Who will trust Microsoft HealthVault?

As we hinted at last week Microsoft has dropped the second part of its health care strategy, an electronic medical record system called HealthVault, on a waiting world.

Is it going to be another Windows 95? Or another Bob?

This is not down to you or me, although we're all free to speculate. The success, or failure, of HealthVault will be based on Microsoft's credibility with the mass market, and how much Microsoft is willing to risk in advertising. My guess is that, over time, the first will determine the second.

Along with the announcement, held alongside the AdvaMed conference in Washington, Microsoft launched a HealthVault blog which we will keep on the blogroll here.

Microsoft has been working on this day for years, and setting up alliances with various interest groups, equipment makers, and customers of its Azyxxi hospital software unit, which we described last week.

I should note here how Microsoft's strategy is the opposite of Google's. Where Google Health launched in beta as soon as it had something, and has suffered its every reverse publicly. Microsoft did its planning in secret and is launching with what it hopes is a complete, bullet-proof system.

I'll have a review of HealthVault as soon as I can. Meanwhile talk among yourselves.