SAP and on-demand: 'The switch is tougher' - page 2 |...

Give me five!

Microsoft to deliver CRM in China
InfoWorld - May 24, 2006
Brad Wilson, general manager for Microsoft Dynamics CRM, said that CDC's recent acquisition of c360 Solutions made it an ideal partner to implement the software in China. "C360 is a long-time partner of ours," Wilson said. CDC is "betting on Microsoft CRM as a growth engine," he said. Microsoft is launching Dynamics CRM 3. 0 in China for the first time because it is a "hugely dynamic economy" and "lots and lots of companies are building and maintaining relationships with lots and lots of customers," he said. The company is releasing the software in 22 languages, including simplified Chinese but not traditional Chinese, according to Claus Minet of Microsoft Business Solutions in Beijing. Simplified Chinese is used primarily on the Chinese mainland and in Singapore, with traditional Chinese used in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and other Chinese communities worldwide.
http://www.infoworld.com/archives/emailPrint.jsp?R=printThis&A=/article/06/05/24/78628_HNmicrosoftcrmchina_1.html

SAP and on-demand: 'The switch is tougher' - page 2 |...
CNET News.com - May 19, 2006
Are there other product areas that you are looking at?

Kagermann: The hybrid approach is the key approach. You will see more applications as we move to this more sophisticated model. This model is cheaper in terms of hosting. We believe it is the right approach... I think this is a larger market, and this is more effective for that. It doesn't help us if we are going after companies with two or three users. Let's talk about Microsoft: You've gone from. It seems like SAP and Microsoft have come to a sort of detente, where you have mapped out areas where you will compete and areas where you will team up to compete with Oracle and others. Is that a fair assessment?

Kagermann: Yes.
http://news.com.com/SAP+and+on-demand+The+switch+is+tougher+-+page+2/2008-1012_3-6074296-2.html

Salesforce.com Faces Margin Pressures - Forbes.com
Forbes - May 18, 2006
Rudow, an analyst for Piper Jaffray, maintained his "market perform" rating due to the company's continued heavy investment in top-line growth that will likely limit near-term margin expansion. Rudow lowered his price target on Salesforce.
http://www.forbes.com/markets/2006/05/18/salesforce-0518markets07.html

SAP pushes service-oriented architecture
VNUNet.com - May 22, 2006
Prior said, “SAP is going for SOA in a big way, so it has to open up itsdevelopment architecture. This lets industry-specific communities work togetherto define the SOA components that will make the most sense for them. ”But Prior advised that firms will need enterprise architects “who understandhow services are used across the IT department, rather than the current silomodel of an SAP team, a Microsoft camp, WebSphere experts and so on”. It is due forrelease this summer. Permalink to this story... This lets industry-specific communities work togetherto define the SOA components that will make the most sense for them. ”But Prior advised that firms will need enterprise architects “who understandhow services are used across the IT department, rather than the current silomodel of an SAP team, a Microsoft camp, WebSphere experts and so on”. It is due forrelease this summer. Permalink to this story.
http://www.vnunet.com/articles/print/2156548

Microsoft Sweeps Into Security
BusinessWeek - May 31, 2006
computer owners still lack even basic security software. Those unprotected machines are prime pickings for criminal groups looking for "zombies," or computers they can take over to do their nefarious bidding. But how panicked should McAfee, Symantec, and their investors be? The security landscape has changed pretty dramatically since Microsoft first threatened to shake things up. And Microsoft has a lot of proving left to do. Here are five of the biggest questions it will need to answer:1. How Secure Can Microsoft Be? Figuring out what vendor offers the best protection and the most comprehensive package is hard, even for seasoned analysts. For a harried consumer who simply wants to feel safe, it can be nearly impossible.
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/may2006/tc20060531_497986.htm?chan=technology_technology+index+page_more+of+today's+top+stories

IBM to highlight governance at Rational conference
InfoWorld - May 25, 2006
Also, Duncan in an interview emphasized the momentum of IBM's partner programs such as PartnerWorld Industry Networks, in which the company is assisting more than 6,000 software partners. The program includes third-party companies who have found themselves suddenly competing with Oracle or Microsoft after those vendors made acquisitions, he said. "If you are a CRM business, all of a sudden Oracle has acquired Siebel. That is a major competitor," Duncan said. Microsoft, with its purchases of Great Plains and Navision, also has gotten into the applications business, he said. But many smaller players remain in the applications space, Duncan indicated. "Despite there appearing to be consolidation in the marketplace, at the same time the market is more highly fragmented than it has ever been," Duncan said.
http://www.infoworld.com/archives/emailPrint.jsp?R=printThis&A=/article/06/05/25/78687_HNibmrational_1.html

A Lean, Mean, E-mailing Machine
BusinessWeek - May 31, 2006
0 software from Microsoft. But Motorola's design choices differentiate the Q from other Windows Mobile devices -- mostly in good ways. Before getting to them, it's important to understand that Microsoft (MSFT) provides Windows Mobile in two different flavors. The version called Smartphone is designed for cellular handsets used primarily for voice. The Pocket PC version, on the other hand, is for larger data-centric products, often with full keyboards, that are intended to compete with Treos and BlackBerrys. The Q splits the difference.
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/may2006/tc20060531_704117.htm?sub=techmaven

How Linux is hurting Microsoft
it-analysis.com - May 19, 2006
Perhaps more significantly, when large numbers of commodity servers are deployed together—maybe as a grid—the economies of scale may create a preference for Linux over Windows, with Linux experts employed to support them. And it is not just Linux; some SaaS specialists are making use of other open source products as well. For example, RightNow Technologies, a hosted CRM provider, runs the world's largest installation of MySQL (the leading open source database), in this case on Dell boxes running Linux. Others, such as Salesforce. com, have stuck with a commercial database, in its case the Oracle database on Sun Solaris but its applications run on Linux; either way neither is using Windows. Microsoft is not taking all this lying down. It has a team focused on helping organisations develop hosted solutions based as much as possible on Microsoft technology... It has a team focused on helping organisations develop hosted solutions based as much as possible on Microsoft technology. It is also working with third parties such as 7 Global to help enable ISVs to deliver SaaS on the Microsoft platform. But Microsoft is coming from behind in this area, and if such a quantum shift was possible, and the whole world turned to the currently available SaaS applications over night, there would be lot of redundant Windows servers sitting in IT departments and a lot more of us relying on Linux and other open source products for delivery of our businesses IT requirements. Reader Comments Do you agree with what Bob Tarzey is saying? Perhaps you feel, or even know, different? Why not.
http://www.it-analysis.com/business/costs/content.php?cid=8502

SAP looks to replicate US success
InfoWorld - May 22, 2006
We're focusing on Brazil and Mexico in particular. We look to take best practices there up a notch. IDGNS: Is SAP planning on changing its 100-user minimum requirement for its on-demand CRM software?McDermott: We're a little flexible. The 100-user limit is a guideline. We won't go into 10 users and a credit card. That's for 1-800 call best-of-breed. We're aiming at business users... ) It'll be pieces of ERP, not the core process that go on-demand, they're the heart and lungs of the enterprise. IDGNS: What do you see happening to Oracle?McDermott: I feel for them. Database is their DNA and they have anemic growth in the low single digits They're under real pressure from Microsoft, IBM and, looming in the shadows, open source. Merging the code of the different applications they have has a level of complexity of rebuilding the Hoover Dam. They also have to merge cultures and people, it'll take three to seven years. Our race isn't with Oracle. We're running in a race without a finish line, to achieve customer satisfaction, that's never over.
http://www.infoworld.com/archives/emailPrint.jsp?R=printThis&A=/article/06/05/22/78566_HNsapusaim_1.html

