News
Council of Customers To Advise Microsoft on Interop
In yet another sign that Microsoft clearly understands its products still
need to integrate better with others' -- even fierce competitors'
-- applications, the company announced this week that it has formed a council
on interoperability with members drawn from among its biggest customers.
Microsoft chartered the Interoperability Customer Executive Council to identify
areas for interoperability improvements across its products and the overall
software industry, according to a company statement.
"The Interoperability Customer Executive Council will help us prioritize
areas where we can achieve greater interoperability through product design,
collaboration agreements with other companies, standards, and effective licensing
of our intellectual property," Bob Muglia, senior vice president of Microsoft's
Server and Tools Business unit, said in the statement.
Muglia will host the twice-yearly meetings at Microsoft's Redmond campus,
giving council members contact with both executives and product teams. Focus
will be on customers' highest priority issues, including connectivity,
application integration, and data exchange.
The council will include CIOs, CTOs, and architects from corporations and governments.
Founding members include Societe Generale, LexisNexis, Kohl's Department
Stores, Denmark's Ministry of Finance, Spain's Generalitat de Catalunya
and Centro Nacional de Inteligencia (CNI), and the states of Wisconsin and Delaware,
the statement said.
About the Author
Stuart J. Johnston has covered technology, especially Microsoft, since February 1988 for InfoWorld, Computerworld, Information Week, and PC World, as well as for Enterprise Developer, XML & Web Services, and .NET magazines.