More on Microsoft and SaaS
So, now, it's Office Live Workspace that's open for
worldwide
public beta -- with the possibility of winning $100,000 hanging tantalizingly
in the air.
It's just another day and another SaaS-related announcement for Microsoft (remember
this
one from earlier this week), which has rapidly gone from lost on SaaS to
gung-ho on the hosted model -- although we'd still like to see Redmond clean
up the mess that is "Live" branding. With Microsoft now challenging
Google's supposed domination of all things Web, observers are starting to wonder
whether Redmond can really keep up with its Silicon Valley rival. One even posits
that Microsoft is chasing online dollars (in vain) out
of jealousy toward Google.
We all know how wealthy and powerful Google has become in a short amount of
time and, here at RCPU, we're pretty sure that Microsoft might as well give
up the fight in consumer search and maybe even in online advertising, one of
Steve Ballmer's pet categories. But we're skeptical of the warnings of impending
doom for Microsoft coming from the anti-Redmond crowd.
Instead of asking how Microsoft can "catch" Google in categories
such as hosted applications, we wonder why Microsoft wouldn't be able to build
a business in those areas. There's plenty there for the taking -- hosted applications,
enterprise search, unified communications and other collaborative categories
-- and it's not as though Google has booted Microsoft out of the enterprise.
Sure, Google Apps looks pretty cool, but Microsoft Office -- the old-school
desktop version -- is still top of the heap when it comes to productivity apps.
And while nobody "Live Searches" anything (we all "Google,"
of course), not many people go rushing to Google's word processor or spreadsheet
before opening Word or Excel, either. Will that change? Maybe, but if it does,
it'll take a while. And Microsoft isn't standing still.
We've been critical here in the past of Microsoft's SaaS strategy, but it finally
seems to be coming together. Is Redmond behind Google in terms of online technology?
Maybe, probably -- but Google is still way behind in market share in categories
such as productivity apps. (Besides, when hasn't Microsoft been behind at least
one big rival in terms of innovation?) Yes, the Yahoo overture reeks a bit of
desperation, but at least it's a sign that Microsoft
won't be content to be just a Windows and Office company in the enterprise evermore.
Google isn't going away. It's a powerful force in the industry, and it's only
going to get bigger and stronger. That's a good thing, as competition tends
to make everybody's slice of the pie larger. (Perhaps a lot of pundits just
aren't used to Microsoft not dominating everything, and they confuse genuine
competition with impending doom for Redmond.) But Microsoft isn't ready to give
up on enterprise Web services, either. Is Redmond overreaching with its myriad
of investments and initiatives? Probably, but that's been a problem there for
a while now. What we like to see, though, is Microsoft (and its partners) fighting
for the enterprise and deciding that the company can compete there not only
with packaged software but also with online services.
Mark Twain might have had a line about Microsoft's impending doom...something
about reports of it being greatly exaggerated.
What's your take on Microsoft's SaaS strategy? How powerful is Google in the
enterprise right now? Let me know at [email protected].
Posted by Lee Pender on March 05, 2008