Forrester: Backup Software-As-A-Service

Who would have guessed :-) Backup is a big opportunity as a Service ...

Since a couple of months I use the " Backup-as-a-Service" of Keepvault to backup my entire Microsoft HomeServer in the cloud, sort of a backup of all backups ...

Backup is a struggle for both enterprises and small and medium-size businesses (SMBs). It's a complex ecosystem of backup software, networks, servers, disk arrays, and tape systems. Many firms have difficulty completing backups in the time available, and a large number of backups fail or complete with errors. In addition, there are gaps in backup coverage. SMBs and enterprises often don't protect corporate PCs, and enterprises often don't protect machines at remote offices. Given the headaches associated with backup and the gaps in coverage, many firms are considering an online backup service. An online backup is just the first step toward the delivery of multiple infrastructure-related services — such as disaster recovery, archiving, and security.

Source: Backup Software-As-A-Service

Forrester: Information-As-A-Service: Delivering Real-Time Information Drives Market Toward The Mainstream

The IaaS market is current growing @ 40% per year ...

Increasing business demand for near-real-time delivery of high-quality information in context is driving enterprise architects and application developers toward new service-oriented ways of accessing and integrating enterprise information. Earlier-era technologies such as enterprise information integration (EII), extract, transform, and load (ETL), and replication are failing to support the requirements of these new service-oriented technologies. New technologies that enable information-as-a-service (IaaS) overcome these challenges, delivering quality, federated information in near-real time to support multiple applications and provide deep business insight. The IaaS market is growing rapidly, around 40% annually, with top vendors such as BEA Systems, Composite Software, IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, and Red Hat offering comprehensive IaaS solutions. Architects and developers should now include IaaS middleware in the top tier of options for delivering integrated information in context with applications, driving deep business insight, especially where service-oriented architecture (SOA) initiatives are under way.

Source: Information-As-A-Service: Delivering Real-Time Information Drives Market Toward The Mainstream

SAP stelt Business ByDesign uit

 

SAP haalt de oorspronkelijke targets niet voor het nieuwe product Business ByDesign. De roll-out wordt naar achteren geschoven en investeringen in het SaaS-product gehalveerd. Van de geplande miljard omzet in 2010 komt niets terecht.

Source: SAP stelt Business ByDesign uit

SAP komt met SaaS voor grote bedrijven

 

SAP meldt te werken aan een online-service als verlengstuk voor de SAP-software voor large enterprises. De eerste toepassingen liggen op het gebied van leveranciersbeheer.

Source: SAP komt met SaaS voor grote bedrijven

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online is there ...

.... Microsoft Corp. today announced the general availability of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, an on-demand customer relationship management service hosted and managed by Microsoft. The new Internet service delivers a full suite of marketing, sales and service capabilities through a Web browser or directly into Microsoft Office and Outlook.

It provides “instant-on” access to businesses that want a full-featured CRM solution with no IT infrastructure investment or setup required. Businesses can learn more about Microsoft’s strategy for delivering next-generation CRM solutions from a new webcast being launched today at http://crmchoice.com, featuring Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Martha Rogers from the Peppers and Rogers Group.

“At Microsoft, we’re revolutionizing how companies deploy marketing, sales and service solutions to users within their organization,” said Brad Wilson, general manager of Microsoft Dynamics CRM at Microsoft. “Microsoft Dynamics CRM delivers the power of choice to customers, with a familiar and productive user experience and a multitenant platform that enables fast on-premise implementations or ‘instant-on’ deployments over the Internet.”

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online reinforces Microsoft’s broad software plus services strategy for delivering integrated business solutions over the Internet, and it is a part of Microsoft’s multibillion-dollar investment in global datacenters. In addition to full access through a zero-footprint browser client, the new service delivers marketing, sales and service information within a native Microsoft Office experience, integrated with the desktop tools that employees already use every day, enabling businesses to ramp up end-user adoption and productivity rapidly.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online is initially packaged in two service offerings:

• Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Professional delivers a full suite of CRM capabilities with extensive configurability and extensibility options. Businesses get 5 GB of data storage, 100 configurable workflows and 100 custom entities. The Professional edition is priced at $44 per user per month, with an introductory offer of $39 per user, per month.
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Professional Plus delivers all the capabilities of the Professional version plus offline data synchronization with expanded data storage, workflow and customization options that give businesses 20 GB of data storage, 200 configurable workflows and 200 custom entities. The Professional Plus edition is priced at $59 per user per month. ....

Source : Microsoft PressPass

Microsoft Albany Beta launches today, what is it?

New milestone for Microsoft by offering subscription based Office ...

... Microsoft launches Albany Beta today, but what is it? The name reveals nothing. “Albany” is the codename for a new all-in-one subscription service of essential software and services for consumers. It consists of Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007, Windows Live OneCare, Windows Live Mail, Windows Live Messenger and Windows Live Photo Gallery, it also installs the Microsoft Office Live Workspace connector. With Albany consumers will get the latest versions of Microsoft Office Home and Student and Windows Live OneCare as they are released.

Each “Albany” subscription is good for three PCs and the final version of the product will be delivered before the end of this calendar year. Microsoft Office and Windows Live OneCare will still be sold as standalone package as well. Albany just gives customers more choice and addresses the needs of those customers who value having the latest and greatest version of Microsoft Office. Pricing is not yet known.

Q&A: Group Product Manager Bryson Gordon discusses “Albany”
Getting ready for Windows Live Wave 3 .... 

Source: Albany Beta launches today, what is it?

Ingram Launches Seismic Hosted Microsoft Services

Distributors such as Ingram Micro are offering ' white labeled'  hosting of Microsoft solutions to their VARs. I wonder if Ingram Micro will also offer this any time soon in Europe ...

... The distributor says it will offer hosted Exchange and SharePoint Server through its Seismic Virtual Services Division, and will add Dynamics CRM 4.0 in May.

Ingram Micro on April 15 announced it will offer three hosted Microsoft Software-as-a-Service solutions targeting resellers and VARs.

The hosted Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 and 2007 and Windows SharePoint Server (SPS) 3.0 will be offered through Ingram's Seismic Virtual Services Warehouse and can be white-labeled by VARs to increase their brand recognition and add value for their end-user customers, said Justin Crotty, vice president, Ingram Micro Services Division, North America. Crotty also said that in May, Ingram will offer hosted Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 through Seismic.

Crotty said partners were keen for Ingram to add hosted Exchange, SPS and Dynamics CRM 4.0 as demand increases from their end customers. He said that end users are becoming more and more familiar with the benefits of purchasing IT as a service and preferred to have a VAR or solutions provider maintain that infrastructure rather buying their own software licenses and maintaining an IT staff to manage that infrastructure. 

"Resellers, VARs, solution providers are gaining lots of traction delivering IT as a service, and these hosted services allow them to add even more value into that capability," Crotty said. ...

Source: eWeek Channel Insider

Webwereld: Sun werkt aan platform voor applicatiehosting

Volgens mij de enige weg te gaan ... PaaS ... grappig ...

.. Sun zet met het onderzoeksproject Caroline de eerste stappen naar 'platfom as a services' (PaaS) diensten. Daarmee kan het de strijd tegen Amazons E2C en S3 aangaan. ...

Sun werkt aan platform voor applicatiehosting

TNT Post bezorgt rekeningen via Live Messenger

Windows Live Messenger is zo ingeburgerd dat dit soort oplossingen bijna een logisch gevolg zijn. Veel gebruikers zijn beter bereikbaar via bijvoorbeeld Live Messenger dan via hun traditionele brievenbus ...

... De samenwerking tussen TNT Post en Windows Live Messenger om post via 'De Digitale Brievenbus' van MSN te verzenden, is dinsdag van start gegaan. Salarisstrookjes en facturen kunnen voortaan via de messenger worden ontvangen. De twee bedrijven kondigden in november 2007 aan te gaan samenwerken om de instant messaging-client in te kunnen zetten als digitale brievenbus. ...

Bron: TNT Post bezorgt rekeningen via Live Messenger

The new town for Microsoft's new datacenter

The video is not very recent, yet gives a good overview of Microsoft's ambitions and real plan being executed in the datacenter space ...

Quincy, WA is the home of Microsoft's new online services datacenter, consuming 72 acres of land. The Mayor of Quincy expresses his gratitude for the choice, and MS planners explain why they chose ...

 

Video: The new town for Microsoft's new datacenter