As IBM’s Watson finally starts to make financial traction for the company, Microsoft announced their own grand design for artificial intelligence (but their message might not have been heard since they had to apologize for last week’s AI “incident”)
IBM also purchased another new company named Bluewolf for $200M. Like the purchase of Optevia, this company also focuses on CRM solutions. Since IBM does not have a strong CRM tool (they have been pushing SAP), they are trying to get in on the configuration of other supplier’s CRM solutions – like Microsoft and SalesForce.
Dell officially sold off Perot Systems to NTT for $3B while Oracle continues to… troll.
IBM
- Watson is beginning to pay
Huberty also pointed out that there were significant market opportunities for Watson, with 320 million annual radiology images at $10 per image translating to a market that was over $3 billion in the U.S. alone.
In addition, Huberty also noted that there could be “even larger revenue opportunities to IBM if it can reduce the number of tests/images which often cost multiple thousands of dollars. Other revenue streams exist in helping match Oncology patients with drug trials.”
- IBM to buy Salesforce.com consulting specialist Bluewolf
Hmmm… I see a pattern developing….Big Blue has, instead, made a bid for Bluewolf, a consulting practice that specializes in helping companies integrate Salesforce.com’s CRM services into their IT systems. IBM values the market for this and other Salesforce.com-related professional services around at US$111 billion annually.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/3050375/ibm-to-buy-salesforcecom-consulting-specialist-bluewolf.html
Update:
IBM is expected to pay about $200M for the company.
Update 2:
Why IBM spent $200 million to buy a huge Salesforce partner with Marc Benioff’s blessingIt’s a move by IBM to become a big consulting partner for Salesforce. IBM says Salesforce consulting is quickly becoming a $111 billion business.
http://www.businessinsider.com/why-ibm-bought-a-huge-salesforce-partner-2016-3
- IBM Brain-Inspired Computer Will Look After Our Nuclear Weapons
IBM’s brain computer may not rival the raw size of the human brain at any age, but it is probably the closest a computer has come. Most computers function linearly, but IBM has figured out how to link billions of transistors into groups ofmillions of neurons that then make millions of connections. It’s an innovative approach to computing that the U.S. government is betting will help keep the nuclear arsenal free from cyberattacks.
- IBM revamps work space, brings cutting-edge feel
This doesn’t look very “cutting edge”…
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/story/money/2016/03/28/ibm-unveils-new-employee-friendly-workspace/82344322/
Microsoft
- Is Microsoft shifting its focus again or losing it?
Sure, Microsoft talked about Windows and Xbox. Those key brands were an important part of the proceedings. But the biggest announcements – the ones that laid out Microsoft’s plan for the next year – were in the area of “intelligence.” Microsoft wants to build the world’s first large-scale, multiple-platform AI service. And that mission has far-reaching implications.
http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/microsoft-is-trying-to-build-skynet-not-windows/
- Microsoft is reportedly mulling Yahoo acquisition
This isn’t the first time that Microsoft has shown an interest in acquiring Yahoo. Former CEO Steve Ballmer tried unsuccessfully to buy Yahoo for about $45bn in 2008. Microsoft could now buy the company for a much smaller figure. Re/codesuggested that Yahoo’s board would accept $10bn for the core internet business.
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2452618/microsoft-is-reportedly-mulling-yahoo-acquisition
Storage ( Dell | EMC |Infinidat |NetApp | Pure)
- It’s official: Dell Services sold to Japan’s NTT
NTT Data Corp. confirmed the acquisition of Dell Services in a US$3 billion deal that “will significantly increase NTT Data’s presence in North America,” according to a statement released by NTT Data.
http://www.computerdealernews.com/news/its-official-dell-services-sold-to-japans-ntt/47275
- Michael Dell takes $11m pay hit
Michael Dell has taken an $11m (£7.7m) pay cut ahead of the company’s $67bn gobble of EMC, according to a filing to US regulator the Securities and Exchange Commission.
In January 2016, Michael Dell took home a total package of $2.4m – which included his salary of $950,000.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/03/31/michael_dell_takes_11m_pay_cut/
Hewlett Packard Enterprise | HP Inc
- HPE’s new Persistent Memory servers are designed to help you make ‘faster business decisions’ – with help from Intel
HPE’s persistent memory NVDIMMs (Non-Volatile Dual In-line Memory Modules) combine 8GB of DRAM with 8GB of flash storage. In the event of a power outage the contents of the DRAM are backed up to the flash.
Oracle
- