Microsoft adding 10,000 new datacenter servers a month

Interesting, yet unconfirmed numbers ....

Today’s trivia question: How big is Microsoft’s back-end services infrastructure?

Microsoft officials won’t say how many servers total Microsoft has churning in its various datacenters. But Microsoft’s corporate vice president of Global Foundation Services Debra Chrapaty is on record saying Microsoft is adding 10,000 new servers a month.

(Facebook is estimated to have 10,000 servers total, the Data Center Knowledge folks report. In other words, Microsoft is adding one Facebook-worth of new servers every 30 days.)

On a related note, Microsoft has been building out its content-distribution-network (CDN) infrastructure, as well, as noted in a Bill Gates ThinkWeek paper that I excerpted in my Microsoft 2.0 book. Microsoft was already building out in late 2006 its Blue Cloud and CloudDB services to support the hundreds of Microsoft online properties/services it was powering.

Source: Microsoft adding 10,000 new datacenter servers a month

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?

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

Remco Ploeg: Live ID Federation

Remco points to a very handy document on Windows Live ID federation,

... Deze ochtend vond ik een whitepaper over Live ID Federation. Een goede stap voorwaards, want zo kunnen we nu ook het onderwijsaanbod met live@EDU gaan vergroten met federatie.

The Windows Live™ ID service—the user-authentication system for Microsoft^® online resources such as MSN^® and the Windows Live services—can function as part of a federated identity system that works with authentication services from third-party partners. This capability gives users whose accounts are managed by such partners seamless access to Windows Live services. By federating identity with Windows Live ID, a partner provides its users with access to both the partner’s resources and Windows Live services.

This document describes how an organization can establish a federated user-identity relationship with the Windows Live ID service.  ...

 

Continue at source: Live ID Federation

Compete Blog: March Madness in the Search World

Windows Live Search dping well according to Compete Blog ...

...  Windows Live search kicked into high gear in March. Month-over-month Windows Live search queries increased 28.8%, pushing market share up almost 2ppts to just over 10%. Year-over-year, Windows Live search queries were up nearly 52%. Wow! My guess is that there are some dollars flowing out of Redmond that may be driving this. Maybe this April fool’s joke wasn’t a joke.  ...

 

The overview …

• Google market share declined 0.6ppts despite 5% volume growth … the first decline in nine months
• Yahoo! continued the slide with market share dropping another point to a new record low and was the only engine with year-over-year share losses
• There’s something going down up in Redmond with Windows Live Search queries increasing nearly 30% month-over-month to push market share up almost 2ppts
• ...

 

March Search Market Share: March Madness in the Search World
Jeremy Crane
Fri, 04 Apr 2008 16:15:50 GMT

Security Features in Microsoft Online

New Whitepaper on the Security Features of Microsoft Online ...

Security is critical to our customers: Online services from Microsoft were built from the ground-up to be more secure by design, secure by default, and secure in operation; validated by Cybertrust Certification and SAS 70 Type II attestation.

The benefits of software-plus-services (SPS) are often weighed against perceived costs in terms of security risks, and the potential for interrupted access to mission-critical business data.
Microsoft brings world-class experience in software design, development, deployment, and operations to its Microsoft Online Services offering, enabling businesses to gain considerable cost advantages while helping to avoid many of the security risks associated with Web-based software services.

Increased security in Microsoft Online services is derived from:

• Simplified automated access using single sign-on.
• Reduced user intervention for security-related tasks.
• Automated software and service updates.
• Comprehensive implementation of leading-edge, industry-standard network security and encryption protocols.
• Mature applications designed, built, tested, and deployed according to Microsoft- established software development disciplines.
• Field-proven service hosting platforms.
• Best practices for data center design and operations.

Microsoft Online services are designed to provide a software-plus-services environment featuring enhanced security and continuous access to applications and data. Increased security at each stage of the online transaction – user and administrator access, network connectivity, service hosting platform and physical datacenter -- helps you gain the established benefits of online services while minimizing your risk.

Source: Security Features in Microsoft Online

Windows Live OneCare 2.5 enters public beta

LiveSide reports on the availability of teh Windows Live OneCare 2.5 Beta. Netherlands is on the list :-). This is the way it should be, no US only beta's ...

OneCare, the anti-virus/tune-up/back-up all in one program, has just opened up a public beta of version 2.5 (current released version is 2.0.2500.22, on my machine, anyway).  Anyone can go to Microsoft Connect and sign up and try the new beta, you don't need to be signed in to get to the page:

Sign up for Windows Live OneCare 2.5 beta

Looks like there's quite a list of countries available, no US only this time.  Not sure what the changes are from the released version, and there's no information about changes on the public Connect site.

Windows Live OneCare 2.5 enters public beta

Networkworld: Microsoft SharePoint taking business by storm

Networkworld published an article about the (very) rapid uptake of Microsoft SharePoint Server.

Very cool that the introduction of Microsoft Online Services, which includes Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 hosted by Microsoft, is referred to as the 'perfect storm' ...

... Versatile Microsoft server may not be perfect, but it is attracting interest as tool to address anything from collaboration to process management

Microsoft's SharePoint Server is on a billion dollar juggernaut to potentially become the next must-have technology, offering companies tools for building everything from collaborative applications to Internet sites and potentially handing Microsoft its next cash cow.

"I have not seen anything like this since the early days of [Lotus] Notes," says Mike Gotta, an analyst with the Burton Group. In those days, corporate users were enamored with a shiny new technology that seemed to have infinite uses. "The talk [around SharePoint] is getting strategic now and people are talking about it as a middleware decision," Gotta says.

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) 2007 is the fastest growing product in the company's history and seems to have as many uses as a Swiss Army knife. Its six focus areas are collaboration, portal, search, enterprise content management (ECM), business process management and business intelligence.

Just last month, Microsoft added a hosted alternative to fuel adoption. There is a "perfect storm," observers say, around SharePoint in terms of the popularity of Web-based computing, demand for less-expensive ECM and portal tools, collaboration technology and integration around Microsoft's Office suite.  ...

Read on : NetworkWorld.com

Google Apps: Discovering That Microsoft Owns the Desktop

Guy Creese of Burton Group, published a report on Google Apps last year. We can expect an updated perspective in several weeks ...

