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Research Report: The Upcoming Battle For The Largest Share Of The Tech Budget (Part 2) – Cloud Computing

Published on August 9, 2010 by R "Ray" Wang

Welcome to a part 2 of a multi-part series on The Software Insider Tech Ecosystem Model.  Part 2 describes how the cloud fits into the model.  Subsequent posts will apply the model to these leading vendors:

      The aggregation of these posts will result into a research report available for reprint rights.

      Cloud Computing Represents The “New” Delivery Model For Internet Based IT Services

      Technology veterans often observe that new mega trends emerge every decade.  The market has evolved from mainframes (1970′s); to mini computers (1980′s); to client server (1990′s); to internet based (2000′s); and now to cloud computing (2010′s).  Many of the cloud computing trends do take users back to the mainframe days of time sharing (i.e. multi-tenancy) and service bureaus (i.e cloud based BPO). What’s changed since 1970?  Quite plenty — users gain better usability, connectivity improves with the internet, storage continue to plummet, and performance increases in processing capability.

      Cloud delivery models share a stack approach similar to traditional delivery.  At the core, both deployment options share four types of properties (see Figure 1):

      1. Consumption – how users consume the apps and business processes
      2. Creation – what’s required to build apps and business processes
      3. Orchestration – how parts are integrated or pulled from an app server
      4. Infrastructure – where the core guts such as servers, storage, and networks reside

      As the über category, Cloud Computing manifests in the four distinct layers of:

      • Business Services and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) – The traditional apps layer in the cloud includes software as a service apps, business services, and business processes on the server side.
      • Development-as-a-Service (DaaS) – Development tools take shape in the cloud as shared community tools, web based dev tools, and mashup based services.
      • Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) – Middleware manifests in the cloud with app platforms, database, integration, and process orchestration.
      • Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) – The physical world goes virtual with servers, networks, storage, and systems management in the cloud.

      Figure 1. Traditional Delivery Compared To Cloud Delivery


      More…

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      Vendor Event: IBM Information On Demand 2010

      Published on August 2, 2010 by R "Ray" Wang

      Title: Vendor Event: IBM Information On Demand 2010

      Location:
      The Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, Las Vegas, NV

      Start Date: 2010-10-24
      End Date:       2010-10-28


      Description:

      Innovate and optimize with the best technical and business education. Two industry-leading IBM conferences become one powerhouse global event.  This is a must-attend conference for business and IT professionals. You’ll gain the technical expertise and strategic insights to combine trusted information with business analytics and optimize your business performance.  Join us in Las Vegas this October to experience the best in technical and business education — including hands-on training, the largest IBM Expo and unprecedented networking opportunities.

      • Information On Demand
        October 24 – 28
        Access the full breadth of software, hardware, services, solutions and experts from IBM and IBM Business Partners. Learn how IBM can help you drive innovation, business optimization and competitive differentiation through information and analytics.
      • Business Analytics Forum
        October 24 – 27
        Business Analytics Forum is the new annual conference for Cognos and SPSS customers. Gain the practical know-how you need to maximize the value of your Business Analytics deployments — Business Intelligence, Advanced Analytics, Analytic Applications and Financial Performance & Strategy Management.

      Official Event Page: Register here

      Disclosure

      Although we work closely with many mega software vendors, we want you to trust us.  IBM is a client of Insider Associates, LLC and Altimeter Group.  For the full disclosure policy please refer here.

      Copyright © 2010 R Wang and Insider Associates, LLC. All rights reserved.

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      Research Report: The Upcoming Battle For The Largest Share Of The Tech Budget (Part 1) – Overview

      Published on July 27, 2010 by R "Ray" Wang

      Welcome to a multi-part series on The Software Insider Tech Ecosystem Model.  Subsequent posts will apply the model to these leading vendors:

      • Overview
      • Cloud Computing
      • Cisco
      • Dell
      • HP
      • IBM
      • Microsoft
      • Oracle
      • Salesforce.com
      • SAP

      The aggregation of these posts will result into a research report available for reprint rights.

