Google Uses the Salesforce

Nice meeting you!

Salesforce.com shares jump as it turns in a loss
Register - Aug 18, 2006
is delivering the promise of on-demand services to nearly 25,000 customers with more than 500,000 subscribers around the world today. The comment was presumably a dig at Microsoft's CRM software and Oracle's Siebel venture. The firm netted 57,000 new subscibers to its services in the quarter, up 63 per cent on the Q2 2005 total. ® Track this type of story as a. Related storiesSalesforce.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/08/18/salesforce_q2_2006/

Google Uses the Salesforce
Motley Fool - Aug 23, 2006
After a free 30-day trial, Salesforce customers can pay $300 a month to continue the service, which manages paid-search campaigns while also tracking potential leads. With nearly 25,000 corporate clients and more than half a million subscribers to its hosted applications, Salesforce -- which provides online services for employees to track customer leads, accounts, marketing campaigns -- is no slouch. If successful, Salesforce. com's service has many implications.
http://www.fool.com/News/mft/2006/mft06082302.htm?ref=foolwatch

Critical Flaw Found in IE Patch
PC World - Aug 23, 2006
Patched browsers would crash when using Web-based versions of several applications, including PeopleSoft, Siebel, and Sage CRM. Web sites that used HTTP 1. 1 compression to speed up the downloading of images could also cause the browser to fail. These issues are described on.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,126879-c,browserbugs/article.html

TechWeek: Shorts Drive the August Rally
thestreet.com - Aug 19, 2006
Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) , Salesforce. com (CRM) and BEA Systems (BEAS) delivered stronger-than-expected earnings, while Dell (DELL) found new ways to scare customers and investors. And when Microsoft (MSFT) figured out that its "modified Dutch auction had flopped," it changed the timing on the buyback offer. All of this gave the market a solid bounce, with the Nasdaq, the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index and the Goldman Sachs Software Index all on the rise. To be sure, the solid earnings reports were an important driver this week. But interviews with money managers and equity strategists suggest that the rally wasn't all that solid. One big factor: short covering.
http://www.thestreet.com/p/pf/newsanalysis/techsoftware/10304744.html

Salesforce.com buys into Google AdWords | CNET News.com
CNET News.com - Aug 21, 2006
is trying to get information from Google AdWords to knowing who the customer is can be kind of a difficult thing," Benioff said. "You tend to lose the link between CRM (customer relationship management) and Google ads. caro -->


Now on News.
http://news.com.com/Salesforce.com+buys+into+Google+AdWords/2100-1014_3-6108046.html

SAP: Tapped for Bigger Things
BusinessWeek - Aug 22, 2006
In 2004, SAP furthered its commitment to ESA by announcing a three-year road map through which it expects to deliver increasingly service-oriented solutions to the market annually, until the entire portfolio of the company's solutions is based on ESA by 2007. Recent product introductions have included SAP CRM on-demand (February, 2006) and mySAP ERP 2005 (May, 2006). THREE GROWTH DRIVERS. We think that a key driver of SAP's recent growth has been the company's notable progress in selling its products to SMB customers. In its recent June-quarter release, the company reported that 30% of its software revenues over the trailing four quarters came from the midmarket... Finally, we have a favorable view of SAP's ability and willingness to collaborate and partner with other technology companies, large and small. A recent example of this is the May, 2006, introduction of Duet software for Microsoft Office and SAP, launched and jointly developed with Microsoft (MSFT). This product brings SAP's ERP data into the workflow of a broader base of users by incorporating Microsoft's ubiquitous Office as a user interface. We expect the primary appeal of Duet to be for the SAP ERP-installed base, with the potential to raise ERP users by four times within its current client base, according to the company. We view these efforts favorably as a less risky, and potentially much cheaper, way to grow its business.
http://www.businessweek.com/investor/content/aug2006/pi20060822_581271.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index_investing

See you later.

Google on the Inside [Fool.com] April 20, 2006

How do you do?

Cisco updates joint CRM system with Microsoft
InfoWorld - Apr 25, 2006
The software creates automatic screen pop ups with caller information, provides click-to-dial capability, captures call information and creates customer records. It delivers these features on a PC through integration with Cisco IP (Internet Protocol) phones. The latest version, Unified CRM Connector 3. 0, is integrated with the recently announced Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3... It expects to deploy version 3. 0 later this year or in the first half of next year, said Dominic Roberts, vice president of information services. GreenStone started using Microsoft Dynamics CRM a few years ago to bring together customer data from several different platforms, Roberts said. The result has been better customer service, because employees have more information at hand: for example, what each customer has bought and what promotions they have already been offered. The extension of CRM Connector to Cisco IP phones will be a major benefit of the new version, Roberts said. "They don't like it when 10 windows pop up in their face when they're looking at a CRM screen," Roberts said. "They would love to have two screens.
http://www.infoworld.com/archives/emailPrint.jsp?R=printThis&A=/article/06/04/25/77731_HNciscocrm_1.html

Google on the Inside [Fool.com] April 20, 2006
Motley Fool - Apr 20, 2006
Given the enormous amount of corporate data on intranets, corporate search looks like yet another multibillion-dollar market opportunity for Google. Microsoft is a selection of the Inside Value newsletter service. Check out our entire suite of newsletters by clicking.
http://www.fool.com/News/mft/2006/mft06042019.htm

"Software As a Service" Hits Sweet Spot
BusinessWeek - Apr 13, 2006
He claims businesses will ultimately benefit from trends developing in the consumer space. "We have to show what's possible and we need to show people how they can move away from these old client-server companies," Benioff told silicon. The ease of implementation which on-demand vendors tout will also be the factor which keeps them honest and competitive, said Qualys' Courtot -- because if it's easy to switch on, then it's just as easy to switch over... Courtot said this contrasts starkly with the large enterprise software vendors. "Once they've got you, they'll milk you," he said. Evan Goldberg, chairman, founder and CTO of CRM vendor NetSuite, is another relying on software as a service hitting the big time. com he believes all applications will eventually be accessed online. "I have a very big vision of where software as a service can go," said Goldberg, adding his vision is for the industry as a whole -- way outside just the areas in which.
http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/apr2006/gb20060413_756585.htm?campaign_id=search

Salesforce.com moves spark M&A FUD
Inquirer - Apr 14, 2006
Salesforce can hardly complain ifit is closely watched given that it has pursued one of the most regimented PR campaigns in living history and that itis probably the hottest thing in enterprise IT today. On the one hand, he's always ready to paint Microsoft as a laggard in software-as a-service. On the other hand he, likemany others, would like to replay the way Bill Gates built his money-magnet platform. The success of Microsoft's Windows ecosystem was built in part on its excellent relationships with smaller ISVs. Corel, Micrografx and a ton of others rode on that gravy train and, early on at least, Microsoft resisted thetemptation to throw its money at market domination in every sector. Even the success of the Office stack was based on minor acquisitions and organic development... Even the success of the Office stack was based on minor acquisitions and organic development. Microsoft built abetter mousetrap while Novell, WordPerfect, Borland, Aston-Tate, Lotus, SPC and the rest overreached or just gotstrategy plain wrong. Salesforce's plan is to make AppExchange its OS-like platform for ISVs to add in functionality that complementsSalesforce's core salesforce automation and CRM strengths. The question at least some of these ISVs will be asking iswhether this is because Salesforce doesn't want to step on partners' toes or because it just hasn't yet had the time tosteamroller over them. For that reason alone, the purchase of Sendia, an AppExchange partner, might alarm others on AppExchange concernedabout having an erstwhile friend turn competitor. Or have them dreaming of a big pay day - perhaps both. In his ZDNet blog, Phil Wainewright looks at areas for potential Salesforce suitors.
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=31011

Dear Subscriber to TheStreet.com Stocks Under $10,
thestreet.com - Apr 21, 2006
Guidance for the second quarter of a 3-cent
to 7-cent profit and revenue of $359 million to $367
million was also in line with analyst expectations. One
positive from the report was the company's announcement
that it will begin building chips for the Xbox 360 video-
game console in 2007 through a direct relationship with
Microsoft. In the past, Chartered dealt with IBM when
building parts for Microsoft, and cutting out the middle
man should boost Chartered's margins going forward. We
believe shares could be worth more than $15 in 2006 as
utilization rates continue to increase and gross margins
approach peak 2000 levels of 30% from 11% now. For
instance, the stock was recently changing hands at just
seven times 2007 earnings-per-share (EPS) analyst
estimates vs. an industry average of 21. We maintain our
One rating... We believe valuation of 3. 5 times 2006 analyst
revenue estimates vs. 11 times for competitor
Salesforce.
http://www.thestreet.com/k/su/archives/200604211657.html

Google's Corporate Makeover - Forbes.com
Forbes - Apr 18, 2006
Google's move to open up its enterprise offering to big software developers is parallel to moves the company has made with other products, like giving outsiders the ability to create "mash-ups" with their software and Google Maps. The company said it will also allow smaller players to create add-ons for the enterprise line. They're already showing off some examples, such as the ability to search and display someone's Microsoft Exchange contact information within the Google interface, and even inviting a co-worker to a meeting without leaving your Web browser. "Search to me is really the next big move to get people access to all the information--not just the documents, but the data--in the enterprise context," says Robert Ashe, chief executive of Cognos, whose business software data will now be accessible through OneBox. Google hopes its new partnerships, which were first reported Tuesday by Business 2. 0, will help boost its share in the enterprise search and information access market which research firm Gartner estimates will hit almost $370 million worldwide this year. Gartner analyst Whit Andrews estimates that Google accounted for between 10% and 20% of new search licenses sold last year, amid competition from business-software giants Microsoft (nyse:.
http://www.forbes.com/intelligentinfrastructure/2006/04/18/google-enterprise-search_cx_df_0418google.html

Dear Subscriber to TheStreet.com Stocks Under $10,
thestreet.com - Apr 13, 2006
Now let's take a look at the portfolio and some of the
moves we made this week. One quick note: Ones are stocks we would buy now, while
Twos are stocks we would buy only on a pullback from
current levels. And as a reminder:
-- A Game Breaker is going to change the landscape of an
industry, as Intel, Microsoft and Wal-Mart did in their
sectors. Investors can make big money in these stocks by
getting in before the crowd. -- Inflection Point stocks have a broken business model
that's on the mend but has yet to be recognized by the
market. Investors who recognize a turnaround early can
pocket strong returns. -- Stealth Stocks are often unknown names to the general
public, but can be hugely profitable investments,
especially when they score well in the Alpha component of
our proprietary rating system.
http://www.thestreet.com/k/su/archives/200604131656.html

See you.

How much is that Apple in the Windows?

How are things?

Red Hat Buys the Boss
Motley Fool - Apr 11, 2006
Red Hat's home-brewed application server didn't gain much traction, but JBoss emerged as a standout. This deal doesn't look cheap. JBoss's revenues are expected to reach just $60 million in 2006. To be fair, they're growing quickly -- last year's revenues were estimated to fall somewhere between $20 million and $30 million.
http://www.fool.com/News/mft/2006/mft06041117.htm

How much is that Apple in the Windows?
Register - Apr 7, 2006
Even if they did a bit, people don't want change. After 20 plus years of enforced technology firedrills they've become highly sceptical of technologists' promises of a better life, and rightly don't believe the endless theoretical business cases technologists dream up. Those ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) and CRM (Customer Relationship Management) battles that have raged since the late 1990s have left many of the folks who do the real work in companies, forever scarred. Talk about the thousand yard stare - visit an business accounting office after an implementation of SAP!So what to do. Well, my advice would be to actually give people the choice. There are unlikely to be support issues, especially with Apple's long-term commitment to support dual Windows and Mac OS. And few extra cost issues... The new Apple world is the perfect reason to accommodate this, and gradually take companies out of PC ownership. You own your own calculator and mobile phone - PC ownership is a natural evolution. And the timing is perfect, especially as Microsoft will be pushing a wholesale move to its much delayed and maligned Windows Vista. Just the thought of which makes me feel a thousand yard stare coming on! ®About Cormac O'Reilly: Late sixties IT industry entrant with early developer gigs in London at Abbey National, Unilever & BOC. Senior IT oil field trash in the eighties and nineties; Schlumberger (Houston TX) and Shell (The Hague). Non-exec director at two flame-out dot.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/04/07/apple_announcement/

Salesforce.com takes hit from outage
InfoWorld - Apr 7, 2006
com, the company's hosted CRM service is back up and running. The site notes that there was an interruption on Thursday, beginning at 8:11 Pacific Daylight Time and affecting its North American operations. The cause was "a software patch affecting the cache server. "According to Salesforce, "the service was restored to full operations after removing the software patch, resetting the cache system configuration, and re-starting the cache servers. Changes to operational procedures have been made to protect the service from similar issues going forward... com outtages don't seem to have a common cause, and may be expected from a company growing as fast as Salesforce is, knocking your entire North American customer base offline, for any reason at any time is untenable -- and won't engender a lot of good will. But companies such as Microsoft or SAP don't need to worry that all of their customers will be affected by an glitch at the same time.
http://www.infoworld.com/archives/emailPrint.jsp?R=printThis&A=/article/06/04/07/77264_HNsalesforce3_1.html

Why they're making it Sino this time
The Age - Apr 11, 2006
That's why we're using cost-effectiveoutsourcing. CRM Chefs helps customers implement Microsoft customerrelationship management software. This sometimes involves helpingcustomers incorporate new software, such as invoicinghistories. "We provide the high-end strategy and software architects andoutsource the coding to Sinocode," says Mr Wood. "We get them tobuild to our specs. It's very inexpensive, around half the cost,compared to getting contractors in Australia.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/technology/why-theyre-making-it-sino-this-time/2006/04/10/1144521238562.html

NetSuite 11.0 adds deeper support for Ajax
InfoWorld - Apr 6, 2006
"Someone will ultimately become the SAP of the midmarket," Nelson added, referring to SAP which has long been the No. 1 vendor of enterprise applications. NetSuite's primary competitor is hosted CRM player Salesforce. The company also comes up against Sage Group, SAP, Microsoft, Oracle, Salesnet, and SugarCRM. Oracle CEO Larry Ellison is one of the founders of NetSuite and its lead investor through his Tako Ventures investment company.
http://www.infoworld.com/archives/emailPrint.jsp?R=printThis&A=/article/06/04/06/77168_HNnetsuite11_1.html

Dear Subscriber to TheStreet.com Stocks Under $10,
thestreet.com - Apr 7, 2006
Now let's take a look at the portfolio and some of the
moves we made this week. One quick note: Ones are stocks we would buy now, while
Twos are stocks we would buy only on a pullback from
current levels. And as a reminder:
-- A Game Breaker is going to change the landscape of an
industry, as Intel, Microsoft and Wal-Mart did in their
sectors. Investors can make big money in these stocks by
getting in before the crowd. -- Inflection Point stocks have a broken business model
that's on the mend but has yet to be recognized by the
market. Investors who recognize a turnaround early can
pocket strong returns. -- Stealth Stocks are often unknown names to the general
public, but can be hugely profitable investments,
especially when they score well in the Alpha component of
our proprietary rating system... His presentation, which focused on key
requirements for upmarket on-demand software sales, could
help boost the company's profile among investors and
potential customers. The company is on track to deliver
sales bookings growth of 40% to 50% in 2006, up from the
29% sales bookings growth in the fourth quarter of 2005. On-demand CRM software is a burgeoning business, and
smaller players like RightNow stand to gain more than
larger players such as Oracle (. The law of large numbers states that
showing large percentage gains becomes more challenging as
the base number, or denominator, grows.
http://www.thestreet.com/k/su/_googlen/archives/200604071655.html?cm_ven=GOOGLEN&cm_cat=SU&cm_ite=003966

Bye.

In the software crusher

How's things?

Microsoft CRM hits the spot
InfoWorld - Feb 27, 2006
BorckFebruary 27, 2006 I’ve unlocked and loaded Microsoft’s recently refreshed customer relationship management solution, Dynamics CRM 3. 0 Professional, and the preliminary results are quite good. The improvements run broad and deep. Microsoft leapfrogged Version 2, going from a now-dated 2003 debut release to a “Version 3” product that is markedly more mature and usable. Not that Dynamics CRM is teeming with innovation -- at least not by today’s CRM standards -- but current Microsoft customers clinging to the hope of a worthy upgrade will not be disappointed.
http://www.infoworld.com/archives/emailPrint.jsp?R=printThis&A=/article/06/02/27/75533_09PPpreview_1.html

In the software crusher
BBC News - Feb 24, 2006
The big players in the multi-billion dollar market for CRM software have taken note and launched their own on-demand products. Siebel - now owned by Oracle - started offering online CRM services two years ago, while the global market leader in enterprise software, Germany's SAP, announced its own on-demand product at the beginning of February. Microsoft wants a slice of the action too, with the roll-out of its CRM 3. 0 application and tests of its new on-demand "Microsoft Office Live" product. Mr Benioff, for his part, speaks of defensive moves by traditional software giants who worry that Salesforce. com might put "their entire business model.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/business/4735944.stm

PC World - Test Versions of New Windows Live Services Arrive
PC World - Feb 28, 2006
Microsoft introduced its plan to offer hosted services under the Windows Live moniker last fall. Recommend this story?.
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,124893,00.asp

Apple's Latest Audio Offensive
BusinessWeek - Mar 1, 2006
Ever since Jobs began talking about turning the Mac into "the hub of the digital lifestyle" in 2001, analysts have been waiting for Apple to employ its techno-stylings to revamp the decades-old entertainment center. Who better to enable consumers to listen to music without racks of CDs, view photos without keeping dust-collecting photo albums, or watch movies (be they the home, or Hollywood variety) without VCR tapes, DVDs and the requisite herd of remote controls?Apple has indeed stepped lightly, even as Microsoft (MSFT) and partners dumped gazillions into creating products designed to do many of the same tasks. But Apple's latest devices leave no doubt whether Apple is on the attack -- or that the immediate target is home audio. For all the hoopla over the iPod and iTunes in the past four years, it's almost all been focused on how to listen to music through mediocre PC speakers or via earbuds -- but not in PC-less rooms of the house. ONE SYSTEM, MANY ROOMS. Now, that's changing.
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/feb2006/tc20060229_550598.htm

Dear Subscriber to TheStreet.com Stocks Under $10,
thestreet.com - Feb 24, 2006
Now let's take a look at the portfolio and some of the
moves we made this week. One quick note: Ones are stocks we would buy now, while
Twos are stocks we would buy only on a pullback from
current levels. And as a reminder:
-- A Game Breaker is going to change the landscape of an
industry, as Intel, Microsoft and Wal-Mart did in their
sectors. Investors can make big money in these stocks by
getting in before the crowd. -- Inflection Point stocks have a broken business model
that's on the mend but has yet to be recognized by the
market. Investors who recognize a turnaround early can
pocket strong returns. -- Stealth Stocks are often unknown names to the general
public, but can be hugely profitable investments,
especially when they score well in the Alpha component of
our proprietary rating system... We
believe the company is on track to deliver 40% to 50%
sales bookings growth in 2006 vs. 29% sales bookings
growth in the fourth quarter. RightNow is a small player
in the burgeoning on-demand CRM software space, and we
believe the stock will trade closer to $20 a share in
2006. Based on this belief, we are moving RightNow to a
One and believe subscribers who do not have a position in
the stock should considering buying it here. We will not
add any shares unless they fall below $15, given our 30%
gain.
http://www.thestreet.com/k/su/archives/200602241803.html

See you.

Microsoft to Phase Out Windows Media Player for Mac

How's it going?

Salesforce pitches to become the 'iTunes' of enterprise apps
Register - Jan 17, 2006
Their introduction follows last year's outage in the Salesforce. com service that Benioff said was due to a bug the company hadn’t “seen before. ”Benioff believes AppExchange helps maintain Salesforce. com's lead over CRM rivals Oracle and SAP and aspiring player Microsoft. All three have spoken of separately providing their own hosted CRM services and integrating their underling software architectures. In a pointed stab at the trio, Benioff said: "A lot of companies are not here. They are still back talking about stacks of applications, delivering it on old technology and delivering stacks on old CDs.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/01/17/salesforce_appexchange_launch/