... I've been updating my Google Apps report (the updated version should be out in several weeks) and in the course of making the revisions, I began to notice a pattern: Google is discovering--and reacting to the fact--that Microsoft still pretty much owns the information worker desktop. ...

... In other words, Google Apps is morphing to become a backend service to Microsoft Office. (This doesn't mean that the Google Calendar and Gmail interfaces are going away, but rather that the Microsoft Office interfaces can take their place if an enterprise so desires.) ...

.... This product strategy shift means that Google Apps now has two marketing stories: (1) it's cheap on the backend and frontend or (2) it's cheap on the backend. Google started with #1 (instead of paying Microsoft Office and Exchange license fees, pay $50 per user per year) but is now recognizing that may be too big a cultural leap for large organizations. So now it's offering option #2: (instead of paying Exchange license fees, pay $50 per user per year). With #2, the Google mantra of "Use Google Apps because it has a great consumer-tested UI" goes away, but the "less in your face" strategy may be more to enterprises' liking. ...

Google Apps: Discovering That Microsoft Owns the Desktop

WOW! : De beste luchtfoto's van Nederland in Virtual Earth

Wouter geeft Microsoft wat welverdiende erkenning voor de enorme mooie en vooral scherpe content in Virtual Earth ...

... Hoewel Google met zijn Google Maps en Google Earth waarschijnlijk de meest bekende satellietfoto's en luchtfoto's van Nederland in zijn trucendoos heeft, keek al al een aantal jaar geleden watertandend naar de 'bird's eye view' optie in Virtual Earth van Microsoft.
Het stulpje van mijheer Gates in Seatlle was een geliefd object om te demonstreren hoe mooi dat wel niet was. Een Engelse vriend van me had ook geluk, ik kon zijn kinderen op de trampoline in de tuin zien, en dat van 4 kanten bekijken. Het was even ontgaan maar sinds januari van dit jaar kunnen we ook in vogelvlucht de details bekijken van luchtfoto's in Breda, Groningen, Kerkade, Maastricht, Nijmegen, Oss, Venlo, Zwolle. Zo melde Nederkaart al in januari.
Sinds gisteren is het rijtje steden met zeer gedetailleerde luchtfoto's met Tilburg en Helmond uitgebreid.
Wat me trouwens ook opviel is dat het luchtfotomateriaal voor Wagenigen in Virtual Earth van recenter dataum is dan in de vergelijkbare Google producten. Bij de bouw van het Forum gebouw zit in Virtual Earth het dak er al op, maar in Google Earth zijn ze op de 2e of 3e verdieping. Het heeft dus zin om goed rond te kijken wanneer je de beste luchtfoto's van jou huis, tuin of stad wil bekijken.  ...

Source: De beste luchtfoto's van Nederland in Virtual Earth

Computable :'Hosted e-mail staat op punt van doorbraak'

Mijn persoonlijke inschatting is dat 2012 wat te pessimistisch is. Als je nu al kijkt wat de mogelijkheden zijn qua aanbod en het feit dat veel multinationals al heel concreet de mogelijkheden aan het onderzoeken zijn. Sommige zijn zelfs al aan het omschakelen naar gehoste emaildiensten.

... Onderzoeksbureau Gartner voorspelt dat de markt voor hosted e-mail op het punt staat explosief te gaan groeien. Deze nieuwe vorm van e-mailbeheer wordt de komende jaren bij alle soorten bedrijven doorgevoerd, van extreem klein tot extreem groot. ... ... "Na een decennium van relatieve stilstand wordt een markt, die gedomineerd werd door vooral kleine spelers, door elkaar gehusseld doordat de grootste ict-bedrijven toetreden en agressief met elkaar gaan concurreren", aldus Matt Cain, research vice president bij Gartner. "Door de omvang van partijen als Microsoft, Yahoo en Google, met hun honderden miljoenen gebruikers, zullen bedrijven hun kosten voor e-mail drastisch omlaag zien gaan." Gartner voorspelt dat rond 2012 door de opkomst van hosting-bedrijven organisaties enorm gaan besparen op hun algemene e-mail en hun agendabeheer. Het onderzoeksbureau meent zelfs dat het bedrag van 10 dollar per gebruiker per maand, dat momenteel de standaard is, omlaag zal gaan naar 2 dollar per gebruiker per maand. ...

Source: Computable ICT-nieuws - 'Hosted e-mail staat op punt van doorbraak'

Forrester: Get Ready For Collaboration In The Cloud

The full report is for Forrester subscribers only, however, the small management summary looks promising. My humble and biased opinion is that Forrester overestimates Google's current capability, but I do agree the landscape is changing much faster than it did in the past ...

... While Microsoft's move to acquire Yahoo! attacks Google's extraordinarily profitable search and advertising business, another angle could hold even larger implications for the Redmond giant. Google has moved tentatively into the enterprise software market, potentially threatening Lotus and Microsoft in a big way by continuing to add enterprise capabilities, such as the workspace offering Team Edition. Google's move essentially signals a sea change in how enterprises license and distribute software. Although Yahoo! could help Microsoft get there faster, it's not just a Google /Microsoft race, and all bets are off with IBM/Lotus' Project Blue for cloud-based Social Computing as a clear finalist. There is also a dark horse in this race: Cisco. Each vendor will face considerable challenges as significant portions of on-premise collaboration software disappear into a cloud. From an information and knowledge manager's perspective, putting productivity and collaboration software in a cloud-based model has clear benefits — it's potentially much less expensive, easier to manage a single source of the truth, and is available anywhere, at any time. ...

Source: Forrester Research: All Research - Get Ready For Collaboration In The Cloud

Microsoft Office Live Meeting Service Portal

 

The Live Meeting Service Portal makes it easier to deploy and manage Live Meeting. If your company has deployed Microsoft Active Directory directory services, you can use the Live Meeting Service Portal to:

• Automatically create Live Meeting accounts for users once they are authenticated on your corporate network.
• Allow authenticated Windows users to log in to Live Meeting without entering a Live Meeting user ID and password.
• Permit users to change their Live Meeting passwords when authenticated by your Active Directory service.
• Automatically synchronize a user's Live Meeting account settings with the user's Active Directory settings each time the user logs in through the Portal.