      Business Models Converge During Recessions

      Is your technology provider a hardware vendor or a software vendor? Does your System Integrator now provide solutions in the cloud? These questions will continue as models converge.  Hardware, software, and system integration vendors must reinvent new models of revenue.  The economic recession has forced business model shifts at the major technology companies.  The goal – own the largest share of both the business and IT technology budget,  As these sellers attack new profit pools, buyers can expect continued convergence of business models because:

      • Hardware companies seek higher margins. Most hardware vendors face single digit margins in their core business.  To bolster margins, many vendors acquired system integration firms.  For example, HP purchased EDS and Dell acquired Perot Systems.  The next logical step requires the hardware vendors to get into software.  Software margins hover from 10% to 50% depending on the market.  Expect a hardware vendor such as Cisco, Dell, or HP to acquire a SaaS based company to move into the software business.
      • Service providers build differentiated intellectual property (IP) using the Cloud. Service providers should go on the SaaS/Cloud offensive if they want to deliver rapid innovation to customers and break the cycle of dependence on packaged apps vendors.  Service providers can take market share through SaaS by investing in white spaces in the solution road map with verticals and other pivot points that have not been well served.  In addition, expect forms of SaaS BPO to emerge as clients seek best of breed SaaS and hybrid deployments.
      • Software companies use Cloud to transform into information brokers. SaaS and Cloud deployments provide companies with hidden value and software companies with new revenues streams.  Data will become more valuable than the software in the Cloud.  Three areas of growth will include benchmarking, trending, and prediction.
      • Companies by-pass software vendors for competitive advantage. Roper Industries acquisition of iTrade Networks on July 26th, proves a key point.  Smart and innovative companies will put custom development in the cloud to meet last-mile solution needs that packaged apps vendors or system integrators fail to deliver.  Companies may also acquire software vendors if they can’t build the solution.

      More…

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      Event Report: Top 10 Questions To Ask At The Microsoft TechEd/STB Analyst Summit

      Published on June 6, 2010 by R "Ray" Wang

      Clients Now See Microsoft As The Neutral Vendor, Hence All The Questions

      Just less than 3 years ago, Microsoft was still perceived as part of the “evil” empire.  Business leaders worried about the complicated and expensive licensing and pricing structures.  IT leaders bemoaned the lock-in and proprietary and often buggy software.  But in a reversal of fortune, customers now worry about Google lock-in, fret over Oracle’s quest to dominate IT through M&A, wonder how hardware vendors will become software providers and vice versa, and remain in shock as Apple’s proprietary and closed approach over takes Microsoft’s market cap.

      In conversations with 71 business and IT leaders, the perception on Microsoft has definitively shifted.  In fact, more than 74.6% (53/71) see Microsoft as the neutral and trusted supplier.  With an aging and retiring workforce that grew up on IBM and SAP, the next generation of IT leaders increasingly will exert their leadership and run to their comfort zone of Microsoft and Oracle.  (Note: Don’t expect this to last as the next generation of IT leadership comprises of millennials and digital natives who will try to move everything to open source and the cloud.)  Consequently, Microsoft’s technology offerings receive a renewed interest and reinvestment among customers, partners, and critical OEM’s.  Among this group, many are attending TechEd 2010 in New Orleans, LA.  Key questions they will be asking include:

      1. When will Azure have a viable business model for partners, OEM’s, and customers?
      2. Is Silverlight really ready for prime time or should organizations still leave one foot in the door with HTML 5 or Adobe Flash?
      3. What true social features will Microsoft deliver in Sharepoint, UC, and Office?
      4. After wasting a decade with Windows Mobile can Windows Phone 7 really beat out iPhone?
      5. What will the rise of NoSQL databases and in memory computing mean for SQL Server?
      6. Will Office Web Apps emerge as a significant challenger to Google’s App strategy?
      7. How quickly can Microsoft convince other apps vendors to adopt the STB platforms?
      8. Will Internet Explorer ever become W3C compliant?
      9. What’s Microsoft doing to win over the Web 2.0 crowd?
      10. What partner ecosystems will Microsoft have to rely on to gain leadership in the Cloud?

      What’s your question?

      More…

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      News Analysis: IBM Buys Sterling Commerce From AT&T

      Published on May 24, 2010 by R "Ray" Wang

      

      Merger Ties B2B Integration Tools With Selling And Fulfillment

      On May 24th, IBM surprised the market with its $1.4B, all-cash, definitive agreement to buy Dublin, Ohio based Sterling Commerce from AT&T.  Sterling Commerce was purchased by SBC Communications in 2000 for its strengths in B2B integration.  As an AT&T company in 2005, they acquired Yantra for its supply chain fulfillment and distributed order management solutions (DOM).  In 2006, the company acquired Nistevo for transportation management systems (TMS) and in 2007 bought out Comergent, a leader in selling and order management solutions.  Sterling Commerce currently employs 2500 people and has 18,000 customers around the world.  According to Sterling Commerce’s CEO, Bob Irwin and IBM Websphere’s General Manager, Craig Hayman, the acquisition occurs for a few reasons:

      • Integration solutions for dynamic business networks. Sterling focuses on B2B integration and managed file transfer (MFT).  B2B integration solutions include offerings such as GenTran, Collaboration Network, Integrator, eInvoicing, Mobile Solutions, and B2B Managed Services.   MFT helps organizations move vast quantities of information quickly and securely across data networks.  Sterling delivers the services in both on-premise and on-demand.

