Step Right Up: Microsoft App Store Now Selling at a Online Store Near You

Microsoft today launched their first online store in the US (already available in the U.K., Germany and Korea). With the launch, US customers can buy first-party software and hardware directly from the internet. Products include software, devices and hardware, after payments are confirmed, customers can immediately download products and install them right away.

As we continue to see the "going direct" strategies implemented by Microsoft, VARs will need to act rather than compliant in adapting the inevitable - MSP will have a tough time competing against the big daddy (that used to make them money) for what will become the future of the channel, wait a minute what channel? According to ChannelWeb, Allison Watson, corporate vice president of Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Group, made no mention of the Microsoft Store and said that there were plenty of opportunities (hmmm...really?) for VARs to grow, as long as they stay focused on projects that improve energy efficiency, boost productivity and drive down costs.

I wonder what sort of margins can you continue to profit from Microsoft? How long can VARs sustain to this rate of change? Don't you have to survive so you can continue to deliver value?

In addition, they are rolling up the end-user customers with deals like going direct aggressively with 0% finance for Dynamics for 36 months (launched today as well) or the BizSpark program offering Web startups free software before becoming profitable. If any of these pilot programs are wildly successful (which I don't see why not), more products and services will be rolled out with even more aggressive offerings, don't forget even in this recession Microsoft is one of the few companies that's got a ton of cash in the bank, $26 billion to be exact.

You can't fight the trend as VARs or MSPs and you must live to fight another day by transforming your business to deliver IT smarter.

Salesforce Chases After Cloud With Force

Salesforce announced the addition of Force.com, which provides a hosted infrastructure for customers to run websites in Salesforce cloud. They're also going to provide the building blocks to integrate with business applications when everything is available in 2009.

It sounds like they're trying to add value to their offerings via the cloud hype while expanding their product reach further with Facebook and Amazon partnership.

Moving forward, Salesforce will continue to be under pressure from Oracle, SAP and especially Microsoft's new Azure, which is pretty much the same offering. Not to mention Microsoft is working hard to replace SaaS with S+S, it's amazing how Salesforce expects to pass US$1 billion in annual revenue for the first time but its profit margin remains extremely slim.

The IT value stack is getting squeezed by players of all sizes trying to reshape the changing roadmap in IT. As we continue to see acceleration in the cloud hype there is also a fundamental shift in how applications are used and delivered but until the general perception adapts to the cloud idea, I still believe in the hybrid model that will emerge as the real solution to the future of SaaS.

Another New Site launched by Microsoft on S + S

Derek pointed out to me today that Microsoft launched another new site - Software + Services yesterday. I like that video on the homepage showing how the "Microsoft Cloud Server Provisioning" works and my favor part is the dude receives a message on his TV screen about his server while he is in the middle of his Xbox game! He then walks up to the TV and touch-screens his way to view his cloud provisioning progress.


Clearly Microsoft is ready for the S+S assault 2.0, it'll be interesting to see how ISVs and MSPs respond.

Microsoft Azure: Their Entrance Into Cloud Computing

Monday this week Microsoft launched their new cloud computing AZURE. Billed as "an internet-scale cloud services platform hosted in Microsoft data centers," which explains why they were shipping massive number of servers for months now.

Azure is designed to provide an "operating system" and a set of developer services that will enable a broadening of the Microsoft platform from on-premise to the Cloud. It should be noted that Azure is positioned as a platform similar to Google Apps and just like before Microsoft is the last to the game and will have their impact. In addition, Microsoft is to provide hosted Windows Servers with full Admin access. Supposedly you can choose how much RAM/CPU you want. (2009 release)

Get ready as Microsoft continues to eat up the technology layers from application to platform, to infrastructure. Stay tune for more information later.

Pointivity Launches New Partner Program to Resell Online Services

Pointitivy released a new partner program for partners to resell a wide range of online services included hosted Exchange, SharePoint, CMR, BlackBerry services, anti-virus & spam filters by Postini, and email archiving by Global Relay.  Through this new program, partners will receive complete end to end private label solution with valuable brand support package and a provisioning engine to get started immediately.

You get to choose from different private label storefront templates to launch the ecommerce store that includes all the html, graphics and content. Next you will receive your own control panel to manage your customers and your customers get access to your branded control panel for a wide range of self administer features.

We provide all the go-to-market strategies for partners to strengthen their brand(s) and create stickiness with their customers.

For more information please visit our partner site.

Pointitivy to Provide Training on Box Office and DAAS for Zenith Partners

This week is the first week of Zenith Infotech's DAAS (Data Center as a Service) and Box Office training at Pointivity's facility in San Diego. Zenith Partners who signed up for training will receive a 3-day seminar from our President/CEO, Kent Erickson and CTO, Paul Scuba.

More information on DAAS and Box Office Training.

Welcome to Pointivity's Blog

Welcome to Pointivity's blog, here you can learn Pointivity's perspective on the IT industry, SaaS, and opinions on the changing road map in IT.

Please visit our newly launched website at www.pointivity.com