Collaboration, CRM v.2 and the Truth about Chat

Hello!

Microsoft's Promotion Plans
thestreet.com - Mar 16, 2006
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Microsoft (MSFT:Nasdaq) will spend $500 million on a new marketing campaign aimed at convincing customers that its software will help them build their businesses. CEO Steve Ballmer announced the campaign at a customer event in New York on Thursday, saying the company's newest software is the fruit of "a $20 billion R&D investment over the past three years that is producing new innovation in a range of categories. "From business intelligence to the mobile work force, from collaboration to communications, and from CRM to enterprise search, the opportunity for software to deliver even greater customer value is limitless," Ballmer said. The marketing campaign comes as Microsoft is in the midst of its strongest new product cycle in years. The software giant has already released a new version of its database software, and by the end of this year it plans to launch new versions of Windows and Microsoft Office... html

Microsoft (MSFT:Nasdaq) will spend $500 million on a new marketing campaign aimed at convincing customers that its software will help them build their businesses. CEO Steve Ballmer announced the campaign at a customer event in New York on Thursday, saying the company's newest software is the fruit of "a $20 billion R&D investment over the past three years that is producing new innovation in a range of categories. "From business intelligence to the mobile work force, from collaboration to communications, and from CRM to enterprise search, the opportunity for software to deliver even greater customer value is limitless," Ballmer said. The marketing campaign comes as Microsoft is in the midst of its strongest new product cycle in years. The software giant has already released a new version of its database software, and by the end of this year it plans to launch new versions of Windows and Microsoft Office. Microsoft calls its vision "people-ready," and Ballmer took some pains to contrast it with the vision of one of its major rivals. ""We're talking about unlocking the potential of each and every employee.
http://www.thestreet.com/p/pf/tech/software/10274109.html

Collaboration, CRM v.2 and the Truth about Chat
CIO - Mar 20, 2006
With more than 1,000 vendors, according to industry watcher Collaborative Strategies, and accounting for software sales of between $1 billion and $4 billion depending on whom you ask, the collaboration sector is both an emerging and an established market. It’s also incredibly diverse, with tools supporting online communication, like Web conferencing and IM; publishing and sharing via forums, whiteboards and blogs; and coordination of resources or knowledge, like knowledge base tools and groupware applications. The roster of vendors is equally diverse, from IBM and its Lotus offerings and Microsoft with Live Meeting, Groove Networks and SharePoint, to CRM and self-service platform providers like Knova and Sento, which bundle collaboration capabilities as part of an overall solution, as well as emerging “pure-play” vendors like GroveSite, Jive Software and Socialtext. Help Each Other, Help YourselfAs a customer service and marketing tool, the growth of collaboration applications mirrors the rise of intranets and Web applications in the mid-1990s. On one hand, consumer adoption of tools like IM, SMS, blogs and social networks has generated market demand, and even brought these technologies into corporate environments as home and work roles become increasingly blurry. This is especially the case for consumer goods and services companies targeting teen and young adult buyers. For these markets, it’s not a choice to offer online communities or to publish a blog or to support the latest mobile devices; it’s a competitive necessity.
http://www.cio.com/weighin/column.html?CID=19299

vnunet.com interview: Ingres takes on the stack
VNUNet.com - Mar 20, 2006
We don't have tocreate a strategy which says that we're going to go out there and displaceOracle from every site. How do you plan to carve out a market between MySQL andOracle?Oracle's free products are designed to compete against the price pressurefrom open source. In the 1970s and 1980s companies like Oracle and Microsoftwere the leaders; they were the revolutionaries and they were doing things thatwere new and they became the establishment. And so at this point Oracle and Microsoft have established these fortressesof their models. I view Oracle's acquisitions of Sleepycat and InnoDB andTimesTen as ways of deepening or broadening the moat around their fortress. There have been a number of open source players and their perception of opensource is that open source is a price play. They are looking to arbitrage theOracle price points, the Oracle profit margins, and be able to pick up some ofthe things that Oracle can't do... The email vendor will be able to provide the fix directly toyou and that is what I mean by single maintainable stack. You're saying that I'm going to have one physical server and it'sgoing to run a CRM stack, it's going to run a web service stack, it's going torun an email stack and they are all compartmentalised?As you look at a lot of these things, the compartmentalisation becomesimportant. CRM tends to be a complicated application on top of the database, ontop of the operating system. The issue there is that you really want that to bedistinct from your email and collaboration appliance. They still may need to communicate with one another and they'll havereference points where you may take something from the CRM that generates anemail or generates a calendaring event. But you still want them to be somewhatcentrally maintainable from a compartmentalised view. Virtualisation software allows you to make strong compartmentalised systemswithout having to go out and get dedicated hardware.
http://www.vnunet.com/articles/print/2152300

Software as a service: The next big thing
InfoWorld - Mar 20, 2006
com, founded in 1999 and still the standard bearer of SaaS business applications, is enjoying dramatic growth, reaching 399,000 subscribers at the end of its most recent fiscal quarter. Employease, which launched in 1996, now delivers HR management through the browser to more than 1,000 customers managing more than 700,000 employee records. And among the major software vendors, Microsoft is hardly the only one exploring SaaS. “All the big players are now in the water,” says Rick McGee, vice president of SaaS strategy for IBM Global Services, noting that Microsoft, Oracle, and SAP are staking their claims. IBM provides the platform for SAP’s new entry into hosted CRM. IBM also has been busy assisting SaaS startups -- the darlings of the VC community -- to create a network of partners that can provide IBM customers with quick-to-market solutions... “All the big players are now in the water,” says Rick McGee, vice president of SaaS strategy for IBM Global Services, noting that Microsoft, Oracle, and SAP are staking their claims. IBM provides the platform for SAP’s new entry into hosted CRM. IBM also has been busy assisting SaaS startups -- the darlings of the VC community -- to create a network of partners that can provide IBM customers with quick-to-market solutions. Meanwhile, SaaS ecosystems are emerging, such as the on-demand, SOA-based platform developed by Rearden Commerce, which connects business customers with travel, shipping, and other service providers through identity-based Web apps. And then there’s Salesforce. com’s exciting new AppExchange platform, which offers a hosted space for sharing Salesforce.
http://www.infoworld.com/archives/emailPrint.jsp?R=printThis&A=/article/06/03/20/76103_12FEsaas_1.html

A Primer in CRM
BusinessWeek - Mar 17, 2006
For many of us, organization isn't one of our strong points. Keeping track of which customers to follow up with when, how, and, most importantly, why usually requires some.
http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/mar2006/sb20060317_666759.htm

Wall Street Beat: Product plans get reality check
ITworld.com - Mar 17, 2006
com - Wall Street Beat: Product plans get reality check. and Apple Computer Inc. product plans, and gave a mixed response to international moves by telecommunications companies... The mercurial Ballmer tried to differentiate Microsoft from IBM Corp. by stressing the company's "people-centric" approach toward helping businesses drive revenue growth through software for, among other things, communication and collaboration, CRM (customer relationship management) and business intelligence. He also clarified that the hosted versions of the company's software, being marketed under the "Live" brand, are geared mainly for small and medium-size businesses. Company shares (ticker symbol: MSFT), however, fell by US$0. 09 to close at $27. 27 after the event.
http://www.itworld.com/Tech/2987/060317wallstbeat/

Oracle Adds 'New Leg' to Biz With BI - CIO Tech Informer -...
CIO - Mar 22, 2006
The bundles include analytics software Oracle acquired through its approximately US$6 billion purchase of Siebel Systems, completed earlier this year. Available Wednesday, the three software bundles are branded Oracle Business Intelligence Suite and include the company’s database, its Fusion middleware and analytics software, according to Phillips. The entry-level Standard Edition One bundle is a volume product designed to pit Oracle against Microsoft, Phillips said. The software is limited to two processors and is priced starting at US$25,000. The Standard Edition bundle is aimed at existing Oracle users and includes the company’s Discoverer tools, while the Enterprise Edition is for users working in heterogenous environments, he added. When Oracle first announced its intention to acquire Siebel in September 2005, executives said the purchase’s primary driver was the company’s presence in the CRM (customer relationship management) software market. Oracle Chief Executive Larry Ellison said that adding Siebel’s CRM customers and products to Oracle’s CRM business would let the company overtake market leader SAP AG... The Standard Edition bundle is aimed at existing Oracle users and includes the company’s Discoverer tools, while the Enterprise Edition is for users working in heterogenous environments, he added. When Oracle first announced its intention to acquire Siebel in September 2005, executives said the purchase’s primary driver was the company’s presence in the CRM (customer relationship management) software market. Oracle Chief Executive Larry Ellison said that adding Siebel’s CRM customers and products to Oracle’s CRM business would let the company overtake market leader SAP AG. Phillips noted Wednesday that Siebel was also a strong player in BI, with the company deriving 25 percent of its revenue from analytics. Oracle has formed a specialized sales force to sell Oracle Business Intelligence Suite and will provide lifetime support for all the products in the bundles, according to Phillips. "We will invest in these products in perpetuity," he said. Phillips said that Oracle hopes to model its move into BI on its push into the middleware market two to three years ago.
http://www.cio.com/blog_view.html?CID=19379

Apple vs. France
BusinessWeek - Mar 21, 2006
Should the draft law ultimately be enacted and enforced, it could force Apple to make iTunes tracks available on other brands of players as well. Apple is clearly the leader in the digital music business. But other companies including Sony (SNE) and Microsoft (MSFT) could feel the effects of the French law as well. All three use proprietary technology for digital rights management, the protection of content against unlawful copying. In the longer term, though, the French legislation is a warning shot for the music business. Other countries could decide to enact similar laws, to protect consumers from "lock-in" by a single vendor. The European Commission also could take up the question of whether Apple's proprietary copy-protection scheme and dominant market share together constitute unlawful monopoly behavior.
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/mar2006/tc20060321_144066.htm

Dear Subscriber to TheStreet.com Stocks Under $10,
thestreet.com - Mar 17, 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... Pipeline accelerators include white papers, case studies
and Webcasts. RightNow expects to deliver 40% to 50% sales
bookings growth in 2006 as the need for on-demand CRM
software continues to outpace the need for installed
applications. RightNow's chief competitor, Salesforce.
http://www.thestreet.com/k/su/_googlen/archives/200603171833.html?cm_ven=GOOGLEN&cm_cat=SU&cm_ite=003966

Eclipse bulks up, reaches out | CNET News.com
CNET News.com - Mar 19, 2006
com, an on-demand CRM (customer relationship management) provider, and SugarCRM, a sales application company, are to be welcomed into the fold at EclipseCon in Santa Clara, Calif. Attendees there can expect to hear about new projects, such as an effort based on the... For example, a Java programmer can use Eclipse in conjunction with a plug-in for application modeling or performance management. Eclipse is one of the most popular tools for Java programming, according to IT development research firm Evans Data. But in addition to it, the Eclipse Foundation has started a number of projects for other languages, such as PHP and.
http://news.com.com/Eclipse+bulks+up,+reaches+out/2100-7344_3-6051168.html

Take care.

VoIP buddies: Cisco, Citrix, and Microsoft

How are things?

Microsoft Entering Major Product Cycle
Forbes - Mar 15, 2006
com portal, ERP and CRM application, Windows Mobile 5. "New products and technology synergies across all business segments create significant leverage that makes Microsoft a compelling investment and positions the company to deliver above-average growth in comparison to their software peers," said Breza. Over the next year and a half, Breza said he expects above-average growth in "major battlegrounds" such as Business Solutions, MSN, Mobile and Embedded and Home and Entertainment.
http://www.forbes.com/markets/currencies/2006/03/15/microsoft-vista-0315markets04.html

VoIP buddies: Cisco, Citrix, and Microsoft
InfoWorld - Mar 13, 2006
Cisco gave that trend another push last week at the VoiceCon conference, when the company unveiled its Cisco Unified Communications system, a big enterprise bundle that includes voice, e-mail, text, collaboration, videoconferencing, and IM-style presence capabilities. Shortly after, the company announced separate partnerships with Citrix and Microsoft to integrate telephony with their network and desktop applications. Microsoft will integrate its Office Communicator 2005 and SIP-based Office Live Communications Server with Cisco’s new unified system. The integrated technology will support “click-to-call” capability and the ability to transfer computer or desk phone calls from Office Communicator. Murli Thirumale, group vice president of Citrix Gateways, said Citrix was collaborating with Cisco to voice-enable a range of its hosted enterprise applications, including on-demand CRM provider Salesforce. “These two worlds -- applications and telephony -- have largely been separate,” Thirumale said... Microsoft will integrate its Office Communicator 2005 and SIP-based Office Live Communications Server with Cisco’s new unified system. The integrated technology will support “click-to-call” capability and the ability to transfer computer or desk phone calls from Office Communicator. Murli Thirumale, group vice president of Citrix Gateways, said Citrix was collaborating with Cisco to voice-enable a range of its hosted enterprise applications, including on-demand CRM provider Salesforce. “These two worlds -- applications and telephony -- have largely been separate,” Thirumale said. “There are many IT managers around the world who want to voice-enable their apps. ”Thirumale added that the relationship would first focus on integration of its Citrix Application Gateway and Office Voice products with Cisco’s bundle.
http://www.infoworld.com/archives/emailPrint.jsp?R=printThis&A=/article/06/03/13/76233_11NNcisco_1.html

Rise of the machine
The Age - Mar 10, 2006
Bound by strict privacyguidelines and legislation that regulates how agencies access whatinformation, the idea of a single-view-of-citizen remains ananathema to most arms of government except intelligence, lawenforcement and revenue agencies. To this end, the ATO is porting its legacy client managementsystem onto the Siebel 7 platform to allow easier, faster accessfor taxation officers to the records of taxpayers. Despite this rather large deployment, government users seem shyto nominate the use of Siebel along with other noted CRM-typevendors, with by far the majority citing in-house developments(rising from 118 users in 2004 to 154 in 2006) over the nearestbranded vendor offering of Data Works. Financials softwareWith the core business of government being to collect andadminister money through Australia’s various state and federalrevenue and finance agencies, there is plenty of hay to be made byfinancial software providers. This is one application area that Microsoft has yet to master asFinanceOne continues to post the highest number of respondent usersof 112 in 2006, up convincingly from 79 in 2004. Oracle comes in second at 84 for 2006, also posting considerablegains from 65 users in 2004. SAP comes in third on 71 for 2006, upfrom 65 in 2004.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/management-focus/rise-of-the-machine/2006/03/13/1142098385715.html

CIO News Alerts
CIO - Mar 9, 2006
com" >CIO
—
Technology buyers were drawn to this year’s CeBIT trade show by several emerging technologies that could help reinvigorate the tech sector after several years in the doldrums. Many of the product announcements here suggested that VoIP (voice-over-IP) and RFID (radio frequency identification) are entering the mainstream, while Web-based CRM (customer relationship management) systems and open-source software have already hit their stride. "Things are rushing by quickly these days. You have to be here to stay on top of everything," said David Kolochter, an IT administrator with German waste management company Umweltservice Bochum GmbH. He was here to look at the new features in Microsoft’s SQL Server 2005 database, released late last year, to decide whether it is worth his company upgrading its 20 or so servers from SQL Server 2000. The buzz around new technologies contrasts with recent years, when businesses were focused more on cutting costs than buying products that would help gain an edge over competitors, attendees said... "Things are rushing by quickly these days. You have to be here to stay on top of everything," said David Kolochter, an IT administrator with German waste management company Umweltservice Bochum GmbH. He was here to look at the new features in Microsoft’s SQL Server 2005 database, released late last year, to decide whether it is worth his company upgrading its 20 or so servers from SQL Server 2000. The buzz around new technologies contrasts with recent years, when businesses were focused more on cutting costs than buying products that would help gain an edge over competitors, attendees said. "The economy is getting better, there are more products coming--I think things are getting interesting again," said Michael Rable, a technical marketing engineer with content management vendor Open Text, here for his 10th CeBIT conference. Boris Zuberbuhler was here to find an online sales system for his printer supplies company, Pelikan Hardcopy (International) AG. He wants a "complete solution" from a single vendor that will plug into Pelikan’s ERP (enterprise resource planning) system, from SSA Global Technologies’ Baan division.
http://www.cio.com/blog_view.html?CID=18947

Fixing Engineering's Gender Gap
BusinessWeek - Mar 14, 2006
Women have succeeded in larger numbers in fields such as physiology, biology, and social sciences, and they are having increasing success in starting small businesses. Increasingly, engineers and technologists have an advantage in reaching the top, yet in these fields women constitute the smallest minority. THE NEXT APPLE?Duke University board member Kimberly Jenkins says she often felt lonely and isolated as she rose through the ranks of Microsoft (. It wasn't that Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer weren't supportive, but it was a constant struggle to fit in and adapt to the dominant male culture. She found equal challenges at NeXT, a software company run by Apple (.
http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/mar2006/sb20060314_760860.htm

Oracle trying to cover all its (data) bases
CNET News.com - Mar 14, 2006
It makes sense, Lee agrees, to offer an open-source version of Oracle that competes with open-source database rivals such as MySQL and Ingres. In addition, Oracle can better integrate its applications with open-source code, meaning customers have another option to stay with the company. "For example, a Siebel customer could still use its CRM system, whether it's with an Oracle database or an open-source one. "
Fusing acquisitions together
One of Oracle's bigger tests, Lee adds, will be connecting its acquired product lines together into one coherent software suite. The company has shown it can keep customers by offering them lifetime support on applications they currently run. The biggest issue will be what happens when these customers have to upgrade. Will they turn to SAP or view Oracle as a long-term software provider? "The biggest challenge will be the post-sale services and building long-term relationships," says Lee... For instance, Adobe Systems has given Macromedia executives a number of high-level positions as the companies merged products and business functions. Despite Oracle's acquisitions, Whitehouse notes that there are few executives who would be considered logical successors to Ellison. In fact, two of Oracle's acquisitions--Siebel and PeopleSoft--were run by former Ellison adversaries, Thomas Siebel and Craig Conway, respectively. "Look at how Adobe restructured after the Macromedia purchase," says Whitehouse. "The products dovetailed nicely and many important positions were filled by Macromedia people.
http://news.com.com/Oracle+trying+to+cover+all+its+data+bases/2030-1069_3-6048656.html

Dear Subscriber to TheStreet.com Stocks Under $10,
thestreet.com - Mar 10, 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... 95%,
Inflection Point): Lawson is a leading provider of
enterprise resource planning (ERP) software that
integrates data from different departments within a
company and makes it accessible for quick analysis. There
was nothing company-specific to report this week, and
Lawson Software shares traded flat. We believe that the
company remains on track to meet or beat its operating
margin target of 15% for the year, reflecting successful
execution of its operational turnaround plans under CEO
Harry Debes. Lawson's previous two quarterly earnings
reports were ahead of analyst forecasts, and we expect
this trend to continue and drive the stock closer to $10 a
share. In light of that, we find the current quote to be
attractive for purchase.
http://www.thestreet.com/k/su/_googlen/archives/200603101701.html?cm_ven=GOOGLEN&cm_cat=SU&cm_ite=003966

CeBIT: RIM Adds Instant Messaging to BlackBerry Server
PC World - Mar 10, 2006
HANOVER, GERMANY -- The latest version of Research In Motion's BlackBerry Enterprise Server, introduced at CeBIT on Friday, supports enterprise instant messaging and supports the development of applications that mobilize corporate applications, RIM says. Enterprises that upgrade to the BlackBerry Enterprise Server v4. 1 can allow mobile Blackberry users to exchange instant messages with users of Microsoft Windows Messenger,. Another new feature allows administrators to wirelessly push data to a new BlackBerry handset for users who have lost their old one, without them having to return to base. Previously, the user would have used a wired connection to a desktop to download their data to a new device, says Charmaine Eggberry, vice president of RIM's European enterprise business unit. The new server also supports BlackBerry MDS Studio, a development tool for creating applications... Previously, the user would have used a wired connection to a desktop to download their data to a new device, says Charmaine Eggberry, vice president of RIM's European enterprise business unit. The new server also supports BlackBerry MDS Studio, a development tool for creating applications. BlackBerry customers are increasingly extending applications other than e-mail, such as CRM (customer relationship management) applications, to their BlackBerry devices, Eggberry says. The new server combined with BlackBerry MDS Studio is aimed at helping developers create the applications, she says. Currently, 60 percent of the existing 60,000 BlackBerry Enterprise Server users already enable access to corporate applications other than e-mail, she says. Additional Security RIM also showed a Bluetooth-enabled smart card reader that can be used to further secure BlackBerry handsets. Customers place the reader near their BlackBerry.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,125030-page,1-c,instantmessaging/article.html

Councils to share IT know-how
VNUNet.com - Mar 13, 2006
The National Computing Centre (NCC), Microsoft and Dell have announced plansfor an IT Proof-of-Concept laboratory at the NCC’s Manchester offices. The labwill be run by the NCC for UK local authorities to test systems and share bestpractices. Three systems are available initially. These are an information-sharingapplication used by Telford and Wrekin Council; an e-benefits system atRotherham Council; and a local government customer relationship management (CRM)system in use at Doncaster, Derby and other authorities. Authorities including Cheshire County Council have expressed interest,according to the NCC... The labwill be run by the NCC for UK local authorities to test systems and share bestpractices. Three systems are available initially. These are an information-sharingapplication used by Telford and Wrekin Council; an e-benefits system atRotherham Council; and a local government customer relationship management (CRM)system in use at Doncaster, Derby and other authorities. Authorities including Cheshire County Council have expressed interest,according to the NCC. “We all hear about more and more new technologies, butwhat transforms our perceptions of the possibilities is hands-on experience,”said Andy Hopkirk, the NCC’s head of programmes and projects. Nigel Bates, head of local and regional government, said local authoritiescould save up to 90 percent of their current IT management costs through betterutilisation of resources. In a related move, the newly formed Active Windows Integrator (AWI) UserGroup will meet in May to discuss the sharing of scripts and knowledge.
http://www.vnunet.com/itweek/news/2151792/councils-share-know

Bye.

Plug-and-play appliances reshape IT landscape

How are you?

Microsoft Using Macromedia
CNET News.com - Mar 7, 2006
I guess even they know FrontPage is way behind Macromedia for web development. As for the device it sounds like it could work well in the CRM market if they improve the battery life and keep the cost down to slightly over an iPAQ. It would be a good solution for clients that don't need a full size tablet but need more then a PDA... I guess even they know FrontPage is way behind Macromedia for web development. As for the device it sounds like it could work well in the CRM market if they improve the battery life and keep the cost down to slightly over an iPAQ. It would be a good solution for clients that don't need a full size tablet but need more then a PDA.
http://news.com.com/5208-1044_3-0.html?forumID=1&threadID=14500&messageID=122652&start=-1

Plug-and-play appliances reshape IT landscape
InfoWorld - Mar 6, 2006
During the past year, our Test Center has been inundated with the things. And not just the old standbys like firewalls, switches, and routers. I’m talking appliances that can handle virtually every IT operation: intrusion prevention, intrusion detection, CRM, anti-spam, e-mail security, Web services integration. We’ve even seen a smattering of appliances for Microsoft Exchange that come bundled with managed services (look for our Test Center review in April). What’s notable about this shift toward gadgetry is that IT just can’t get enough of the stuff -- and for good reason. Today’s devices come equipped with software preinstalled and preconfigured, and there’s no futzing around with app servers or operating systems. Just plug one in and watch it run.
http://www.infoworld.com/archives/emailPrint.jsp?R=printThis&A=/article/06/03/06/76061_10OPeditor_1.html

CeBIT: Samsung Touts 1st Origami Device - CIO News Alerts - News - CIO
CIO - Mar 8, 2006
The device is in the final stages of development, and it’s not known exactly when it will be available or at what price. It will be discussed further at CeBIT press conferences on Thursday by Intel and Microsoft. Microsoft has been cagey about Origami’s details since news of it first leaked out two weeks ago, when the company posted a. Early reports speculated that Origami might be a new hardware product from Microsoft, but it turned out Microsoft is providing the software for a device that will be built by partners like Samsung using Intel processors. The ultramobile system is hardly a new concept.
http://www.cio.com/blog_view.html?CID=18867

Salesforce offers all-you-can-eat tariff
VNUNet.com - Mar 6, 2006
Although Salesforce continues to enjoy hyper-growth, at least one analystbelieves it should consider offering an on-premise version of its service. Scott Nelson, managing vice-president of customer relationship management(CRM) at analyst firm Gartner, said the firm would need a non-hosted adjunct toits online capabilities in order to succeed in winning more blue-chip accountswith large numbers of seats. Rivals such as Siebel, Microsoft, SAP, Sage and RightNow Technologies offertheir CRM software in both on-premise and hosted formats but Salesforce hasshown no sign of pursuing a dual-pronged strategy. “I think it’s something they should seriously look at,” Nelson said, speakingahead of the Gartner CRM Summit in London next week, 14-15 March. “[Otherwise]they will limit themselves to a segment of the market. Hosted software is skewedto small and medium-sized firms. There are two alternative delivery models andits makes good, logical sense to support both and share data across them.
http://www.vnunet.com/itweek/news/2151387/salesforce-offers-eat-tariff

Microsoft develops some Snappy plug-ins for its Dynamics line
InfoWorld - Mar 2, 2006
The first two Snap-Ins might make you giggle: Microsoft actually spent dev time coming up with a Timesheet Management and a Vacation Management Snap-In. So for those of us not managing these tasks quite happily with Excel or a shared calendar, rejoice! You’ve now got a snap-in. But rather than giggling at their seemingly lightweight nature, you’d do better to pay some attention to how they’re implemented. Both Timesheet and Vacation allow users to submit data to a central store using Outlook. That means the Office suite is routing user data to multiple back-end server platforms, not simply Exchange... That means the Office suite is routing user data to multiple back-end server platforms, not simply Exchange. Under Vacation, for example, Outlook routes the request to the appropriate supervisor within the Office front end, and upon approval, it displays this result to the original user while simultaneously updating that user’s information in Dynamics. Redmond gets heavier right after these with a Business Data Lookup Snap-In designed for Dynamics AX as well as Dynamics CRM. These allow users to call up Office applications inside Dynamics task windows -- wheels within wheels, Microsoft apps within Microsoft apps. This functionality lets users, while in Dynamics, call up record-associated documents, copy data back and forth and even attach or delete document records from Dynamics records. Pretty cool, and something that users have been requesting for quite some time. So is this revolutionary? Unfortunately, I don’t see it that way.
http://www.infoworld.com/archives/emailPrint.jsp?R=printThis&A=/article/06/03/02/75949_10OPenterwin_1.html&source=searchresult

Network firewalls top wish list for security cops
InfoWorld - Mar 3, 2006
Top tools in demand by IT security cops this year, according to Forrester, include network firewalls (55 percent), anti-spyware tools (53 percent), client anti-virus (53 percent), e-mail security gateway (49 percent), strong authentication systems (46 percent), personal firewall software (45 percent), and Tasers (just kidding -- still reading?). Forrester also found that companies want faster signature updates, and consider point products to be more effective on the desktop than suites, although potentially harder to manage. Now, about my mistake: Microsoft is gearing up for its push into the enterprise and consumer desktop protection market, so I decided to try the Windows OneCare Live beta (... He shrugged, smiled, and said, “Hey, it’s a global economy. ”So here’s the scenario: Canada cuts off our BlackBerries, China cuts off our ThinkPads. Germany cuts off our ERP and CRM. It’ll never happen. And anyhow, we own the stuff, so we could just keep running it. Unless of course it’s the on-demand version.
http://www.infoworld.com/archives/emailPrint.jsp?R=printThis&A=/article/06/03/03/75923_10OPanalysts_1.html&source=searchresult

National Computing Centre plans IT test scheme
VNUNet.com - Mar 7, 2006
The lab will be run by the NCC for UK localauthorities to test systems and share best practices. Authorities including Cheshire County Council have expressed interest,according to the launch press release. Three systems are available initially: an information-sharing applicationused by Telford and Wrekin Council; an e-benefits system at Rotherham Council;and a local government customer relationship management (CRM) system used atDoncaster, Derby and other authorities. “We all hear about more and more new technologies but what transforms ourperceptions of the possibilities is hands-on experience,” said Andy Hopkirk, theNCC’s head of programmes and projects... The lab will be run by the NCC for UK localauthorities to test systems and share best practices. Authorities including Cheshire County Council have expressed interest,according to the launch press release. Three systems are available initially: an information-sharing applicationused by Telford and Wrekin Council; an e-benefits system at Rotherham Council;and a local government customer relationship management (CRM) system used atDoncaster, Derby and other authorities. “We all hear about more and more new technologies but what transforms ourperceptions of the possibilities is hands-on experience,” said Andy Hopkirk, theNCC’s head of programmes and projects. Nigel Bates, head of local and regional government, said, “We believe localauthorities can save up to 90 percent of their current IT management costs byoptimising their infrastructure and managing it more effectively. A primaryobjective of the laboratory is to help them understand how. ”See also:.
http://www.vnunet.com/itweek/news/2151484/national-computing-centre-plans

Apple: Finding the Root of the Problem
BusinessWeek - Mar 8, 2006
Still, I say it would be a good way for Apple to inoculate itself against the perception -- warranted or not -- that Mac security may be eroding, and get ahead of the curve for any troubles that may be inevitable. That may not be the case, but in matters related to product marketing, it's the public perception, not the reality that really matters. And once you've lost a user's confidence, it's hard to get it back. Just ask Microsoft.
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/mar2006/tc20060308_032391.htm

Web 2.0 offers fertile ground for SAAS
InfoWorld - Mar 3, 2006
Now that customers are doing online banking and other common transactions over the Web, they are more apt to embrace other Web-based business services, such as Salesforce. 's highly successful CRM (customer relationship management) service, he said. The emergence of open technology standards over the last several years and the willingness of companies such as IBM Corp. and Microsoft Corp. to allow their systems to interoperate also is helping to foster growth in the SAAS market. Sal Visca, senior director of engineering for Business Objects SA, said the creation of Web services standards such as XML (Extensible Markup Language) has enabled the Web to move from a transport mechanism to a platform for building services, a phenomenon called Web 2... 's highly successful CRM (customer relationship management) service, he said. The emergence of open technology standards over the last several years and the willingness of companies such as IBM Corp. and Microsoft Corp. to allow their systems to interoperate also is helping to foster growth in the SAAS market. Sal Visca, senior director of engineering for Business Objects SA, said the creation of Web services standards such as XML (Extensible Markup Language) has enabled the Web to move from a transport mechanism to a platform for building services, a phenomenon called Web 2.
http://www.infoworld.com/archives/emailPrint.jsp?R=printThis&A=/article/06/03/03/76098_030306HNweb2saas_1.html

Dear Subscriber to TheStreet.com Stocks Under $10,
thestreet.com - Mar 3, 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... 16, 300 shares,
4. 48%, Stealth Stock): This company is an emerging player
in the customer relationship management (CRM) space. Research firm JMP Securities released a bullish research
note Wednesday, saying RightNow is in the process of
closing some key deals that didn't close in the fourth
quarter of 2005. JMP says that among these deals is one
with 500 users for a Fortune 500 company. The company is
benefiting from strong demand for on-demand software,
which is less expensive and less cumbersome to install and
has a higher employee utilization rate because of its ease
of use. All of this adds up to a better return on
investment for potential customers.
http://www.thestreet.com/k/su/_googlen/archives/200603031728.html?cm_ven=GOOGLEN&cm_cat=SU&cm_ite=003966

Have a nice day!

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.

Outlook the most valuable component

How's it going?

Microsoft 'Snaps' Office into Dynamics applications
InfoWorld - Feb 21, 2006
Business Data Lookup Snap-In for AX allows business workers to use Microsoft Office programs Word, Excel or Outlook within the Dynamics AX task window to browse AX data, according to Microsoft. Users also can copy selected data from AX into Office 2003 documents or attach those documents to records in Dynamics AX. The version of this application for Dynamics CRM gives users the same ability in that program. Microsoft has made the first four Snap applications available for free as a Code Gallery project called Microsoft Dynamics Snap at GotDotNet. NET developer community site. Microsoft also is providing the source code for these applications via a Microsoft Permissive License.
http://www.infoworld.com/archives/emailPrint.jsp?R=printThis&A=/article/06/02/21/75557_HNmicrosoftdynamics_1.html&source=searchresult

Outlook the most valuable component
CNET News.com - Feb 16, 2006
Articles in January Comm of ACM show how email is the central organizing tool for communications, tasks, calendars and contacts. MSN search reinforces this. And, Microsoft Dynamics (CRM, ERP, etc. ) are being tooled to run all transactions and workflow through Outlook. You can bet Outlook will NOT have XML files. Word, Excel and PowerPoint are being tossed over to compete in open source world. MS is consolidating behind Outlook for its value proposition.
http://news.com.com/5208-1012_3-0.html?forumID=1&threadID=14070&messageID=115342&start=0

Foolish Forecast: Salesforce.com Calling
Motley Fool - Feb 21, 2006
One of the most overpriced companies on the market is set to report earnings. Hours of action-packed after-market pumping and dumping will surely ensue. Yes, it's earnings day at software-on-demand provider Salesforce.
http://www.fool.com/investing/value/2006/02/21/foolish-forecast-salesforcecom-calling.aspx

Sage readies ERP suite for small and medium-sized firms
VNUNet.com - Feb 20, 2006
" Additional modules areavailable to handle specialist requirements, such as general manufacturing andbuild-to-order manuf- acturing, he added. Pinches said more and more medium-sized firms are using such integratedsuites. "The days of deploying standalone accounting, customer relationshipmanagement [CRM] and manufacturing systems are eroding fast in the mid-market. These companies want to manage their processes across the entire business, notat a departmental level," he added. Other elements in Sage 1000 include sales management tools for both field andoffice-based sales teams, and a module to manage sales campaigns, including leadmanagement and sales forecasting. A customer support module includes tools forservice-level targets and the logging of enquiries. "Full reporting is available throughout the suite, either using dashboards orgrid-oriented reporting," Pinches said... "Full reporting is available throughout the suite, either using dashboards orgrid-oriented reporting," Pinches said. "There's also a self-service web module,so a company can expose selected information to trading partners. " The software runs on Windows Server systems and requires Microsoft SQL Server. Clients connect to the suite via Internet Explorer. The price of the suite has yet to be confirmed, but Pinches said it would becompetitive for the mid-market. He noted that other products in this sector costbetween £1,000 and £4,000 per seat. Permalink to this story.
http://www.vnunet.com/articles/print/2150636

Sage readies integrated software for SMEs
VNUNet.com - Feb 21, 2006
' Additional modules areavailable to handle specialist requirements, such as general manufacturing andbuild-to-order manuf- acturing, he added. Pinches said more and more medium-sized firms are using such integratedsuites. 'The days of deploying standalone accounting, customer relationshipmanagement [CRM] and manufacturing systems are eroding fast in the mid-market. These companies want to manage their processes across the entire business, notat a departmental level,' he added. Other elements in Sage 1000 include sales management tools for both field andoffice-based sales teams, and a module to manage sales campaigns, including leadmanagement and sales forecasting. A customer support module includes tools forservice-level targets and the logging of enquiries. 'Full reporting is available throughout the suite, either using dashboards orgrid-oriented reporting,' Pinches said... 'Full reporting is available throughout the suite, either using dashboards orgrid-oriented reporting,' Pinches said. 'There's also a self-service web module,so a company can expose selected information to trading partners. 'The software runs on Windows Server systems and requires Microsoft SQLServer. Clients connect to the suite via Internet Explorer. The price of the suite has yet to be confirmed, but Pinches said it would becompetitive for the mid-market. He noted that other products in this sector costbetween £1,000 and £4,000 per seat. Permalink to this story.
http://www.vnunet.com/articles/print/2150671

Salesforce.com Disruptions Continue - CIO News Alerts - News - CIO
CIO - Feb 16, 2006
The San Francisco-based online Customer Relationship Management (CRM) service provider last week suffered the latest in a series of crippling system disruptions, Computerworld reports. The past outages have enraged customers and garnered the attention of a myriad of media outlets. For CIO’s past coverage, read.
http://www.cio.com/blog_view.html?CID=17758

Software, Internet companies ripe for buyouts in '06 - Feb. 17,...
CNNMoney.com - Feb 17, 2006
"Once they get scale, that's it. They become the Microsoft of their space. E-commerce companies are also hot targets. One of the older, more established players that Salinero and others cite is Café Press, which lets users put their own logos on merchandise ranging from hats to mugs to underwear. Café Press bills itself as a "profitable, private company" on its Web site. A spokesperson for the company said it is not focused on being acquired right now, saying, "Our main focus is on building a stronger business... "With a trailing 13 multiple, they need to do a deal this year," she said. "I think Salesforce is going to see some pressure from Sugar CRM (a competitor)," she said. "I'd love to see an Intuit-Salesforce merger, but that's wishful thinking given what the multiples are right now. A spokesman for SalesForce. com said the company does not comment on speculation. On the stable-but-slowing growth front, CNNMoney.
http://money.cnn.com/rssclick/2006/02/17/technology/tech_targets/index.htm?section=money_mostpopular

Hitachi Teams With Ingram
WebProNews - Feb 20, 2006
This includes six, pre-configures products, three for the WMS100 and AMS200. The AMS200 and WMS100 include the Logical Cache Partitioning and Virtual Storage Ports in additional to the RAID-6, RAID-5, 1+0 and 1 for both sets of products. The series will work with Microsoft's Exchange, ERP and CRM environments and has been certified for the Simple SAN for Windows Server program. The units come in both 2 Gbps and 2 Gbps configurations and include all the hardware and software to get servers connected to a SAN.
http://www.webpronews.com/expertarticles/expertarticles/wpn-62-20060220HitachiTeamsWithIngram.html

Dear Subscriber to TheStreet.com Stocks Under $10,
thestreet.com - Feb 17, 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... On Wednesday,
the company announced that it is strengthening its focus
on the needs of the public sector by providing increased
technical support, professional services, marketing, and
sales staff to customers. In the highly competitive CRM
space, we believe RightNow's strong customer satisfaction,
as measured by its high customer retention rate, will help
the company differentiate itself from the competition. We
will look to add to our position on a pullback under $15 a
share and make sales for the model portfolio closer to $20
a share.
http://www.thestreet.com/k/su/archives/200602171652.html

Swyx Announces Major New Partner Programme and Brand Awareness...
SourceWire - SourceWire (press release) - Feb 20, 2006
In the current climate, every business has to scrutinise every investment more carefully than ever to ensure they are getting the very best value. This is true particularly when it comes to telephony systems, where choice is plentiful, and technology moves so quickly that traditional telephony technologies are already becoming obsolete. Swyx develops software-based telephony systems that work like any other software application, such as email, instant messaging and CRM, through your existing data network and server application. So you can take full advantage of all the benefits of business-class VoIP � without having to invest in expensive new telephony hardware. In addition, the Swyx system has the potential to build into a powerful business tool. Because a Swyx system is Microsoft Windows based, it integrates seamlessly with your existing IT infrastructure, including all your individual business applications such as security systems, Office applications, Finance and CRM systems and customer support infrastructure, giving you one seamless communication system that will move and grow with your business no matter how many people, sites or locations you expand into. Swyx is constantly developing its solutions to meet the changing needs of your business... So you can take full advantage of all the benefits of business-class VoIP � without having to invest in expensive new telephony hardware. In addition, the Swyx system has the potential to build into a powerful business tool. Because a Swyx system is Microsoft Windows based, it integrates seamlessly with your existing IT infrastructure, including all your individual business applications such as security systems, Office applications, Finance and CRM systems and customer support infrastructure, giving you one seamless communication system that will move and grow with your business no matter how many people, sites or locations you expand into. Swyx is constantly developing its solutions to meet the changing needs of your business. So whatever your business, and whatever your stage of development, choosing an IP telephony solution from Swyx will give your business more possibilities, more agility, more choice and more communication, making it the last telephone system you�ll ever need. Swyx was established in 1999 and now has offices across Europe, with headquarters in Dortmund, Germany. Today the company is recognised as a market leader for IP telephony in major European countries and has enabled in excess of 4500 businesses across the continent to take advantage of the business benefits of IP telephony and associated applications.
http://sourcewire.com/releases/rel_display.php?relid=24321&hilite=

See you soon.

Open Source is Maturing

Hello!

Microsoft tastes sweet, sweet open source CRM
Register - Feb 14, 2006
But more than 50 per cent of JBoss customers are our customers too. We were interested from an opportunity perspective, not because we like Java," Hiff said. Microsoft is working with SugarCRM to improve the hosted CRM provider's support for Microsoft's Internet Information Services (IIS), and to provide optimization of Active Directory and Microsoft SQL Server, including SQL Express, SQL Server Workgroup and SQL Server Enterprise. SugarCRM will also use Microsoft's Windows Installer XML (WiX) tools to build its planned products as a Microsoft Software Installer (MSI) package for Windows Server 2003. ® Track this type of story as a. Related storiesTitan makes earthly debut for Microsoft partners (11 January 2007)Microsoft to support Novell's cancer (2 November 2006).
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/02/14/microsoft_sugarcrm/

Open Source is Maturing
CNET News.com - Feb 15, 2006
I think we're about to see "commercial open source 2. Some may see this move as a sell-out by SugarCRM and market grabbing by Microsoft. I'm sure money is a motive. But, in the spirit of the "virtuous development cycle", I see this move as responding to customer demand and giving the customer more choice.
http://news.com.com/5208-7344_3-0.html?forumID=1&threadID=14032&messageID=114539&start=-1

Microsoft's No-Win Dilemma
BusinessWeek - Feb 15, 2006
-->











Microsoft (MSFT) is finding Europe's top antitrust regulator tougher than any it has faced before. Not only did the European Commission hit the company with a $613 million fine two years ago, the software giant is now staring at the prospect of fines that could cost it another $2.
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/feb2006/tc20060215_493848.htm

Open source ISVs must side with SAP to survive - SAP
Register - Feb 15, 2006
The invitation to you, is to join us," Graf said. In an attempt to persuade ISVs to pick SAP over enterprise competitors, Graf said: "IBM doesn't have the applications to build into this. Microsoft doesn't have credibility in the upper end of the market. Oracle has nine or 10 problems to figure out. SAP is, of course, locked in a war with IBM, Microsoft and Oracle over who can get the most developers building for their platforms, which would explain Graf's unsubtle attempt to steer programmers towards his own company's architecture and strategy. While bitterness towards Oracle is understandable, SAP has partnered with both Microsoft and IBM on software... While bitterness towards Oracle is understandable, SAP has partnered with both Microsoft and IBM on software. IBM, meanwhile, is providing the hosting infrastructure for SAP's hosted customer relationship management (CRM) service, CRM On-Demand Solution, announced last week. SAP's pitch might fall on deaf ears if Oracle has its way. The database giant is picking up open source companies at speed - nabbing Sleepycat this week, while eyeing JBoss and Zend, according to reports. ® Track this type of story as a.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/02/15/sap_open_source_developers/

OSBC: Sun seeks to woo HP to Solaris
InfoWorld - Feb 14, 2006
Following Schwartz's presentation, Microsoft's Bill Hilf, director of the vendor's Platform Technology Strategy organization, focused on the concept of "coopetition," through which competitors can share a common business interest. "It’s the idea of cooperating and competing often in the same breath with the same people," Hilf said. Microsoft certainly has not been a major proponent of open source. But Hilf pointed out that Microsoft can benefit from it just the same. Open source companies... SugarCRM, for example, will offer a version of its CRM package on Windows via Microsoft's Shared Source license, which allows some access to source code. Microsoft, however, is conscious that new business models in computing may not generate as much as older models, Hilf said. Product differentiation still is key and making money matters, he said. "I don’t believe selling tech support phone calls is a model [that is] sustainable," said Hilf. "You must differentiate in your product to sustain growth.
http://www.infoworld.com/archives/emailPrint.jsp?R=printThis&A=/article/06/02/14/75379_HNhpsunososbc_1.html

New "Integrated Office" solution to improve Legal practice...
SourceWire - SourceWire (press release) - Feb 13, 2006
Andy Bills, SVP Sales at Swyx comments, "An efficient, cost-effective office operation is critical to professional service organisations, where time literally is money. The Integrated Office solution will assist these organisations to maximise their fee earning potential by making them more available to their client contacts. "

The IP telephony system, developed on Swyx's technology platform and supported by LuxTech, will enable legal practices to run a more effective operation by providing instant and accurate itemised client billing, fax to the desktop, and seamless integration with contact management and CRM software. It will allow clients to be recognised automatically when calling into the practice, and integrates the telephony function with the practice database to allow rapid lookup of client details and information, as well as the capability of individualised billing of services to the client. The "Integrated Office" solution provides the following benefits to a Legal practice:

� Maximise fee-earning capability of legal professionals; experts in all aspects of your legal practice can be made available to clients regardless of their location. � Pool Receptionist resources - Using pure IP telephony it is possible for all calls to be managed centrally at a particular site and then re-routed transparently to the correct department or other office location based on availability and the importance if the call. � Individual Client Billing - Full reporting of telephone activity enables more accurate billing of clients quickly and easily without the need to trawl through phone bills and automatic generation of invoices with relevant cost codes
� Integration with contact management software - integrates with all existing applications such as Microsoft's Outlook, CRM, billing, and e-mail so that on incoming calls the appropriate contact window of the caller pops up and the contact information can be viewed instantly.
http://sourcewire.com/releases/rel_display.php?relid=24215&hilite=

Troubled Times at Gateway
BusinessWeek - Feb 10, 2006
And while there was a $49. 4 million profit, vs. a $475 million loss in 2004, more than $40 million of the income was directly attributable to legal-settlement payments from Microsoft (MSFT). The more accurate measure of Gateway's performance was its net operating income of $6. 8 million, only a third the size of the $20. 2 million reported for 2004. Still, Inouye gets credit for bringing costs under control.
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/feb2006/tc20060210_467932.htm

Companies, People, Ideas
Forbes - Feb 9, 2006
At the annual DEMO conference, where budding technologists strut their stuff in front of would-be investors and buzzmakers, there was no talk of the recent bust. But there was lots of chatter about consumers eager to get more out of computers, networks and cellular phones. The enthusiasm didn't apply to every offering: Representatives from Salesforce.
http://www.forbes.com/2006/02/09/yahoo-microsoft-google-cz_vm_0208demo.html?partner=alerts

Virgin Mobile users to get live TV over DAB - 14/Feb/2006 - ComputerWe...
ComputerWeekly.com - Feb 14, 2006
Graeme Hutchinson, Virgin Mobile sales and marketing director, said, “Virgin Mobile customers will be the first people in Europe to watch real broadcast TV over their mobile phones. It’s not downloaded, it’s not looped, but real TV just like you get at home, using crystal clear DAB sound. ”
BT has developed a strategic relationship with Microsoft to enable a secure and efficient environment for delivering broadcast services on a mobile handset. Microsoft's Windows Media technologies, including Windows Media Video and Windows Media Audio Pro, enable BT Movio to deliver high-quality audio and video content over the DAB network using minimal bandwidth. The BT Movio service also incorporates Windows Media Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology to ensure secure delivery of premium video and music content. BT Movio will be available to other mobile operators at a later date.
http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2006/02/14/214228/VirginMobileuserstogetliveTVoverDAB.htm

Dear Subscriber to TheStreet.com Stocks Under $10,
thestreet.com - Feb 10, 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/200602101711.html

Business Objects looks to VARs for SME BI lift
VNUNet.com - Feb 10, 2006
John Wilkinson, mid-market sales director for northern Europe at BusinessObjects, said: “We have various routes to market depending on the customers, butfor the SME market we have a two-tier model. For more sophisticated businessintelligence we go through VARs, with 25 key resellers, but we are looking todouble that over the next two years. ”Wilkinson said Business Objects wants 15 resellers this year that have accessto the SME market and may already be reselling ERP, CRM, supply chain managementor financial applications from Sage. Phil Wood, product and solutions marketing manager at Business Objects, saiddespite projected growth the BI market is under penetrated and Business Objectswants to use the channel to reach out to the mid-market. Gareth Horton, product manger at BI vendor Datawatch, said: “BI is growingand our main revenue is coming from the channel. We pull information fromreports and place it in databases to provide a summary or analysis. ”Horton added that software giant Microsoft is also taking BI seriously, andwill build BI capabilities into new versions of Excel and its forthcomingoperating system... Gareth Horton, product manger at BI vendor Datawatch, said: “BI is growingand our main revenue is coming from the channel. We pull information fromreports and place it in databases to provide a summary or analysis. ”Horton added that software giant Microsoft is also taking BI seriously, andwill build BI capabilities into new versions of Excel and its forthcomingoperating system. Rasmus Andsbjerg, research analyst at market watcher IDC, said: “BI isgrowing as it can help firms utilise data and improve customer relationships. ”Andsbjerg added that as an increased number of firms use softwareapplications to store data, the demand for BI will continue to rise.
http://www.vnunet.com/articles/print/2150157

See you soon.

Oracle plots integration and support for Siebel

How's it going?

SAP vs Salesforce.com
BusinessWeek - Feb 2, 2006
After months of warming up, SAP is finally expected to announce an on-demand CRM product this week. Europe's most influential technology company is helping us make on-demand the global standard. Is SAP on the defensive? Are they worried that with few customers actually using their CRM software, and salesforce. com making significant inroads in their customer base, their entire business model may be at risk? For starters, they had better hope that their on-demand offering will win more fans than their on-premise solution has. While SAP claims leadership in CRM, experience suggests a different story. I have often wondered, “If SAP’s CRM software is any good, then why doesn’t SAP use it to manage their own customer relationships?” I have interviewed hundreds of salespeople and executives from SAP from around the world, and each has told me the only CRM system at SAP is an executive system based on Microsoft Excel. I’m not surprised since I have never met a salesperson anywhere in the world who uses SAP CRM... com making significant inroads in their customer base, their entire business model may be at risk? For starters, they had better hope that their on-demand offering will win more fans than their on-premise solution has. While SAP claims leadership in CRM, experience suggests a different story. I have often wondered, “If SAP’s CRM software is any good, then why doesn’t SAP use it to manage their own customer relationships?” I have interviewed hundreds of salespeople and executives from SAP from around the world, and each has told me the only CRM system at SAP is an executive system based on Microsoft Excel. I’m not surprised since I have never met a salesperson anywhere in the world who uses SAP CRM. Indeed, Gartner noted at a recent conference that only 19 percent of SAP CRM customers actually use it. If fewer than a fifth of our customers used our service, we’d consider that a failure. At SAP, they call it a business plan.
http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/techbeat/archives/2006/02/sap_vs_salesfor.html?campaign_id=rss_blog_techbeat

Oracle plots integration and support for Siebel
VNUNet.com - Feb 6, 2006
In an open letter, Oracle president Charles Phillips wrote, “We plan toprovide end-to-end integrated business processes by combining the leadingfront-office, back-office, and industry solutions from Oracle and Siebel. Integration work has begun with a focus on developing and enhancing businessprocesses for over two dozen industries. ”Phillips added that Oracle intends to combine Siebel CRM analytics, OracleERP analytics, and industry-specific content to provide a holistic view ofenterprise performance. The company also plans to continue to offer Siebelprograms on both a piecemeal and integrated basis. In a separate FAQ, Oracle said it would continue support for currentprogrammes and would maintain current phone numbers and web links. Support forIBM and Microsoft databases will remain. Oracle’s promises are lent weight by the experience of PeopleSoft customers,the vast majority of whom have stayed with Oracle and given approval to progressso far, despite rivals’ earlier suggestions that the database giant would take aruthless approach to the acquired business... The company also plans to continue to offer Siebelprograms on both a piecemeal and integrated basis. In a separate FAQ, Oracle said it would continue support for currentprogrammes and would maintain current phone numbers and web links. Support forIBM and Microsoft databases will remain. Oracle’s promises are lent weight by the experience of PeopleSoft customers,the vast majority of whom have stayed with Oracle and given approval to progressso far, despite rivals’ earlier suggestions that the database giant would take aruthless approach to the acquired business. “My feeling is positive that the Siebel product is going to go forward,” saidNigel Montgomery of analyst firm AMR Research. “Before Oracle, Siebel wasdropping and the challenge was how to get to a service-oriented architecture. They now have the heft to do that.
http://www.vnunet.com/itweek/news/2149790/oracle-plots-integration

Top 10 IT New Stories of the Week - CIO News Alerts - News - CIO
CIO - Feb 3, 2006
Sticking with Massachusetts, the state has named a permanent replacement for former chief information officer Peter Quinn who recently resigned citing political pressure. After proposing plans to migrate off Microsoft’s software in favor of the OpenDocument file format, Quinn found himself under intense local and international scrutiny. The new CIO, Louis Gutierrez, is set to continue Quinn’s plans of beginning the move over to OpenDocument in Jan. However, the state’s current governor is stepping down at the end of this year and the next incumbent would have the option to name a new CIO in 2007.
http://www.cio.com/blog_view.html?CID=17453

Securing SAAS
eWeek - Feb 6, 2006
Roberts, Peter Coffee and Ryan Naraine. With everyone from Salesforce. com to SAP to Microsoft to Google joining in, on-demand applications are unquestionably the way that most software will be delivered in the coming years. Yet there will be few products or services on display at next week's RSA Security Conference that focus on securing those very applications. The paucity of third-party on-demand security solutions is only part of the problem. Malicious hackers will always be one step ahead of the patch unless developers make applications more secure from the ground up. Microsoft and Oracle, for instance, have been trying this, but they will control only a few of the many on-demand applications coming on the horizon... The paucity of third-party on-demand security solutions is only part of the problem. Malicious hackers will always be one step ahead of the patch unless developers make applications more secure from the ground up. Microsoft and Oracle, for instance, have been trying this, but they will control only a few of the many on-demand applications coming on the horizon. In addition, most current service applications are merely "Web enabled" (remember that one?) for on-demand use and not designed with the on-demand model in mind. This does not mean you should scrap your on-demand initiatives. IT managers should be putting all their software-as-a-service projects through the same security screens as everything else. The business model of on demand makes too much sense to fail, but only when vendors start solving their own uptime and security issues can we truly say that on demand is here to stay.
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1918820,00.asp