Source: Microsoft Office Live Meeting Service Portal

There’s more than one way to make Microsoft software ’serviceable’

Yes, let's not forget Microsoft Dynamics when it comes down to software + Services. Mary Jo Foley reports on Convergence 2008 and the things discussed there :

... Microsoft’s Software+Services (S+S) strategy comes in many guises. At its Convergence 2008 conference in Orlando this week for its business-applications customers and partners, Microsoft highlighted yet another one of its S+S forms: Third-party service extensions to its on-premise software.

Microsoft’s business applications include four different ERP suites, plus its Dynamics CRM offering. Microsoft has made noises about delivering versions of its Axapta, Great Plains, Solomon and Navision ERP products that will be multi-tenant and Microsoft-hosted (with no firm due dates so far). And Dynamics CRM 4.0, the latest version of Microsoft’s CRM product, can be deployed by customers in on-premise, partner-hosted and/or Microsoft-hosted configurations. ...

Source: There’s more than one way to make Microsoft software ’serviceable’

Search Engine Strategies met Maurits-Jan Groen van Microsoft

Leuk interview met mijn collega Maurits Jan over Search Engine strategies ...

Tijdens Search Engine Strategies 2008 in Londen heeft Miriam Martinus namens Checkit enkele interviews opgenomen. ..

... De derde video was een interview door bovengenoemde Bas met Microsoft. De vierde video is weer Nederlandstalig en met niemand minder dan Maurits-Jan Groen van MSN. Enjoy!

Source: Search Engine Strategies met Maurits-Jan Groen

Microsoft Online Services - new portal

The new portal is live. It contains, information on the various offerings and lot's of links to trials, etc. If you are a Microsoft Partner (or want to become one) do check out the Partner section.

Please notice that the Microsoft Online offering for companies with less than 5000 seats is still beta only and focused on the US ... If your company has more than 5000 seats there's nothing that should hold you back wherever you are ...

Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. Announces Migration to Microsoft Collaboration Suite

This is a very cool (ice cold) reference to have. If I am not mistaking Coca Cola is a  Lotus Notes Domino shop ... Now moving 'to the cloud' to Microsoft's new

Business Productivity Online platform

 

 

 

 

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Coca-Cola Enterprises (NYSE: CCE) today announced that it will begin using Microsoft’s integrated communication and collaboration tools across its organization.

The use of Microsoft Office suite, SharePoint Online, Exchange Online, Office Communications Online and Live Meeting for Web and video conferencing will integrate CCE’s communication and collaboration capabilities and improve its speed, flexibility and effectiveness. This integrated platform will combine technologies by connecting software and internet services through Microsoft Online.

“To become the best beverage sales and customer service company, we must drive efficiency and effectiveness throughout our company while significantly increasing opportunities for collaboration among employees, customers and suppliers,” said John F. Brock, president and chief executive officer. “By working with a world-class leader like Microsoft, we can continue to drive innovation throughout our organization and more effectively address the complexities of today’s global business environment.”

“Coca-Cola Enterprises operates in an environment where better collaboration and communication can deliver a real strategic advantage,” said Bill Gates, chairman, Microsoft Corp. “By providing the flexibility to manage software over the Web or from servers managed on-site, Microsoft Online will help Coca-Cola Enterprises drive greater efficiencies and enable employees to connect to each other more effectively than ever before.”

Coca-Cola Enterprises is the world's largest marketer, distributor and producer of bottle and can liquid nonalcoholic refreshment. CCE sells approximately 80 percent of The Coca-Cola Company's bottle and can volume in North America and is the sole licensed bottler for products of The Coca-Cola Company in Belgium, continental France, Great Britain, Luxembourg, Monaco, and the Netherlands.

Source: Businesswire.com

CRN - Microsoft: SaaS-aanbod is niet per se goedkoper

CRN heeft een korte samenvatting van de recente Microsoft Business Productivity Online gepubliceerd

 

... Microsoft onthulde gisteren vergaande plannen om zijn belangrijkste producten als online-dienst aan te bieden vanuit zijn datacenters. De softwareproducent wil enerzijds serverapplicaties als Exchange en Sharepoint Server aanbieden in SaaS-vorm (software as a services), en anderzijds clientapplicaties als Office. Directeur Chris Capossela van de Microsoft-divisie voor kantoorsoftware benadrukt echter dat SaaS niet per se goedkoper is dan reguliere software-aanschaf. ...

... Capossela zegt wel dat over tien jaar de helft van Microsofts software online staat. Hij meent dat over vijf jaar al de helft van de Exchange-gebruikers de online-uitvoering gebruikt. De leverancier mikt hiermee vooral op middelgrote en kleine bedrijven die zelf een kleine of geen ict-afdeling hebben. ...

... Een van de grote, niet aan twijfel onderhevige, voordelen van SaaS is namelijk dat het beheerkosten scheelt. Dat is immers voor rekening van de aanbieder (hoster). De Coca Cola Company is alvast gezwicht voor SaaS, van Microsoft. Het frisdrankconcern doet de IBM-software die het zelf draait de deur uit ten gunste van het online-aanbod van Microsoft.

Het gaat om communicatie-, kantoor- en samenwerkingssoftware: Exchange, Office en Sharepoint. Tegen eind mei moeten 20.000 van de 75.000 werknemers al over zijn naar de Online Services van de Office-producent. Cio Esat Sezer van Coca Cola zegt dat het zelf draaien en beheer van dergelijke software geen onderscheidend vermogen is voor het bedrijf en dus geen concurrentievoordeel oplevert. Efficiënte online-samenwerking biedt dat wel, aldus de frisdrankenfabrikant. ...

Source: Microsoft: SaaS-aanbod is niet per se goedkoper

Microsoft Matches Google With SaaS for E-Mail/SharePoint

Gartner has produced a first response to yesterday's announcement. "Matches Google" is really an understatement ...

Responding to the threat from Google, and sensing a significant business opportunity, Microsoft has announced substantial plans for an Exchange and SharePoint software-as-a-service model.

On 2 March 2008, Microsoft announced a beta version of a multitenant server software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform, to be used initially for e-mail and teamware (SharePoint), but expanding, we believe, to other applications, such as Office, over time. Delivery of the platform is planned for 4Q08. Microsoft already offers a dedicated server SaaS platform for companies with over 5,000 seats. This implementation is for organizations with under 5,000 seats. Pricing has not been announced.