SAP Dangles A Big, Fat Carrot
BusinessWeek - May 22, 2006
Segrich says the new generation of software that SAP plans to release next year will reach its peak demand three years later. To win the big prize, Kagermann and his staff will have to overcome challenges from Oracle, Microsoft (MSFT), and pesky up-and-comers such as Salesforce. (CRM) Oracle, in particular, is not to be taken lightly. As a result of a $20 billion acquisition binge, adding PeopleSoft Inc. and Siebel Systems Inc.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_21/b3985089.htm

Interview: Shai Agassi, SAP
iT News - May 19, 2006
Shai Agassi, the SAP executive board member responsible for product design and marketing, gave his perspective on SAP's channel approach, the software giant's latest moves and the competitive landscape in an interview with CRN Industry Editor Barbara Darrow at the Sapphire 2006 conference in Orlando, Fla. SAP used the annual event - this year combined with the Americas SAP Users Group conference - to announce the general availability of MySAP 2005 ERP, a new business-intelligence accelerator and an updated plan to offer "hybrid" on-premise and hosted CRM based on the same code foundation. CRN: What's your reaction to Sun Microsystems' news that they're open-sourcing Java?AGASSI: Before I comment on anything, I would like to see what the announcement is and understand it. We are a Java licensee and are happy with the license and have a relationship with Sun around that. If they change the nature of that license model, we would study it. I still don't understand it, so I don't want to comment... " In some cases they have the expertise, in some cases they don't. Not every partner has the same skill set, expertise and sales skills for every product. CRN: Well, with Duet (SAP's project with Microsoft to make SAP's back end accessible via Office front ends). That was an interesting contrast. SAP said it will not put Duet through its partners. Meanwhile, Microsoft is putting it through its partners. The same with your new business-intelligence appliance (developed with Intel, Hewlett-Packard and IBM).
http://www.itnews.com.au/newsstory.aspx?CIaNID=32788&src=site-marq

Salesforce launches AppExchange for OEMs
InfoWorld - May 30, 2006
Using his company’s first-ever Appforce conference, Benioff spoke to an audience of AppExchange partners, users, and developers, painting a picture of a future filled with browser-based “mashup” composite applications. The OEM version of the AppExchange service will allow on-demand service providers to use Salesforce. com as a platform for creating services and applications not tied to Salesforce applications or even CRM. Third-party providers will be able to access Salesforce. com services rather than spending time and money building their own, and they will get a built-in audience of potential customers receptive to the on-demand model, Benioff said. Third-party SaaS providers can use parts of the Salesforce. com platform, such as the OS, customization tools, Web Service APIs, workflow, and logic, said Kendall Collins, vice president of marketing at Salesforce... “It is not black or white,” Graf said. The way SAP sees it, some on-demand solutions will be “re-insourced” into a company, whereas others might go in the opposite direction. However, Denis Pombriant, managing principal at Beagle Research, called composite applications the future and said Microsoft, Oracle, and SAP should pay attention. “It delivers an order-of-magnitude lower cost for developers,” Pombriant said. AppExchange OEM Edition cost $25 per user, per month. OEM Edition users will be responsible for pricing and availability of their solutions.
http://www.infoworld.com/archives/emailPrint.jsp?R=printThis&A=/article/06/05/30/78643_22NNsalesforce_1.html

Goodbye.

SAP heralds Duet 'breakthrough'

Nice meeting you!

… Further Distinguishes Itself by Earning a Microsoft Competen...
CRM Directory (press release) - May 15, 2006
About Green Beacon Solutions


Green Beacon Solutions provides proven CRM, ERP, Marketing Automation, Business Intelligence, and Strategic Planning business solutions to mid-market and mid-enterprise customers. The Green Beacon team brings the experience of hundreds of customer implementations, delivering on the company's mission to guide clients to success by providing practical business solutions with a rapid return on investment. Based in Watertown, Massachusetts, Green Beacon is an experienced service provider for Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Dynamics AX (Axapta), Onyx Enterprise CRM, Epicor for Service Enterprises, smartFOCUS, and other leading business solutions. For additional information, please visit.
http://www.crmdirectory.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=37&Itemid=53