        Point of View (POV):         Sterling’s flagship product “the VAN”, brought external business and trading partners together.  They built a reputation connecting businesses with their trading community of suppliers, customers, banks and transportation providers.  IBM built a strong platform for inter-enterprise integration and SOA governance.  Should the acquisition succeed, customers will gain integration across business networks and improve decision making through richer integration.  Key Sterling Commerce integration customers include BNP Paribas,  Union Bank, Toshiba, Tenneco, Sony, Nordstrom, True Value and others.
      • Selling and fulfillment solutions that extend the value chain.  Sterling Commerce owns the leading order selling and fulfillment suite in the market.  Solutions allow organizations to deliver configure, price, and quote complex products and services (CPQ), cross channel order fulfillment, inventory logistics, and transportation management.  Sterling often competed with WebSphere commerce solutions for customers.

        POV:         Sterling originally made commerce application acquisitions with Comergent, Yantra, and Nistevo to extend the value of the integration network.  The result – an end to end order and fulfillment suite that solved the tough issue of delivering a “perfect order”.  Sterling Commerce’s order hubs often beat out traditional ERP solutions that tried to force fit end to end processes into their functional focused solutions.  Consequently, IBM WebSphere Commerce gains key components to improve its technologies.   More importantly, on-demand delivery will play a significant role going forward.  Key order hub customers include Best Buy, Walmart, Staples, Lowes,  Guthy Renker, LifeTouch, Cabellas, and others. More…

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      News Analysis: Oracle Acquires Phase Forward For $685M And Gains A Foothold Into The Lucrative Life Sciences Market

      Published on April 17, 2010 by R "Ray" Wang

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      Oracle Adds A Trusted CTMS/EDC Solution To Its Health Sciences Portfolio

      On April 16th, Oracle announced its intent to acquire Phase Forward, a Cambridge, Massachusetts based Clinical Trials Management Software (CTMS) vendor and early electronic data capture (EDC) pioneer.  Phase Forward adds 335 life science, medical device, research agency, and contract research organization (CRO) customers to Oracle’s portfolio.  The PhaseForward acquisition makes sense for Oracle because:

      • Oracle Health Sciences lacks a strong CTMS component. CTMS solutions streamline clinical development operations to manage multiple trials.  As the information and management hub, a CTMS often orchestrates information and processes from EDC, clinical data management system (CDMS), adverse event reporting systems (AERS), interactive voice response systems (IVRS), and other reporting and statistical solutions (see Figure 1).  Oracle’s existing solutions focus more on components such as drug discovery, EDC, adverse event reporting system (AERS), and some statistical analysis.  Phase Forward brings together a series of clinical data solutions, randomization and trial supply management, Phase 1 clinic automation, safety solutions, clinical development center, late phase and ePRO solutions, and CDISC standards.
      • Customers seek an integrated offering. Life science companies face competing pressures to bring solutions to market and to address patent expiration.  With the skyrocketing costs of bringing new products to market, existing Oracle customers and prospects seek the “holy grail” of one integrated offering to reduce costs, manage risk, and provide insight into future innovations. Unfortunately, today’s customers must turn to different solutions for drug discovery, pre-clinical testing, Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, FDA Review/approval, post market testing, and safety monitoring and reporting. More…

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      Wednesday’s Whispers: People Whispers – March 2010

      Published on March 31, 2010 by R "Ray" Wang

      PEOPLE WHISPERS: MOVES, PROMOTIONS, AND MILESTONES*

      As always, thanks for your emails and alerts. If you’ve got a change or know of a promotion, keep dropping me a line! If you need a referral, and we’ve worked together in the past, don’t hesitate to reach out to me via Linked In.

      Ashesh Badani became Sr. Director, Middleware/JBoss at Red Hat in January 2010 escaping the clutches of Oracle.  Previous roles include a 3 year stint at Sun Micro Systems as a  Director for Product Management/Marketing & Middleware Solutions.  Other product roles include Director of Marketing at 3VR.

      Jason Busch became Partner at Spend Matters Group, LLC in January 2010.  A fellow Enterprise Irregular, he previously served as the Managing Partner at Azul Partners.  Jason is one of the world’s leading authorities in Spend Management.