Microsoft to Phase Out Windows Media Player for Mac
MacNewsWorld - Jan 13, 2006
Despite a new agreement announced at Macworld -- a five-year deal under which Microsoft will develop new versions of Microsoft Office for PowerPC as well as for the new Intel-based iMacs -- the software giant has been withdrawing development support for many Mac products, King told CRM Buyer, such as Internet Explorer for Mac and MSN for Mac. "The argument Microsoft typically makes is that these decisions are revenue-based," he said, meaning Mac has provided Microsoft with less and less revenue over time. iTunesThe decision to pull back from Windows Media could be a reflection of this reality, he said. "It is conceivable that Mac users simply aren't interested in it and they prefer Mac's own media software.
http://www.macnewsworld.com/story/8HJeVs0xQY07Bu/Microsoft-to-Phase-Out-Windows-Media-Player-for-Mac.xhtml

Microsoft updates software for call centers
InfoWorld - Jan 18, 2006
The new software now can integrate Citrix-based applications into the unified interface, he said. In addition, Microsoft has added a new agent desktop workflow that helps an agent through the process of serving a customer, Thirumurthy said. "Typically, an agent will go through five or 10 applications, such as CRM [customer relationship management], billing and order entry," he said. "This walks them through that process. They don't have to remember every task, every workflow, everything they need to do and in what order. "A typical deployment of CCF, which costs $100 per user seat and is available now, also requires licenses for Microsoft's Windows Server and SharePoint Portal Server software, Thirumurthy said.
http://www.infoworld.com/archives/emailPrint.jsp?R=printThis&A=/article/06/01/18/74299_HNmicrosoftcallcenter_1.html

The Major CRM Players
CIO - Jan 15, 2006
SalesNet: Focused on sales-force automation. On-Demand and On-Premise CRM Kana: Focused on customer service and service-resolution management. Microsoft: Provides sales-force automation, marketing automation, and service and support functionality predominantly for small and mid-market companies. Currently offers on-demand solutions only through its partners. RightNow: Provides functionality for customer service, sales-force automation and marketing automation. Siebel CRM (now owned by Oracle): Provides a suite of solutions for marketing automation, sales-force automation, call center and service, self-service and e-billing, customer-order management and partner management. Siebel’s on-demand solution provides functionality for contact center, sales-force automation, marketing automation, and service and support... Currently offers on-demand solutions only through its partners. RightNow: Provides functionality for customer service, sales-force automation and marketing automation. Siebel CRM (now owned by Oracle): Provides a suite of solutions for marketing automation, sales-force automation, call center and service, self-service and e-billing, customer-order management and partner management. Siebel’s on-demand solution provides functionality for contact center, sales-force automation, marketing automation, and service and support. On-Premise CRM Only mySAP CRM: Includes functionality for marketing, sales, service, e-commerce, contact center, and channel management. Onyx: Provides marketing automation, sales-force automation, service and support, contact center, partner-relationship management and customer-performance management. Oracle: Has basic functionality for sales-force automation, marketing automation, and service and support.
http://www.cio.com/archive/011506/on_demand_sidebar.html

Dear Subscriber to TheStreet.com Stocks Under $10,
thestreet.com - Jan 13, 2006
Now let's take a look at the portfolio and some of the
moves we made this week. One quick note: Ones are stocks we would buy now, while
Twos are stocks we would buy only on a pullback from
current levels. And as a reminder:
-- A Game Breaker is going to change the landscape of an
industry, as Intel, Microsoft and Wal-Mart did in their
sectors. Investors can make big money in these stocks by
getting in before the crowd. -- Inflection Point stocks have a broken business model
that's on the mend but has yet to be recognized by the
market. Investors who recognize a turnaround early can
pocket strong returns. -- Stealth Stocks are often unknown names to the general
public, but can be hugely profitable investments,
especially when they score well in the Alpha component of
our proprietary rating system... This is a common practice among
soon-to-be acquired software companies as salespeople want
to lock in as many commissions as possible before the
transition takes place. Also, we believe the on-demand
segment of the CRM market continues to grow at a double-
digit percentage clip, which will benefit RightNow's
future sales and cash-flow results. Even so, shares are a
full 58. 50% above our cost basis, so we will wait for a
pullback to $15 to make a purchase. A move closer to $22 a
share would likely prompt a sale.
http://www.thestreet.com/k/su/_googlen/archives/200601131653.html?cm_ven=GOOGLEN&cm_cat=SU&cm_ite=003966