Bloomberg.com: Investment Tools
Bloomberg - Feb 8, 2006
" The company plans to report preliminary earnings estimates for thefourth quarter of 2006 by early February. About CDC Software CDC Software, The Customer-Driven Company(TM), is a provider ofenterprise software applications designed to help organizationsdeliver a superior customer experience while increasing efficienciesand profitability. CDC Software's product suite includes the PivotalCRM (customer relationship management), c360 CRM add-on products,industry solutions and development tools for the Microsoft DynamicsCRM platform, Ross Enterprise - ERP (enterprise resource planning) andSCM (supply chain management), MVI real-time performance management,IMI warehouse management and order management, Platinum China HR(human resource) and business analytics solutions. These industry-specific solutions are used by more than 5,000customers worldwide within the manufacturing, financial services,health care, home building, real estate, and wholesale and retaildistribution industries. The company completes its offerings with afull continuum of services that span the life cycle of technology andsoftware applications, including implementation, project consulting,outsourced business services, application management and offshoredevelopment. CDC Software is the enterprise software unit of CDCCorporation (NASDAQ: CHINA) and is ranked number 18 on theManufacturing Business Technology 2006 Global 100 List of Enterpriseand Supply Chain Management Application vendors. For more information,please visit www.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=conewsstory&refer=conews&tkr=AGN:US&sid=aU4SlW6yCyxY

CRM News: Scribe Software, CoreTrac, Universal Computer Systems
TMCnet - Feb 4, 2006
Click here to learn more. 0 customers to Scribe Insight and how it increases the return on their CRM investments," said Lou Antonucci, Scribe's Director, Channel Sales. "By making it simple and straightforward to bring enterprise data together into Dynamics CRM 3. 0 to create one view of the customer, sales teams are increasing revenue and serving customers better. "
…
CoreTrac, Inc.
http://news.tmcnet.com/news/-crm-customer-relationship-management-/2006/02/04/1342533.htm

SAP and Microsoft Introduce Duet Software; Bringing Together the...
noticias.info - Feb 5, 2006
� May 2, 2006 � Twelve months after first unveiling plans to create �Project Mendocino� � a joint product that enables people to interact quickly and easily with SAP business processes and data through Microsoft� Office applications � SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) and Microsoft Corp. today announced that the two companies are scheduled to ship the product on time in June, 2006. The product is officially named Duet software for Microsoft Office and SAP. Nearly 100 joint customers and industry partners � including Atmel and Infosys � have been exploring the software�s benefits in early release versions since late 2005. SAP and Microsoft also announced plans to enhance the capabilities of Duet this year and to release additional business scenarios in the second half of 2006. Duet allows information workers to use their familiar Microsoft Office environment to access selected SAP business processes and data. This improved and flexible access to dedicated SAP application functionality will help companies who use Duet to save time and money, increase process compliance, and improve decision making... � Organization management: Allows employees and managers to access organization information and HR-related tasks in the familiar Outlook environment. Expanded Product Roadmap In the second half of 2006, SAP and Microsoft plan to offer two value packs for Duet, providing additional business scenario support, enhanced platform capabilities and language support. These value packs will expose five additional scenarios in the Microsoft Office system coming from mySAP ERP and mySAP Business Suite applications for customer relationship management (CRM) and supplier relationship management (SRM). The scenarios are: recruitment management, travel management, analytics, purchasing management, and sales activity management. With these value packs, capabilities of Duet will go beyond self-service for employees and managers to enable line-of-business operational efficiencies and cost savings. The value packs are designed for compatibility with the next release of mySAP ERP and the 2007 release of the Microsoft Office system and will expand language support to include English, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish and Japanese. �With Duet, SAP and Microsoft are delivering a people-ready solution for our joint customers, which gives decision-makers improved access to the information they need to be effective,� said Jeff Raikes, president of the Microsoft Business Division.
http://www.noticias.info/asp/aspComunicados.asp?nid=173382&src=0

… Corporate News - Picis implementeert FastTrack BI van...
Netherlands Corporate News - Netherlands Corporate News (persbericht) - Feb 5, 2006
nl -->( BW)(CLEARPEAKS) Picis Implements ClearPeaks' FastTrack BI(TM) forSiebel CRM; Real-Time Analysis for Better Customer Insight Business Editors BARCELONA, Spain--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 2, 2006--Picis, the leadingworldwide provider of information systems for surgery, emergencydepartment and intensive care units across the hospital enterprise,recently implemented ClearPeaks' FastTrack Business Intelligence (BI)for Siebel Customer Relationship Management (CRM). FastTrack BI is acomprehensive end-user reporting environment based on the BusinessObjects platform, which allows Picis to easily tap into the wealth ofcustomer information stored in their CRM system from Siebel. "We have recently implemented a best-of-class CRM system allowingus to track all customer interactions with the objective to betterserve our customers with an even more focused approach," says KevinPettet, executive vice president of client operations, Picis. "WithClearPeaks' FastTrack BI solution we are now able to better analyzeour data, segment our customers, measure the ROI of our marketinginitiatives and provide an automated and rolled-up sales forecast. This capability will allow us to be more competitive, offer betterservice to our customers and provide a faster response to changingmarket conditions. By providing FastTrack BI for Siebel CRM, ClearPeaks enables itscustomers to effortlessly extract the vital information contained intheir CRM systems by using a ClearPeaks developed Business ObjectsUniverse. FastTrack BI is easy to deploy, flexible, user-friendly andallows business users to report and analyze Siebel Systems CRM data ina language they can easily understand in real-time and without theneed for a costly data warehouse... com About Picis Picis is the leading, worldwide provider of information systemsthat deliver proven best-in-cluster patient care transformation forthe highest-acuity care areas of the hospital. Headquartered inWakefield, Massachusetts, Picis has installed systems in more than 900hospital worldwide, automating more surgical procedures, emergencyvisits and intensive care stays than any other company in the world. Picis has received numerous awards, including those from Microsoft,Ernst & Young, HCIT Research, Healthcare Informatics and Frost andSullivan. Picis was recently named to both the Deloitte & Touche Fast500 and the Inc. Magazine 500 lists (105th overall) of the fastestgrowing private companies in the U.
http://www.netherlandscorporatenews.com/archive/en/2006/05/02/f022.htm

IT Weekly Roundup, Feb. 3
Microsoft Certified Professional - Feb 3, 2006
0 securely stores all e-mails and attachments, provides
secure access to indexed e-mail for CRM systems and Web portals such as Microsoft
SharePoint, and offers single-instance storage and compression technology to
control data volume. Pricing starts at $40 per managed mailbox.
http://www.mcpmag.com/news/article.asp?EditorialsID=879

Dear Subscriber to TheStreet.com Stocks Under $10,
thestreet.com - Feb 3, 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 are moving Wireless
Facilities to a Two rating this week as 2006 capital
expenditures guidance from the large wireless providers
appears to be for only mid-single-digit percentage growth
over 2005 levels. While Wireless Facilities has
historically been able to grow its top line by a higher
percentage rate than the capital spending budgets of its
customers, a report from research firm Jefferies this week
says the wireless portion of capital budgets will grow by
less than 2% in 2006. Even so, the company is a prime
candidate to benefit from the rollout of digital video to
wireless devices in the coming years, so we will continue
to hold our small position and monitor the company for
signs of stabilization in the wireless business before
recommending shares. Trade closer to $6 a share would
likely prompt a sale from the model portfolio.
http://www.thestreet.com/k/su/_googlen/archives/200602031706.html?cm_ven=GOOGLEN&cm_cat=SU&cm_ite=003966

CIO - Dial VoIP for Vulnerability
CIO Australia - Feb 3, 2006
If we didn't have all that, I'd be scared. " Here's what a number of early VoIP adopters have done to realize the cost savings of VoIP and to save their companies from a potential disaster. Full VoIP Ahead
With VoIP, PBXs - the backbone of the traditional phone system - are replaced by IP voice servers that usually run on Microsoft or Linux operating systems. These "call management boxes" deliver VoIP services and log call information - and they are susceptible to virus attacks and hackers. VoIP is even more sensitive than data when it comes to disruption and packet loss. Yet many security measures that are applied to data networks don't work well for VoIP. For example, traditional firewalls can result in delays or blocked calls, and encryption can cause "latency" and "jitter" (packet slowdowns that can disrupt calls).
http://www.cio.com.au/index.php/id;845465733;fp;16;fpid;0

Bye.