      René Bonvanie became a Board Member at Active Endpoints in March 2010.  He serves as the VP of Worldwide Marketing at Palo Alto Networks and has a rich history in many marketing chief roles in the tech industry.

      Tami Casey became Board Member at Social Media Club – San Francisco Silicon Valley Chapter in January 2010.  Tami currently serves as a Social Media Strategist, Public Relations Manager at Kulesa Faul.  Other experiences includes 11 years in PR at Intel Corporation.

      Steve Cole has served as the Chief Marketing Officer at Gladson since February 2009.  Other roles include key marketing positions as VP of Solutions Marketing for SPSS, SVP of Marketing and Strategy at Click Commerce, and VP or Marketing at ClearCross.

      Todd Craig has been promoted from Director of Market Intelligence and Analyst Relations to Senior Director of Reputation Management at Manhattan Associates.

      Phil Fersht has launched his own star analyst firm focused on the outsourcing industry. Horses For Sources builds on a cadre of nine seasoned industry experts.  Phil previously worked at Cognizant and at AMR Resesarch.

      Laura “@Pistachio” Fitton has left Pistachio Consulting to found and become CEO of oneforty inc.

      Sanchit Vir Gogia has been promoted from Senior Analyst of IT Services to Associate Research Manager at Springboard Research. Springboard is a rapidly growing industry analyst and research firm covering the APAC market.

      Ronda Pitts Krier has an updated current title: Master Principal Solution Architect at Oracle. Ronda’s been an expert in Master Data Management for the past 5 years with various increasing roles of responsibility at Oracle.

      John Kreul has become a VP for Global Business Applications at Pepsi Beverages Company.  John has devoted more than 13 years to technology and business applications at Pepsi Americas.

      Felton E. Lewis, IIII (FEL) has been promoted from Managing Principal for Distribution, Logistics, and Transportation Practice to Client Relationship Officer – Sr. Account Executive at Sterling Commerce an AT&T company.

      Lafe Low is now Writer and Editor for Hire at LWL Media.  Lafe bring decades of experience with roles as Editorial Manager at CXO Media, Executive Editor at 1105 Media, and Manager of Conference Development/Features Editor at CXO Media

      Lauren McKay is now a Freelance Writer at BG+H.  In addition, she currently serve as a Contributing Author at Greenwood Publishing Group and Associate Editor at CRM Magazine

      Rajesh Nair now serves as Head of MS: Information and Communication Services at Swissgrid

      Paul Papadimitriou has an updated current title: Social Technologies Strategist at TEDxTokyo. Paul serves as one of the key go to guys for Web2.0 and emerging technologies in Tokyo, Japan.

      Krishnan Parasuraman became Chief Architect, Digital Media at Netezza in January 2010. Krishnan brings 5 years of practitioner experience in information management from his work as Principal Architect and Practice Leader at Infosys.

      Tri Phan is now a Senior Prod Mgr at AT&T Wireless.  Previous roles include VP of Business Development at ScanControl, Director of Marketing and Business Development at Somotsoft, Inc., and VP of Business Development at Kinemo.

      Jeff Prillaman has an updated current title: Director & DIO-HR, Business & Technology Solutions at Capital One

      Nitin S has an updated current title: Practice Head at Consult HR Solutions

      Mitch Wagner became Internet Marketing Director at Palisade Systems in February 2010.  Mitch’s deep online journalism experience includes roles as Executive Editor at InformationWeek.com and other titles at United Business Media

      Andy Warzecha is now VP, Strategy, Software Solutions Group at IBM. He was previously a VP for Strategy in the IBM Information Management Software group at IBM. Prior roles include serving as an SVP and Group Manager for Research at Meta Group.

      Lisa Whelan became Member, Advisory Board at Open Mobile Solutions and Business Devleopment Consultant at Chomp in Feburary 2010.  She’s served as a business development consultant for various startups in social media and mobile strategy.

      Mary Hayes Weier became Editor, Enterprise Ready Series at Workday in February 2010.  Prior to her new role, Mary provided in-depth and award winning reporting at InformationWeek.

      Kara Wilson has an updated current title: VP, Collaboration Solutions Marketing for Cisco Systems.  Other marketing roles include serving as the CMO at Network General and Group Vice President, Corporate Communications at PeopleSoft.

      Your POV

      Got a scoop or something to share? Please post or send on to rwang0 at gmail dot com and we’ll keep your anonymity.

      * Not responsible for any factual errors or omissions.  However, happy to correct any errors upon email receipt.

      Copyright © 2010 R Wang and Insider Associates, LLC. All rights reserved.

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