SAP heralds Duet 'breakthrough'
InfoWorld - May 17, 2006
McDermott referred to Duet as an "absolute breakthrough," an innovative product that links workers at the Microsoft desktop to enterprise applications from SAP. He called the product a "major differentiator" for how companies could run their business. The new frontier of software isn't "hardwired solutions," McDermott declared, but "component-based offerings," giving customers greater agility to roll out new functions and features much faster. "The industrialization of software is upon us," he said.
http://www.infoworld.com/archives/emailPrint.jsp?R=printThis&A=/article/06/05/17/78396_HNsapduet_1.html

Eloqua Suite Offers Strong Complement
DM News - May 15, 2006
Eloqua assumes that transaction history and campaign results will be stored in other systems with a comprehensive customer view. Eloqua only needs to integrate with such systems by sending them copies of Eloqua data and importing data they provide. Existing connectors allow more intimate integration with Salesforce. com and Microsoft CRM. Eloqua does provide reporting on its own data, including statistics on work flow activity and e-mail measurements such as numbers sent, delivered, read and replied to. A Chat module uses rules to determine when to offer Web site visitors an online chat. This module includes an agent interface that displays the visitor�s history, manages the chat session itself, captures results and allows follow-up activities such as sending information and adding the visitor to an Eloqua campaign.
http://www.dmnews.com/cms/dm-news/database-marketing/36886.html

EMC makes second purchase in a week
InfoWorld - May 11, 2006
Their particular focus was on software, storage and services that could help users more easily manage data stored in Microsoft's Exchange Server 2003 groupware and its SQL Server 2005 Enterprise Edition database software. Privately held Interlink has its headquarters in Englewood, Colorado, and employs about 180 staff. The company has specific skills in relation to Microsoft's Dynamics CRM (customer relationship management) software. Interlink becomes part of EMC's 9,000-strong professional service business unit, which is known as EMC Technology Solutions. EMC did not reveal financial details of the deal.
http://www.infoworld.com/archives/emailPrint.jsp?R=printThis&A=/article/06/05/11/78214_HNemcbuysinterlink_1.html

Motorola Q set to debut next week
Macworld - May 17, 2006
At the launch next week, Motorola will be joined by Electronic Data Systems and IBM Global Services, as well as its carrier partner and Microsoft, which is supplying the Q’s Windows Mobile 5. 0 operating system, Zander said. The Q will be ideal for applications such as using spreadsheets and CRM (customer relationship management) software on the road, he said. The Q will come out first for EV-DO, a 3G technology offered in the U. by Verizon Wireless Inc. and Sprint Nextel Corp... Motorola, the second-biggest seller of mobile phones behind Nokia, is entering a four-way battle of smart phones, said Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney. The Q will go up against Nokia’s E61, Palm’s Treo and the mighty BlackBerry. The Q’s weak point is Microsoft, a recent entrant to the world of push e-mail, Dulaney said. “Microsoft has under delivered with the capabilities of its e-mail client,” he said. Enterprise workers who are used to BlackBerries will “throw it back. ” Although Motorola will offer other options for e-mail, it won’t offer a BlackBerry client, which some competitors do. Meanwhile, RIM has the largest existing base in enterprises and Nokia offers good security capabilities and integration with PBXes (private branch exchanges), Dulaney said.
http://www.macworld.com/news/2006/05/17/motorola/index.php

The New Wireless Wars
BusinessWeek - May 11, 2006
Another potential bidder is small service provider Leap Wireless. On May 9, Leap announced a $250 million sale of its common stock specifically to finance participation in Auction 66. Other potential bidders could include ventures backed by Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, says Doherty. "It's a billionaires' high-stakes poker game," he says. While portals Yahoo (YHOO) and Google (GOOG), at the top of analysts' list of potential bidders, won't participate in the auction directly, they could play a role through partners. Both portals tell BusinessWeek Online they have not applied to take part in the auction.
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/may2006/tc20060515_848569.htm