Scottish city takes on Novell's GroupWise
InfoWorld - Jan 13, 2006
It has also had to deal with IBM's Lotus Notes, which has a hold on the high-end of the market, said Eric Woods, government practice director for Ovum Ltd. "Novell has had to try and maintain a position in that space the two giants have been fighting over," Woods said. Local governments tend to allocate funds first for front-line CRM (customer relationship management) programs that can improve delivery of services to their customers, the taxpayers, Woods said. But they are increasingly looking toward productivity software, albeit on a slower scale than their private-sector counterparts, he said. The council budgeted about £500,000 (US$883,000) for the first year of the upgrade, including implementation and consulting, officials said. GroupWise was the cheapest of the four software packages as far as total cost of ownership, Storr said. The council signed a five-year contract with Novell last February.
http://www.infoworld.com/archives/emailPrint.jsp?R=printThis&A=/article/06/01/13/73901_HNscottishgroupwise_1.html&source=searchresult

A blast from the dot-bomb past
BusinessWeek - Jan 13, 2006
It did about $45 million in revenues last year and is growing at about 20%--largely due to successful mobile services and mobile gaming. The software business is an amalgam. It has software development services in China and has rolled up a handful of medium-sized enterprise software companies, including, Pivotal, in the CRM market, Ross, in ERP, and a majority interest in IMI, a supply-chain specialist. It produced about $200 million in revenues last year--about a 10% growth rate. CDC Software is attempting to add to its portfolio--a down-market version of what software giant Oracle Corp. And that's what led it to Onyx, a small, Seattle company that specializes in CRM.
http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/techbeat/archives/2006/01/a_blast_from_th.html

Smooth Sailing for SAP
thestreet.com - Jan 25, 2006
In fact, SAP guided to stronger-than-expected revenue growth, offsetting the impact of its higher investment," wrote JMP analyst Patrick Walravens. Like Microsoft, which flirted with the idea of buying the company two years ago, SAP will be launching a basket of new products in 2006, including a new version of its hosted software suite, aimed at competing with hosted offerings by Oracle and Salesforce... In fact, SAP guided to stronger-than-expected revenue growth, offsetting the impact of its higher investment," wrote JMP analyst Patrick Walravens. Like Microsoft, which flirted with the idea of buying the company two years ago, SAP will be launching a basket of new products in 2006, including a new version of its hosted software suite, aimed at competing with hosted offerings by Oracle and Salesforce.
http://www.thestreet.com/tech/software/10264051.html

Dear Subscriber to TheStreet.com Stocks Under $10,
thestreet.com - Jan 20, 2006
Now let's take a look at the portfolio and some of the
moves we made this week. One quick note: Ones are stocks we would buy now, while
Twos are stocks we would buy only on a pullback from
current levels. And as a reminder:
-- A Game Breaker is going to change the landscape of an
industry, as Intel, Microsoft and Wal-Mart did in their
sectors. Investors can make big money in these stocks by
getting in before the crowd. -- Inflection Point stocks have a broken business model
that's on the mend but has yet to be recognized by the
market. Investors who recognize a turnaround early can
pocket strong returns. -- Stealth Stocks are often unknown names to the general
public, but can be hugely profitable investments,
especially when they score well in the Alpha component of
our proprietary rating system... 65, 300 shares,
5. 02%, Stealth Stock): RightNow is an emerging company in
the customer relationship management (CRM) space. On
Wednesday, research firm ThinkEquity Partners LLC raised
its target price on RightNow to $25 a share from $17 a
share. The research analyst believes the macro outlook for
on-demand software spending is strong, and RightNow's
sales representatives are now more upbeat on fourth-
quarter performance. In addition, RightNow's strong
product portfolio, which includes voice recognition CRM
support, provides the company with a competitive advantage
and is setting up strong cross-selling opportunities for
RightNow. We believe the company will report strong
earnings results in February.
http://www.thestreet.com/k/su/_googlen/archives/200601201723.html?cm_ven=GOOGLEN&cm_cat=SU&cm_ite=003966

Bye.