RBA Consulting recently completed the integration of Ratchet Inc., a digital marketing specialist that RBA acquired in August. At the end of the process, both companies altered their identities -- one a little and one a lot.
Ratchet had 42 employees and about $5 million in 2010 revenues when it was acquired. RBA Consulting was a Wayzata, Minn.-based Microsoft National Systems Integrator partner with offices in Minneapolis, Dallas and Denver.
Now both will do business under the "RBA" brand.
The combined entity did about $35 million in revenue in 2011 and now has 245 employees, up from the 225 employees the two companies had at the time of the acquisition.
Going beyond the name change, RBA CEO Mike Reinhart explained the Ratchet acquisition as part of a shift to focusing on the end user, a logical outgrowth of the IT consumerization trend.
"With the focus on the end user, we can leverage technology to meet our clients' business objectives and reach, engage and motivate end users across departments and multiple technology platforms," Reinhart said in a statement. "Additionally, because we understand how the creative use of technology fits into the larger picture of a company's core objectives, our clients reap the benefits of our unique expertise from concept to deployment."
RBA is one of 33 Microsoft NSIs, which are generally large systems integration partners with a multi-regional presence in the United States. According to RBA's Microsoft Pinpoint directory profile, the company has 13 Microsoft competencies.
Posted by Scott Bekker on March 12, 20120 comments
In technology, the idea with an appliance is unpack it, start it and forget it.
Things aren't quite so simple with the new Enterprise Database Consolidation Appliances and SQL Server 2008 R2 Parallel Data Warehouse Appliances from HP, Dell and others that package up SQL Server database software, the Windows Server operating system, server hardware and storage that can range up to 500 terabytes of data. It's designed with a simple purpose -- to centralize and simplify the data platform across an enterprise. But that's no elementary task.
That's why Microsoft is turning to a few highly specialized partners, such as Dallas-based Microsoft National Systems Integrator Scalability Experts, to walk customers through the process.
"Scalability Experts' deep database experience will help customers by providing assessments, architectural design review sessions, proof of concepts and other implementation services to make sure customers get the most value from their appliance," said Tobias Schmidt, senior product manager at Microsoft, in a statement announcing the Scalability Experts service this month. Scalability Experts is a 10-year-old firm with Microsoft Partner Network competencies in Data Platform and Business Intelligence.
"We are seeing a significant increase in market interest and demand for appliance solutions developed by Microsoft, HP and other hardware vendors," said Raj Gill, CTO and president of Scalability Experts, in the statement. "With the growth in data that companies are experiencing each year and the costs associated with application sprawl, many are looking for easier solutions to improve capacity, increase scalability and simplify their database infrastructure. These appliances provide a very efficient way to meet a customer's growing needs."
Scalability Experts joins Avanade, the global Microsoft-focused systems integrator, which announced plans in December to spin up a 350-person practice around the appliances.
Microsoft's appliance effort is often described as a response to the success of Oracle's Exabyte database appliances.
Avanade clearly believes the opportunity around the appliances is huge. "This new practice represents a large opportunity, as appliances are expected to account for approximately 40 percent of database growth in the next three years," Avanade said in the statement announcing its appliance practice plans.
Posted by Scott Bekker on March 12, 20121 comments
How much revenue is really at stake in the battle between Google and Microsoft for online business mailboxes and documents?
One analyst firm specializing in messaging tried to quantify the number this month.
Palo Alto, Calif.-based Radicati Group released the report "Google vs. Microsoft Office 365 -- An Analyst Evaluation and Comparison," pitting Google Apps against Office 365 in 10 categories.
As part of the report, Radicati sized the market, which it calls cloud-based productivity suites.
The firm's estimate for 2012 revenues is nearly $1.6 billion. By the end of 2016, Radicati projects the cloud-based productivity suites market will hit nearly $5.9 billion.
Posted by Scott Bekker on March 12, 20120 comments
Microsoft's guest speaker at the 2012 Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference in Toronto this July will be mind-body medicine pioneer Deepak Chopra.
Chopra has written 64 books, including 19 New York Times bestsellers, according to his speaker bio. Notable recent titles include War of the Worldviews, Peace is the Way and The Soul of Leadership.
Microsoft normally reserves the final keynote of the conference for a general-interest keynote from a high-profile speaker. Previous WPC guest speakers have included Sir Richard Branson and former President Bill Clinton.
Posted by Scott Bekker on March 11, 20121 comments
One of the most promising Windows desktop apps for the Apple iPad is in bad trouble -- the Microsoft licensing kind.