CA's Wily Technology Releases Introscope 7®
ebizQ - May 15, 2006
Introscope 7 also features advanced new reporting capabilities to measure SLA compliance, analyze performance trends and provide data for improved capacity planning. NET Application ManagementIntroscope 7 is the platform for Introscope for Microsoft. NET, scheduled for release later in 2006. NET will allow IT teams managing web applications in Microsoft. NET and heterogeneous environments to leverage Wily�s leadership and expertise to ensure the performance and availability of their... "Organizations can mitigate this expense and avoid costly downtime failure by implementing a comprehensive, enterprise-wide solution to monitor the performance of applications and connected back end systems. Comprehensive SupportIntroscope supports all leading application and SOA platforms: IBM WebSphere, including WebSphere Portal and WebSphere Business Integration; BEA WebLogic, including WebLogic Portal and WebLogic Integration; SAP NetWeaver, including SAP Enterprise Portal; Fujitsu Interstage; Oracle 10g, including Oracle Virtual Directory and Oracle Application Server Portal; Sun Java Enterprise System; Apache Geronimo, Apache Tomcat; ATG; Hibernate; JBoss; Macromedia JRun; Resin; Spring and any other J2EE-compliant platform. Introscope is one of the most widely used tools for managing both custom and packaged applications from vendors including Amdocs, Actuate, Ariba, BlueMartini, BusinessObjects, Calypso, Chordiant, Clarity, Cognos, Documentum, DST Innovis, Epiphany, IDX, i2, Interwoven, JD Edwards EnterpriseOne, MatrixOne, Motive, Oracle eBusiness Suite, Oracle Collaboration Suite, PeopleSoft (CRM), Retek, SAP, Siebel (CRM), and more. Wily customers also use Introscope to manage their heterogeneous application environments including middleware, transaction components and databases such as Accenture GRNDS, Azul Systems, Bowstreet, BroadVision, Invoq Systems, Netegrity, Oracle Virtual Directory, SeeBeyond, Sybase, Vignette, Yantra, TIBCO, Vitria, WebMethods, and more.
http://www.ebizq.net/news/6977.html

New Version of Contactual 5.0 Scales To Support More Agents Per...
CRM Directory (press release) - May 15, 2006
Upgrades to Contactual OnDemand Contact Center allow the service to scale to the bandwidth needs of larger customers, accommodate larger VoIP environments, and deliver enhanced skills-based call routing capabilities to maintain and improve service levels across a larger number of queues. -- Enhanced email management, enabling emails to be automatically forwarded to the system administrator for manual handling if they cannot be automatically routed to the appropriate destination based on factors such as keywords. -- Self-service deletion of unneeded schedules, CRM records and call monitoring files, allowing larger call centers with in-house administrators to perform these tasks without submitting requests to Contactual personnel. -- Automatic transfer of system updates to Contactual's backup system, eliminating the need for system administrators to manually replicate system changes in the Contactual Backup Tenant used for disaster recovery. Contactual also remains the only hosted contact center provider that can provision a complete system in as little as four hours, operate with any kind of phone infrastructure from PBX to VoIP, and provide integrated email and chat functionality... -- Enhanced email management, enabling emails to be automatically forwarded to the system administrator for manual handling if they cannot be automatically routed to the appropriate destination based on factors such as keywords. -- Self-service deletion of unneeded schedules, CRM records and call monitoring files, allowing larger call centers with in-house administrators to perform these tasks without submitting requests to Contactual personnel. -- Automatic transfer of system updates to Contactual's backup system, eliminating the need for system administrators to manually replicate system changes in the Contactual Backup Tenant used for disaster recovery. Contactual also remains the only hosted contact center provider that can provision a complete system in as little as four hours, operate with any kind of phone infrastructure from PBX to VoIP, and provide integrated email and chat functionality. "The ability to scale to support these larger deployments will be an important factor in bringing on-demand contact centers into the mainstream.
http://www.crmdirectory.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=34&Itemid=2

SAP launches investment fund, new software
ZDNet - May 17, 2006
--SAP on Wednesday announced new versions of its flagship software along with an acquisition and a $125 million investment fund to back partner companies. At its Sapphire user conference here, the business software company said that it has begun shipping mySAP ERP 2005, a new release of its enterprise relationship management software, along with SAP CRM 2006s, a hybrid product that can run as an on-demand or on-premise application. To spur development of products that run on its NetWeaver software, SAP said, the company has launched a $125 million fund. NetWeaver links SAP's software to other new and existing business systems within companies. The fund will complement SAP's existing SAP Venture investment arm, which backs emerging technology. SAP is hoping to jump-start development of software from partner companies that could help stimulate sales of its own business applications software... "

SAP says it expects more than 15,000 attendees at its Sapphire conference this week. The Walldorf, Germany-based company's main rival is Oracle, which in recent years has acquired several business software makers, including PeopleSoft and Siebel Systems. But other competitors have emerged in the software-as-a-service market,.
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-3513_22-6073224.html

SAP, IBM team up to tackle midmarket
InfoWorld - May 17, 2006
The channel announcement underscores SAP's determination to tap the huge U. midmarket in which rivals Oracle, Microsoft, and others are battling for market share. All-in-One is a slimmed down version of mySAP Business Suite, which includes ERP (enterprise resource planning), CRM (customer relationship management) and several other core SAP applications. As part of the IBM announcement, SAP will bundle its All-In-One midmarket software with IBM's upcoming release of its DB2 database, currently ... midmarket in which rivals Oracle, Microsoft, and others are battling for market share. All-in-One is a slimmed down version of mySAP Business Suite, which includes ERP (enterprise resource planning), CRM (customer relationship management) and several other core SAP applications. As part of the IBM announcement, SAP will bundle its All-In-One midmarket software with IBM's upcoming release of its DB2 database, currently .
http://www.infoworld.com/archives/emailPrint.jsp?R=printThis&A=/article/06/05/17/78405_HNsapibmmidmarket_1.html

Marketing Forum Reaches New Heights
DM News - May 15, 2006
region for the Financial Times, discussed emerging technologies such as wikis, open source and peer to peer. Companies like IBM and Microsoft have social computing departments to focus on how to deploy the technologies in a new way to connect with customers, he said. This year, the program debuted "Speed Meetings. " Similar to the popular speed-dating concept, suppliers can arrange five-minute meetings with clients. A regular forum meeting lasts about a half-hour. The three-night cruise had 10,000 meetings scheduled and returned to shore May 10.
http://www.dmnews.com/cgi-bin/artprevbot.cgi?article_id=36700

CosmoCom Hosts First Annual “CosmoCommunity” Event
PR Web - PR Web (press release) - May 15, 2006
The event boasts a prestigious array of sponsors including:. VoiceGenie Technologies, maker of interactive voice response (IVR) platforms for next-generation speech-enabled contact centers. Voxpilot, a leading provider of IMS-Ready, VoiceXML and Video-In-VoiceXML platforms, integrated with CosmoCall Universe. France Telecom, a CosmoCom business partner providing pivotal telecommunications support for businesses of all sizes, in France and around the world“CosmoCom has made an enormous impact on the creation and management of contact centers for its global customers and partners,” said Ari Sonesh, CosmoCom CEO. “We are pleased to be bringing together this CosmoCommunity in an environment of mutual benefit that everyone can enjoy and profit from... The event boasts a prestigious array of sponsors including:. VoiceGenie Technologies, maker of interactive voice response (IVR) platforms for next-generation speech-enabled contact centers. Voxpilot, a leading provider of IMS-Ready, VoiceXML and Video-In-VoiceXML platforms, integrated with CosmoCall Universe. France Telecom, a CosmoCom business partner providing pivotal telecommunications support for businesses of all sizes, in France and around the world“CosmoCom has made an enormous impact on the creation and management of contact centers for its global customers and partners,” said Ari Sonesh, CosmoCom CEO. “We are pleased to be bringing together this CosmoCommunity in an environment of mutual benefit that everyone can enjoy and profit from.
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/5/prweb385546.htm

Bye.