The SaaS model is in its infancy, but holds considerable appeal, particularly for small and midsize businesses (SMBs). This is because it offers fixed monthly fees, freedom from most operational management, elimination of upgrade responsibilities and, in some cases, lower costs. The potential of the SaaS delivery model has had a significant impact on vendor dynamics, driving Cisco to acquire WebEx, Yahoo to buy Zimbra, Google to purchase Postini, Dell to buy MessageOne and SAP to invest heavily in its Business ByDesign platform.

We believe the SaaS model will dramatically change the way businesses provision, operate and consume IT services during the next five years. Microsoft's SaaS investment is both an offensive move to capture operational revenue (in addition to the license fees it now collects), and a defensive measure to combat potential incursions from suppliers such as Google.

The challenges Microsoft faces are considerable. While it runs one of the largest public portal sites in the industry, providing large-scale SaaS services for business requires significant expertise in high availability, security, multitenant architectures, network topologies and problem resolution. Furthermore, Microsoft is retrofitting its existing software to the multitenant server model. It won't be until the next version of Exchange (due in 2011) that its core products are better architected to run in a multitenant SaaS model.

Nonetheless, Microsoft's substantial market share in the e-mail and teamware market, particularly among SMBs, and the growing acceptance of SaaS business models create a significant opportunity for Microsoft. We believe that 20% of enterprise e-mail seats will use a SaaS provisioning model by 2012, compared with 1% in 2007.

Recommendations

• Develop a model for evaluating SaaS offerings in preparation for the expected heavy vendor participation in this area during the next several years.
• Pilot Microsoft's SaaS offering in 2008 if appropriate, but deploy it in production only after maturity is demonstrated, which is likely to take 12 to 18 months.

Source : Gartner.com : microsoft_match...pdf

Microsoft met SharePoint en Exchange verder op het online-pad

Arikel in AG :t

... Microsoft schuift ook Exchange en Sharepoint verder naar voren als online-diensten, zo maakt het bedrijf vandaag in Seattle bekend.

Zeven grote bedrijven zijn overgestapt op een door Microsoft gehoste versie van Exchange en/of Sharepoint. Daaronder bevinden zich Coca-Cola, Autodesk, Blockbuster en Ingersoll-Rand. Microsoft vermeldt er expliciet bij dat Coca-Cola is overgestapt van het concurrerende Lotus Notes.

Beide bedrijven laten overigens geen kans onbenut om ter gelegenheid van hun collaboration-conferenties de 'customer wins' ten koste van de tegenpartij breeduit te etaleren.

Een nieuwe zet is de beschikbaarheid van het drietal Exchange Server, Sharepoint Server en Office Communications Server voor bedrijven  van elke omvang. Tot dusver konden alleen bedrijven met minimaal 5000 medewerkers de online-optie uitproberen. In de nieuwe opzet hoeft er niet per se sprake te zijn van afzonderlijke virtuele servers in het datacentrum van Microsoft. De softwareleverancier zegt vooral te mikken op bedrijven met tussen de 200 en 500 medewerkers, die over weinig IT-ondersteuning beschikken. ...

Source: Microsoft met SharePoint en Exchange verder op het online-pad

Office Live Workspace beta open voor Nederland

De Office Live Workspace beta is nu internationaal beschikbaar voor een aantal landen, waardonder Nederland. De beta is  nu alleen nog in het Engels beschikbaar is en zal uiteraard later dit jaar ook in het Nederlands beschikbaar komen.

Inschrijven kan met een bestaande of nieuw te creeeren Windows Live ID binnen 30 sec. Zoals ik in een eerdere blogpost al vermeldde is de functionaliteit recentelijk nog uitgebreid en gebruikers kunnen ook met enige regelmaat nieuwe updates verwachten.

O ja ... het is gratis ...

Microsoft to Expand Microsoft Online Services for Businesses of All Sizes

Microsoft is expanding the Business Productivity Online offering for all businesses ... SharePoint and/or Exchange "from the cloud" ....

Monday from the annual Microsoft Office SharePoint Conference, Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft Corp., will announce that the company will offer Microsoft Online Services to businesses of all sizes. This announcement marks a significant step for Microsoft toward expanding its software plus services strategy.

“The combination of software plus services gives customers advanced choice and flexibility in how they access and manage software,” Gates said. “With Microsoft Online Services, businesses can deploy software as a subscription service, from servers they manage on-site, or a combination of the two, depending on their specific needs. In the future, customers and partners should expect to see this kind of choice and flexibility for all of Microsoft’s software and server products.”

Today Microsoft also opened a limited beta trial of the new services; U.S.-based companies can register for the trial at http://www.mosbeta.com. The new services are scheduled to be generally available to businesses of all sizes in the second half of the year.

Based on the proven, business-class software available in Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, the new services enable businesses to access e-mail, calendaring, contacts, shared workspaces, and webconferencing and videoconferencing over the Web. The new services are managed through a single Web-based interface, designed to meet the needs of IT professionals. Through this security-enhanced interface, IT professionals can monitor the performance of the services, add and configure users, submit and track support requests, and manage users and licenses.

Enterprise Foundation

In September (http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2007/sep07/09-30RoadmapForBusinessPR.mspx), Microsoft announced the worldwide availability of Microsoft Online Services for businesses with more than 5,000 users. Today’s announcement extends the same performance, scalability, security and service level capabilities to all businesses.

Autodesk Inc., Blockbuster Inc., Ceridian Corp., Coca-Cola Enterprises, Energizer Holdings Inc., Ingersoll-Rand Company Ltd., PFT-Medway and XL Capital group of companies are among the first companies moving their communications and collaborations solutions to Microsoft Online Services.

“To become the best beverage sales and customer service company, we must drive efficiency and effectiveness throughout our company while significantly increasing opportunities for collaboration among employees, customers and suppliers,” said John Brock, president and chief executive officer, Coca-Cola Enterprises. “By working with a world-class leader like Microsoft to leverage the power of software plus services, we can continue to drive innovation throughout our organization and more effectively address the complexities of today’s global business environment.”

Flexible Licensing Model

To help companies take advantage of Microsoft Online Services, Microsoft introduced a new licensing model with flexible options for customers.