Earlier this year, cloud gaming company OnLive Inc. released an iPad app called OnLive Desktop that allowed remote display of a limited-functionality version of Windows 7 running in the Palo Alto, Calif.-based company's datacenter.
The version of Windows 7 served up by the datacenter-app combo includes a keyboard button in the taskbar, fully functional versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint, and an eye-popping 1-gigabit-per-second Internet connection (data only moves from the Internet to OnLive's datacenter rather than from the Internet to the iPad).
A freebie released in January got a lot of reviews, but a late February update with pay options seems to have gotten Microsoft's attention, and probably prompted numerous angry calls to Microsoft from its many hosting partners and virtual desktop vendor partners.
OnLive offered OnLive Desktop Plus for $4.99 a month, which included Windows 7, the Office apps and the super-fast data pipe; and promised a Pro version coming soon for $9.99 a month that would add 25 times more storage and the ability to customize the desktop with additional PC applications. Also announced was an OnLive Enterprise version that would allow some IT control of the environment.
Noting the lack of pop-up prompts in his review of the app and service last month, The New York Times' David Pogue quipped that it was "the least annoying version of Windows you've ever used."
While users may not be annoyed by the OnLive version of Windows, Microsoft is. On Thursday morning, Joe Matz, Microsoft corporate vice president of worldwide pricing and licensing, suggested very strongly in a blog entry that OnLive is off the reservation.
"We are actively engaged with OnLive with the hope of bringing them into a properly licensed scenario, and we are committed to seeing this issue is resolved," Matz wrote.
Much of Matz's post was dedicated to spelling out how Windows can only be provided by hosting partners either through a virtual desktop infrastructure scheme that involves customers already having licenses or by having limited desktop functionality served through Windows Server and the Remote Desktop Protocol.
"It is important to note that SPLA does not support delivery of Windows 7 as a hosted client or provide the ability to access Office as a service through Windows 7. Office may only be provided as a service if it is hosted on Windows Server and Remote Desktop Services," said Matz, substituting a shot across OnLive's bow for one straight through the hull.
Simon Bramfitt, who has been providing analysis of the OnLive-Microsoft licensing situation on his blog, speculates that OnLive may have been trying to create this fight all along, and that the party in trouble could be Microsoft -- not because it will lose to OnLive but because it's losing the argument in the market.
"You have to acknowledge that it is long past time for Microsoft to address the shortcomings within its current licensing policy with regard to VDI," Bramfitt commented on Matz' post. "The increasing adoption of mobile technologies coupled with the consumerization of IT and bring your own device programs is increasingly blurring the boundaries between corporate devices and personal devices. Microsoft's licensing policies in this regard have failed to keep up with these trends and needs to be addressed promptly."
What was refreshing about using the OnLive Desktop was that it provided a Microsoft experience in a straightforward way -- no convoluted licensing agreement with Microsoft, no setting anything up with the IT department. It was just click, pay and start using. That's what users are coming to expect from technology, but it's now clear that it wasn't Microsoft's intention to have its software used that way -- at least in this case.
If Bramfitt's speculation about OnLive intentionally picking a fight is right, the company has picked a big one. Bramfitt notes that the Office apps compete directly with Microsoft's Office 365 franchise, as well as with some of Microsoft's most powerful partners.
The fight actually goes much deeper than that. By packaging Windows 7, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Flash video and a wicked-fast data pipe, it's suddenly a threat to the whole concept of a Windows-based tablet. Sure, some users will want the new tiled tablet experience of Windows 8. But for many others, getting a pretty complete Windows 7 experience and an iPad will be Windows enough.
For strategic reasons, I'd be surprised if Microsoft allows OnLive Desktop to license Windows 7 and Office for very long.
Posted by Scott Bekker on March 08, 20121 comments
The new iPad leaves Microsoft some breathing room.
Granted, the higher-resolution display, the 4G networking, the improved camera, the new dictation capabilities and the other features of the new Apple iPad unveiled today all look compelling.
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| Apple's third-generation iPad with 4G. (Source: Apple) |
But given Apple's roughly once-a-year release cycle for iPads, this is probably the last release before Microsoft comes out with its tablet-focused version of Windows. (The Windows 8 beta was released at the end of February.)
While an iterative iPad release is nice and should help Apple continue to fend off Android-based tablet rivals, it also means that Apple isn't changing the game completely once again before Microsoft takes a turn.
Microsoft may not be able to do any better against Apple than anyone else has so far in the tablet world. At least, though, Microsoft will be taking its shot against the device it has targeted all along. No need for a Windows Vista-esque, pre-release course correction.
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Posted by Scott Bekker on March 07, 20121 comments
Microsoft seldom discloses specifics on how many of its partners achieve a given competency. But one partner company that just attained gold status in the Independent Software Vendor competency is providing a precise figure for its category.
"Windward is one of only 787 ISVs in the world to attain Microsoft's Gold Competency. Similar to Red Gate Software, Experian QAS, IBM, Barracuda Networks, and Citrix, Windward is part of the Microsoft Partner Network," Boulder, Colo.-based Windward said in a press release this week.
Founded in 2002, Windward develops business intelligence and enterprise reporting solutions based on a Java and .NET engine using Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint on the front end.
Posted by Scott Bekker on February 29, 20120 comments
Even as registration opens this week for the Microsoft 2012 Worldwide Partner Conference in July, Microsoft partner executives are rolling out changes to make Digital WPC a more valuable regular online stop for partners.
"It's a bit of a departure for Digital WPC," Karl Noakes, general manager of Worldwide Partner Strategy and Programs, said of the 2012 iteration of Digital WPC, Microsoft's online portal for its massive annual partner conference. "We're moving the site to be a more permanent site, rather than one that's just around the event. We're building more and more social media features for partners to make connections beyond the event."
WPC is scheduled for July 8-12 in Toronto. Microsoft planned to open registration for the event on Monday, according to a Microsoft spokesperson. A Microsoft pre-registration page projected the event would attract 150,000 participants from 150 countries. Attendees who register by April 5 will get $300 off the standard conference price of $1,995.
The new Digital WPC site has a four-column format (suggestive of Microsoft's new infatuation with tiles) with general conference information, multimedia, Microsoft blogs and social media feeds.
UPDATE, 2/27: The WPC pre-registration page was updated on Monday to say, "Registration opens Tuesday, February 28 at 10 AM PST!"
Posted by Scott Bekker on February 27, 20120 comments
In the land of limited smartphone market share, 1 million units is king.
Market researchers at Strategy Analytics on Friday released a report quantifying what became intuitively apparent when Nokia shared its earnings last month: Nokia is now the leading Windows Phone smartphone vendor.
In the culmination of a controversial strategic shift from Symbian to Windows Phone, Nokia started selling its first Windows Phone devices in November. During a late January earnings call, Nokia executives said they had sold more than 1 million of the Lumia 800 and 710 phones to that point.
Strategy Analytics counted 900,000 of those sales in Q4, and estimated total quarterly Windows Phone device shipments for all manufacturers at 2.7 million units. For Nokia, it's good for 33 percent of Windows Phone market share and more than enough to supplant HTC as the top Windows Phone vendor for the quarter.
For Windows Phone, Nokia's sales drove 36 percent sequential unit growth from the third quarter to the fourth -- an impressive boost and promising for Microsoft given that Nokia is just getting started and hadn't started selling units in the critical U.S. market at that point.
Neil Mawston, executive director at Strategy Analytics, put the milestone in perspective: "Nokia is by no means out of the woods yet, and it is still on a long road to recovery, but capturing top spot in the Microsoft ecosystem is an encouraging baby-step forward for the company."
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Posted by Scott Bekker on February 25, 20121 comments
Earlier this month, Eric Ligman keyed in an uncharacteristically menacing blog entry reminding Microsoft partners that they shouldn't be using the retired Microsoft Certified and Microsoft Gold Certified partner logos.
"To answer a question I received from a couple of partners this week and last week, yes, those email/web messages that you received saying they are from me advising you that you need to remove any and all 'Microsoft Gold Certified partner' or 'Microsoft Certified partner' logos that you still have on your websites, in your tweets, in your new press releases, etc. right away really are coming directly from me," wrote Ligman, the director of Partner Experience for Microsoft Corp.
"Also, yes, when you see the phrase, 'you are out of compliance with the Microsoft Partner Network program guidelines' in those messages, it means exactly that, you are out of compliance and need to address these items right away," Ligman wrote in the entry, which featured large red "X"s over the outdated logos.
Given that there were rumblings among Microsoft Worldwide Partner Group executives last year about policing the partner logos more aggressively, I wondered if Ligman's post was part of a broader effort to eliminate all use of the Gold Certified and Certified logos.
Microsoft stopped issuing new Certified and Gold Certified partner designations by November 2010 and all grandfathered authorization of the logos ended nearly four months ago on Nov. 1, 2011. Partners now earn either "Gold" or "Silver" for their expertise in specific competencies; there are no longer broad company-level partner certifications.
