. ??
The Team
http://iserviceshop.blogspot.com
free?
Microsoft told me when I interviewed them that it would be free the first year.
In their press release (http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2008/feb08/02-10OfficeEnhancersPR.mspx) they repeat that offer. They say:
"Custom domain name and business e-mail is available to all customers for free for one year ($14.95 annually thereafter). "
Best way of all
No more activation problems. No more WGA crap. No more hidden DRM. No more sneaky secret updates. No more spyware, No more Rootkits. No more Trojans. No more IE blues.
Just like MLK said. "Freedom at last".
The actual quote
My translation
But then, we aren't in court here, are we?
I think my version is better anyway.
But then it wouldn't be MS software
WGA doesn't effect me. I use a legal copy. What hidden DRM is there, that you would never bump into? I don't get sneaky updates, a notification tells me if an update is coming, and updates are a good thing. Only Sony's been known to do rootkits. Why would MS put spyware if they have software that protects against that. Trojans? If you don't like IE, use another browser.
Problem solved.
Problem solved?
Of course you are free to NOT take anyone's advice and continue down the path into Micro-la-la-land. You do realize that your freedom is NOT derived from the benevolence of Microsoft, don't you?
It's your opinion to have, I support that right
Who exactly?
other than Microsoft? Are you
defending yourself, Microsoft, or
others?
My theme and my theory has always
been freedom of choice, while
Microsoft's theme and theory has
always been NO FREEDOM of choice
(or anything else, for that
matter). That is why I ALWAYS
advocate using ANYTHING BUT
Microsoft, while I would fight to
the death for the right to use
Microsoft if that is one's choice.
If you are accusing me of bashing
ANYONE (other than Microsoft, and
well.... maybe our "elected"
officials, the RIAA and the MPAA),
you are barking up the wrong tree.
Use what you want