New customers and customers without Microsoft Software Assurance can purchase Microsoft Online Services as a per-user subscription. Existing customers with Software Assurance on their Microsoft Client Access Licenses can purchase a user subscription at a discount, enabling them to maximize their existing Microsoft software investments. Customers with a subscription have rights to both Microsoft Online Services and to access on-premises server software, giving them the ability to blend Web-based services with on-premises software.

Microsoft will offer Exchange Online and SharePoint Online together with Office Communications Online and Office Live Meeting as a suite of services or as individual service offerings.

Expanding Partner Opportunities

Microsoft Online Services create new opportunities for partners to resell, customize and provide consulting, migration and managed services for customers. Atos Origin S.A., BT, Ceryx Inc., Evolve Partners Inc., Getronics NV, HCL Technologies Ltd., and Unisys Corp. are among the first partners to announce they will support Microsoft Online Services and provide offerings based on the new services.

“Microsoft Online Services provide partners with opportunities to expand reach, grow revenue and increase speed to sales and implementation,” said Chris Capossela, senior vice president of the Information Worker Product Management Group at Microsoft. “By extending our enterprise software offerings as a subscription service, our partners have the ability to develop and deliver new services with little overhead but maximum revenue potential.”

More information on Microsoft Online Services can be found at the following resources:

• Microsoft Online Services home page: http://www.microsoft.com/online/default.mspx

•Feature story: Partners Embrace Huge Opportunities in Software plus Services Era

• TechNet Edge video: http://edge.technet.com/Media/Introducing-Microsoft-Online-Services

• Partner reaction: http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/misc/AllSizeBusinessesQS.mspx

Source: Microsoft to Expand Microsoft Online Services for Businesses of All Sizes

Microsoft levert software vaker via internet

Goed artikel over Microsoft's Software + Services ...

... REDMOND - Net als Google richt ook Microsoft zich steeds meer op het leveren van software via internet. Behalve op de consumentenmarkt, waar gebruikers bijvoorbeeld steeds meer van hun documentatie online kunnen opslaan, zorgt dit ook voor een verschuiving op de zakelijke markt.

Microsoft is hier veruit de grootste speler. "Over tien jaar staat de helft van onze software online", aldus directeur Chris Capossela van de kantoorsoftwaredivisie van Microsoft dit weekeinde tijdens een internationale persconferentie over de toekomst van bedrijfssoftware in Redmond.

Steeds meer klanten willen een vast bedrag per maand betalen voor software, zodat ze weten waar ze aan toe zijn. Bovendien hoeven ze de software niet meer te beheren.

Aan deze zogenoemde 'software as a service' (Saas) kleven echter ook nadelen. Capossela: "Het hoeft niet goedkoper te zijn, want bij het ouderwetse licensie-model hoef je maar één keer te betalen en ben je voor altijd eigenaar van de software."

Nadeel

Een ander nadeel van online software is dat je altijd een internetverbinding moet hebben om het te gebruiken. Microsoft denkt dan ook, in tegenstelling tot Google, dat een deel van de software altijd op de computer zal blijven staan.

"Niet alles is geschikt om online te zetten. Wat heb je er bijvoorbeeld aan om het internet op te moeten om een tekst te kunnen tikken?", vraagt Capossela zich hardop af. ...

 

... Markt

Toch denkt Risse dat de markt voor Saas de komende tijd met 80 tot 150 procent per jaar groeit. Microsoft investeert daarom flink in datacentra, waar alle online software kan worden beheerd.

In 2007 stak Microsoft 2,3 miljard dollar in deze opslagplaatsen van digitale informatie. Ter vergelijking: Google investeerde zo'n 2 miljard dollar.  ...

Source: Microsoft levert software vaker via internet

Office Live Workspace - first feature update goes live

Office Live Workspace get's its first update ...

In case you didn't know, Office Live Workspace is bases on SharePoint, integrated with Office XP and newer version and .. free :-)

A new Activity pane to help you keep track of what’s happening in your workspaces and email notifications so you always know when the people you share with make updates. This feature is a lot of fun and makes it easy to see at glance the changes happening in your workspace and in individual documents. Now you’ll know when someone comments on your document, adds a note, or updates an important list.

New support for adding multiple documents to your workspaces. The Add multiple documents button makes it is easier than ever to bring your documents into a workspace by browsing and selecting files from your computer or dragging and dropping files on the document uploader.

New permalinks for sharing direct hyperlinks to your workspaces and documents. Now you can bookmark individual workspaces and items in your workspace using the “add to favorites” tool in your web browser or copy the address bar and paste those links into emails to share with others.

A new Share workspace UI to easily invite others to your workspace. With the improved address book buttons you can quickly add people from your Windows Live addresses book (contacts from Windows Live Hotmail and Windows Live Messenger) and people you have shared with before. You can also include more details in your invitation with the larger message box and choose to CC yourself on the invitation.

Besides these, other fixes and improvements have been made and the Office Live add-in has been updated.

Microsoft koopt advertentiebedrijfje

Microsoft breidt verder uit op het gebied van online advertising met de acquisitie van Yadata:

... Microsoft neemt het Israelische advertentiebedrijf YaData. Het softwarebedrijf verwerft hiermee software en kennis op het gebied van gedragsgebaseerd online adverteren ...

Source: Emerce Nieuws - Microsoft koopt advertentiebedrijfje

Spoelstra spreekt: Boos op Microsoft

Leuk artikel en 'spot on', en natuurlijk lokt dit ook weer veel reacties uit .. vergeet die dus ook niet te lezen

... Als ik in mijn column iets over Microsoft zeg, kun je er donder op zeggen dat er veel reacties komen. Vooral boze reacties. Waarom schelden mensen altijd zo op Microsoft? Je hoeft het niet te gebruiken? ...

Source: Spoelstra spreekt: Boos op Microsoft
Date Published: Thu, 28 Feb 2008

Google gaat met Sites op de Sharepoint-toer

Dat Google zich meer en meer begeeft op andere terreinen dan search is bekend; ook deze stap is geen verrassing. Google had JotSpot namelijk niet voor niets gekocht ...

Google is echter nog steeds voornamelijk bekend als searchengine met zelfs een eigen werkwoord "google-en". Maar concluderend uit deze en de vale andere artikelen over deze aankondiging stel ik vast : Microsoft en met name SharePoint is synoniem met online samenwerken : "SharePointen" anyone ?

Vanuit Microsoft zijn komende week ook wat aankondigingen te verwachten, dus stay tuned ..

Google heeft deze week Google Sites geïntroduceerd. Het opzetten van een website voor het samenwerken in een team wordt daarmee zo simpel als het aanmaken van een document, belooft het bedrijf.

Source: Google gaat met Sites op de Sharepoint-toer
Automatisering Gids
Date Published: Thu, 28 Feb 2008

Toekomst Google minder rooskleurig dan gedacht

Webwereld publiceerde vandaag een interessant artikel over de recente ontwikkelingen rond Google. Ik had het gisteren in mijn blogpast over online advertising al over de mogelijke impact van het economische klimaat op de business van Google. Google is voor bijna 100% afhankelijk van dit business model. Online advertising is voor Google de motor achter alle SaaS gerelateerde 'avonturen', gewoonweg omdat er geen ander businessmodel achter zit zoals een licentiemodel.

Ook de daling in marktwaarde van maar liefst 70 Miljard dollar over de eerste 7 weken van dit jaar is enorm ...

.. In tegenstelling tot wat Google eerder beweerde, lijkt het bedrijf nu toch de nadelige effecten te ondervinden van de stagnerende economie in de VS.

Het aandeel van Google viel maar liefst 8 procent naar beneden, nadat onderzoeksberijf comScore constateerde dat er de laatste tijd steeds minder mensen in de Verenigde Staten op de advertenties klikken, de belangrijkste bron van inkomsten voor Google. Dat meldt Reuters.

Daling marktwaarde

Het rapport veroorzaakte zoveel onrust onder beleggers dat zij deze aandelen massaal in de verkoop deden, waardoor het aandeel Google daalde tot een waarde die voor het laatste elf maanden geleden werd gezien. Het is niet de eerste tegenslag voor de zoekgigant. In de eerste zeven weken van dit jaar daalde de marktwaarde van Google daalde met maar liefst 33 procent, oftewel 70 miljard dollar.

Minder vertrouwen

De massale verkoop van aandelen markeert een kentering in de houding van investeerders tegenover Google, die lange tijd dachten dat het gigantische bedrijf geen nadelig effect zou ondervinden van de recessie. Een van de redenen hiervoor is de uitspraak van Google topman Eric Schmidt eind vorige maand: ""We hebben geen enkele negatieve invloed van een mogelijke recessie gezien op onze inkomsten".

Grotere concurrentie

Zowel analisten als investeerders maken zich nu toch zorgen, dankzij de tegenvallende groei en verdiensten in het laatste kwartaal van 2007 in combinatie met het rapport van comSore. Men is er nu van overtuigd dat 'zelfs' Google in een neerwaartse spiraal terecht kan komen door de economische problemen in de Verenigde Staten.

Daarbij zijn investeerders ook bang dat, als Microsoft het voor elkaar krijgt om Yahoo over te nemen, er een grote concurrent ontstaat: "We zien geen goede reden om op dit moment het aandeel te kopen, omdat we denken dat er een aantal lastige maanden op stapel staan voor Google", aldus een beursanalist. ...

Source: Toekomst Google minder rooskleurig dan gedacht
redactie@webwereld.nl (Martin Gijzemijter)
Date Published: Wed, 27 Feb 2008 11:41:00 GMT

Office Live Workspace

Office Live Workspace update. I can recommend the video, as it explains the capabilities in a nutshell ..

Hello Valued Customer,
Thank you for your interest in Microsoft Office Live Workspace beta. We haven’t forgotten about your pre-registration and appreciate your patience. We’re still gathering feedback from thousands of early testers in the United States to fine-tune the user experience before releasing the service worldwide.
Over the next few months you should receive an e-mail invitation to the English version of Office Live Workspace, and later this year we will make other languages available too.
In the meantime, please visit our team blog to get updates on the service, learn why we created Office Live Workspace, and watch interviews with the team. Also, check out our new video (below) to get a preview of what you will be able to do with your workspace.

The Forrester Wave: Message Archiving Hosted Services, Q1 2008

According to Forrester Microsoft has some work to do. IN this relatively new playing field that's just normal and I assume is being worked on ...

In Forrester's 71-criteria evaluation of message archiving hosted services vendors, we found that Autonomy ZANTAZ leads the pack with strong search functionality and vision for its services. Global Relay Communications is an up-and-comer that, with more resources, can provide a viable alternative, while Iron Mountain, LiveOffice, and Microsoft need to build out support for more advanced retention management and eDiscovery features in order to remain competitive. All vendors must also compete with the popular message archiving software providers whose advanced offerings are keeping the hosted services market out of the limelight thus far.

Source: The Forrester Wave: Message Archiving Hosted Services, Q1 2008
"Barry Murphy"
Date Published: Thu, 07 Feb 2008

EMC en SAP brengen cloud computing

Nieuwe ontwikkelingen bij SAP en EMC ...

... Nieuwe online vormen van applicatie- en data-hosting zijn in opmars. EMC lanceert een cloud computing dienst, waarvoor erp-leverancier SAP de eerste partner is.

Opslagleverancier EMC lanceert onder de naam EMC Cloud een online dienst voor data-hosting. SAP-topman Doug Merritt, president van de Noord-Amerikaanse labs van de erp-leverancier, heeft dit - wat voortijdig - onthuld. Die Duitse producent van erp-software is de eerste partner voor deze cloud computing-dienst. EMC geeft officieel geen commentaar op deze onthulling. ....

... Online-boekhandelaar Amazon is EMC al voorgegaan. Het schoolvoorbeeld van e-business heeft al enkele cloud computing-diensten draaien, waaronder online data-opslag en in te huren rekenkracht. Computerreus IBM heeft in oktober plannen voor cloud computing aangekondigd. Ook Google en Microsoft zijn actief op dit gebied, hoewel zij zich nu nog vooral richten op de consument of eindgebruiker. ...

Computable is niet goed geïnformeerd als het aankomt op de diensten van Microsoft op dit gebied. Microsoft richt zich inderdaad op consumenten en eindgebruikers (is niet iedereen eindgebruiker ?) maar ook op MKB en Grootzakelijke klanten :

Microsoft Live / Microsoft Online Services

Source: EMC en SAP brengen cloud computing
Date Published: Fri, 15 Feb 2008

InfoWorld: 'Office 14' to be more Web-friendly, Gates says

 

InfoWorld ran an article about the speech of Bill Gates at the Office Developer Conference. A lot of interest ofcourse on what the next version of Office System will bring and ofcourse the strategy also there is Software + Services ...

... Microsoft envisions the next version of Office to have partial online functionality similar to how Outlook Web Access works

Microsoft chairman Bill Gates talked publicly for the first time on Monday about the next big Office release, code-named Office 14, which he said will give users new ways to access their applications online.

Microsoft won't provide the full functionality of Office online, but it will offer limited capabilities to view and edit the data in Office applications. It already does this for its Outlook e-mail client with a product called Outlook Web Access, and it will offer similar capabilities for other applications in Office 14, Gates said in a speech at the Microsoft Office System Developer Conference in San Jose, Calif.

"Outlook Web Access is not the full version of Office, but if you want to go into a kiosk or an Internet cafe and browse and connect, it gives you plenty of functionality," he said. "As we look at all the modules [in Office 14], we have in mind the equivalent of Outlook Web Access," Gates said.

It was the first time Microsoft had confirmed the "Office 14" moniker for the next release, although the Windows enthusiast Web site AeroXperience reported that fact recently, citing an internal Microsoft document. It also reported that a beta of Office 14 would appear this year with commercial release planned for 2009. ...

Source: InfoWorld.com

Fasthosts offers pay-as-you-go Office 2007

Webhoster Fasthosts is offering a downloadable Microsoft Office suite starting at prices little under 7 Euro per month for the Student version

Check out their full proposition : Fasthosts.co.uk

... Web hosting firm Fasthosts is offering Microsoft's Office 2007 suite using a software-as-a-service delivery model.

Customers can obtain the productivity suite as a download direct to their PC for £4.99 to £19.99 per month, avoiding the upfront costs and discs involved with the boxed product.

The downloadable Office suite is exactly the same in appearance and functionality as the boxed product, but runs locally on a user's PC and is verified with Fasthosts when the PC goes online.

Users have to be online every time they use the product at this stage, although an 'offline version' is in the works.

Mark Jeffries, chief technology officer at Fasthosts, said: "Our Office package is an excellent way to obtain the latest versions of the software we all need on a pay-as-you-go basis. Its low monthly cost and easy installation will suit a great many home and business users."

Fasthosts is offering four versions of the productivity suite. Office Standard includes Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint, while Office Professional Plus adds Publisher, Access and Infopath.

Households with a user engaged in educational activities qualify for the Student Edition, and can opt either for the Standard edition at £4.99 per month or the Professional Plus version for £6.99 per month.

Users without a dedicated student on the premises can lease the Standard edition for £14.99 a month and the Professional version for £19.99 a month.

The software-as-a-service concept allows the provision of software by a vendor for delivery or use over the internet. This means that customers do not pay for owning the software but rather for using it.

This enables users to pay for software gradually, and benefit from service benefits such as free updates and any support provided by the vendor. ...

Source : VNUnet.com

Important update (11-2-2008) :

Apparently the new service provided by Fasthosts is not in agreement with Microsoft and incompliant with regards to the licensing regulations : 

Microsoft: Streaming Office 'infringes licence'

... Microsoft has said that the internet service provider Fasthosts, which has started offering a subscription-based version of Microsoft Office 2007, is infringing on the software giant's licence regulations — but Fasthosts has denied this claim.

Earlier this week, the UK-based ISP and hosting company started selling a version of Microsoft Office which it advertised as being "streamed to your PC". However, unlike true hosted software, or software as a service (SaaS), it requires the user to download software to their client PC.

"Fasthosts' Microsoft Office product uses the SaaS model in that it is delivered and managed via the internet," explained Mark Jeffries, Fasthosts' chief technology officer, on Thursday. Speaking with ZDNet.co.uk via email, Jeffries said that a "full version Microsoft Office, identical to the boxed product, is downloaded using a streaming service and saved locally on a user's PC".

"After one initial download, further small downloads are made for additional features and updates. When functions are used for the first time, features are seamlessly streamed in the background. The software is validated when connected to the internet," explained Jeffries.

Jeffries claimed that Fasthosts' version of Office was the result of a partnership "with Microsoft and established market-leading experts in the field of software streaming". However, Microsoft has disagreed with this claim. ...

Source : ZDnet.co.uk

Software+Services: Microsoft BizTalk

Microsoft BizTalk 2006 whitepaper outling the role of BizTalk in Software + Services scenrio's ..

Software + Services in the Microsoft World: A Technology Overview for IT Decision Makers

One of the most important changes in the technology world today is the shift within enterprises from relying solely on local software to a world of software plus services (S+S). This overview describes S+S, focusing on what Microsoft is doing in this area. While not everyone uses the same terms, the entire industry has embraced the idea of S+S under various headings and while the move to S+S certainly affects consumers, this description focuses on S+S for business users. S+S isn’t a futuristic idea; it’s a reality today. Yet the full impact of this transition is still years away. Understanding what that impact will look like requires thinking about the effect on applications—packages as well as custom software—and on the platforms those applications depend on. This overview describes both.

Microsoft Exchange Hosted Services (EHS) Archive Datasheet

This datasheet provides an overview of Exchange Hosted Archive.

Microsoft Exchange Hosted Services are an extension of Microsoft Exchange, operating over the Internet as a service. The complete line of services includes hosted filtering for spam and virus protection; hosted archiving to support compliance requirements and internal policies; hosted encryption to preserve e-mail confidentiality; and, hosted continuity for ongoing access to e-mail during and after disasters. Microsoft Exchange Hosted Services provide value to corporate customers by eliminating upfront capital investment, freeing up IT resources, and removing incoming e-mail threats before they reach the corporate firewall. For more information, visit http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/services

Source: EHS Archive Datasheet
Date Published: Tue, 29 Jan 2008 23:06:17 GMT

HMC 4.0 - Exchange 2007 SP1 White Paper

 

... This white paper introduces the Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1) new features related to the Microsoft Solution for Hosted Messaging and Collaboration version 4.0. In particular, it addresses key features in anywhere access, built-in protection, and operation efficiency. ...

Source: HMC 4.0 - Exchange 2007 SP1 White Paper
Date Published: Wed, 30 Jan 2008

Case Study : Q-go : Intuitive Language Software Automatically Answers 90 Per Cent of Customer Questions

Q-go is a Dutch company with an impressive lost of customers ...

... Q-go is a fast-growing independent software vendor (ISV) specialising in natural language search (NLS) technology. It wanted to offer its customers an alternative solution to search engines such as Google. By integrating the company’s NLS solution with Microsoft® Office SharePoint® Server 2007 for Search, users pose questions to organisations in their own language and get an immediate answer...

Source and full case study : Microsoft.com

Platform voor eNederland (ECP.NL) kiest voor Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 op ASP basis

 

 ECP.NL is het platform in Nederland waar publiekprivaat wordt samengewerkt aan belangrijke randvoorwaarden en doorbraken rond de digitale economie en samenleving. Dit doet zij vanuit haar unieke, neutrale positie tussen markt en beleid. In de vorm van projecten en werkgroepen worden actuele thema’s opgepakt.

Door deze sectoroverschrijdende samenwerking helpt ECP.NL de (internationale) concurrentiepositie van Nederland te behouden en te verbeteren. Binnen ECP.NL wordt gewerkt aan projecten op het gebied van consumentenvertrouwen, wet- en regelgeving (maar ook zelfregulering), veiligheid van ICT-toepassingen, standaarden en (internationale) trends en ontwikkelingen.

ECP.NL heeft aangegeven behoefte te hebben aan een relatiebeheersysteem ter ondersteuning van het relatiemanagementproces. Hierbij gaat de voorkeur uit naar een standaard CRM pakket dat breed kan worden ingezet. ECP.NL heeft haar oog laten vallen op Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 op ASP basis.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 op ASP basis wordt 7 februari 2008 officieel door Microsoft Nederland gelanceerd. ECP.NL was overtuigd van de uitgebreide mogelijkheden van dit nieuwe CRM pakket en vond in de ASP oplossing een alternatief waarmee zij op zeer korte termijn live kunnen gaan.
Voor meer informatie over Platform voor eNederland: www.ecp.nl

Bron: CRMPartners.nl

Google Tutor: How the Microsoft / Yahoo Merger Could Affect Google Socially

Brian Wallace compares Google's assets against that of Microsoft and Yahoo combined. If you add Microsoft's tenacity, drive and ability to actually leverage new acquisitions I agree with all expect Brian's concusion that this merger represent momentum for Google.

If the merger is a fact, Microsoft actually gains significantly in Internet Search and online advertising in other words Google's core business ...

... No doubt by now you have heard the unsolicited bid that Microsoft has made of $45 billion for Yahoo. Should Google be worried? Certainly, Microsoft/Yahoo will be a formidable opponent, but let’s examine what this means for the social media landscape:

Social Bookmarking

Yahoo already owns del.icio.us, the most popular social bookmarking service out there. Google can counter this with Google Reader shared stories and Google Bookmarks, but del.icio.us is more flexible and made for bookmarking purposes.

Photo Sharing

Yahoo also has Flickr, arguably the largest photo sharing platform out there. True that Google has Picasa, but its adoption rate is far smaller.

Blogging

Windows Live Spaces was once reported to be the largest blogging platform, and Yahoo 360 is also notable in the space. Google already has the widely used Blogger platform. Lately though, Wordpress is really the one to beat in this market, especially with their latest round of funding lead by the New York Times.

Social Networking / News

You might think that Microsoft doesn’t have a part in social media, but don’t forget that they have a notable stake in Facebook, and have been rumored to be interested in buying Digg, the world’s leading social news site. Should this merger come to pass, Google will have to focus on the prize, as competition will be more fierce. Google has Google Dice, still a far cry of traffic as compared to the likes of Digg, Reddit, Mixx, Propeller, and StumbleUpon.

Instant Messaging

An interesting spot to think about here is the convergence of instant messaging in the social media space. As people need to communicate and collaborate at a faster rate, instant messaging becomes highly important. Enter Microsoft/Yahoo: Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo Messenger already have a much higher penetration than Google Talk, and the potential merger will allow them to further dominate in this space. Look for interesting activity here, perhaps even a larger position in microblogging.

Bottom Line

Will this merger make Microsoft and Yahooo stronger together? Perhaps. But the sheer size of both of these companies and all sorts of competing technologies makes this sound very challenging to integrate. This should give Google an advantage to gear up while the two companies get organized. ...

Source: How the Microsoft / Yahoo Merger Could Affect Google Socially
Brian Wallace
Date Published: Fri, 01 Feb 2008

EHS Filtering Datasheet

Microsoft Exchange Hosted Services :

Introduction

Electronic messaging is mission critical, but it remains vulnerable to a growing array of threats. Viruses, worms, denial-of-service attacks, spam, and the need to satisfy a growing set of government regulations and legal actions all make effective messaging security and management increasingly difficult.

Microsoft Exchange Hosted Services for messaging security and management is composed of four distinct services that help organizations protect themselves from e-mail-borne malware, satisfy retention requirements for compliance, encrypt data to preserve confidentiality, and preserve access to e-mail during and after emergency situations. The services are deployed over the Internet using a “Software as a Service” model which helps minimize additional capital investment, free up IT resources to focus on other value-producing initiatives, and mitigate messaging risks before they reach the corporate firewall.

How It Works

With just a simple mail exchange (MX) record configuration change, Exchange Hosted Services can be up and running quickly. There is no additional hardware to provision; no additional software to buy, install, or configure; and no expensive training required for your IT staff.

Furthermore, there is no need for you to change or modify your existing e-mail infrastructure, nor to install and maintain any new hardware or software. The heart of Exchange Hosted Services is a distributed network of data centers located at key sites along the Internet backbone. Each data center contains fault-tolerant servers that are load-balanced from site to site and from server to server. In the unlikely event that one data center is unavailable, traffic can be easily routed to another data center, minimizing the chances of interruption to the service. Microsoft algorithms analyze and route message traffic between data centers to help ensure secure and timely delivery.

This datasheet outlines the Filtering service from Exchange Hosted Services.

Source: EHS Filtering Datasheet
Date Published: Fri, 01 Feb 2008