I e-mailed Ligman, a genuinely nice guy, asking for an interview about his new role as a logo enforcer. Microsoft's PR agency redirected me to Karl Noakes, who spoke to me by phone from the back of a taxi in Paris, where he was meeting with partners this week.
Noakes, general manager of Microsoft Worldwide Partner Strategy and Programs, said there's no coordinated effort to get partners compliant on logos. The Ligman e-mails, and some of his own, are one-off notes related to specific partner sites or communications that they happen to notice.
"We work with our partners on trust. There's a set of policies and brand guidelines that they sign up for, and we trust that they'll honor those," Noakes said. "I think we're on track, and we're pretty pleased with the uptake on the new logos."
Noakes isn't sure how many of Microsoft's formerly tens of thousands of Certified and Gold Certified partners are still using old logos. "We haven't gone out there and quantified it; there's no easy way to do that," he said. Generally, though, he added, "I don't see it as a particular problem."
Meanwhile, Ligman abandoned sticks and returned to his usual emphasis on carrots this week with a post pulling together different existing resources to help partners promote themselves when they achieve Gold and Silver competencies.
Of course, anytime you're promoting new competencies, we'd like to hear about it.
Posted by Scott Bekker on February 23, 20121 comments
Reports have another Nokia Lumia device heading into the Windows Phone stable.
Citing two unnamed sources "close to the company," the Reuters news service today reported that Nokia will unveil a Nokia Lumia 610 next week at the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona.
The key selling point of the device is supposed to be a very low price tag designed to make the Lumia, and by extension the Windows Phone OS, more competitive with Google Android-based devices.
According to the report, Nokia also next week will reveal a global version of the Lumia 900, the high-end phone AT&T is scheduled to roll out in the United States in the middle of next month.
If true, the release would bring to four the number of phones Nokia has created for the Windows Phone platform since October, when it unveiled the Lumia 800 and the Lumia 710. Early last year, Nokia announced plans to pivot from delivering phones with its own Symbian OS to devices based on Windows Phone. For Microsoft, the success of Nokia is critical to the market share of the Windows Phone OS, which is desperately far behind Android and Apple iOS but seems to be gaining steam.
Reuters didn't say what countries or what networks would get the Lumia 610.
UPDATE, 2/27: Nokia unveiled the low-cost Lumia 610, which it says is aimed at younger smartphone users, at the Mobile World Congress event. The phone will cost 189 euros, making it the least-expensive Lumia phone. It will begin shipping in Q2 2012 and run on a Windows Phone software update that is "available from April," the company said in its press release.
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| Lumia 610 (Source: Nokia) |
The company also announced that beginning Q2 2012, it will make the Lumia 900 available outside the United States "in a DC-HSPA variant, for high speed data connection (42Mbits download) in countries where LTE is not available." The phone will cost 480 euros.
Nokia's release does not say in which countries either phone will be made available.
Posted by Scott Bekker on February 22, 20120 comments
Perficient, the mega-Microsoft National Systems Integrator based in St. Louis, snapped up PointBridge Solutions, another high-profile NSI, in a $22 million deal this month.
NSIs are generally Microsoft's biggest systems integration partners in the United States (excluding U.S.-based global systems integrators). To be invited into the NSI program, partners need to hit certain revenue bars and investment levels and meet a "law of threes" -- being able to engage in three or more U.S. locations, customer size segments or vertical markets. Perficient's acquisition of Chicago-based PointBridge reduces the number of NSIs to 33 by RCP's count.
With PointBridge, Perficient picks up an NSI with $17 million in revenues, 130 employees and branch offices in Milwaukee and Boston, two cities without a significant Perficient presence. Staying on with Perficient are top executives Mike Gersten, PointBridge co-founder and CEO, and Todd Golden, PointBridge partner.
"PointBridge's SharePoint expertise is highly complementary to Perficient's existing solutions portfolio and focus areas," said Kathy Henely, Perficient's chief operating officer, in a statement. "This acquisition further solidifies Perficient's position amongst the very largest and most capable Microsoft systems integrator consulting firms."
The transaction is expected to be accretive to earnings per share immediately and brings Perficient's annualized revenues to more than $300 million, according to company statements.
According to the Microsoft Pinpoint directory, PointBridge has seven Microsoft gold competencies and two silver competencies, while Perficient has two gold competencies and four silver competencies.
It's not Perficient's first NSI acquisition. Toward the end of 2010, Perficient acquired former NSI speakTECH in a similarly sized deal. Perficient's business focus goes well beyond Microsoft-based projects, with other key vendors including IBM, Oracle and Documentum.
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Posted on February 17, 20120 comments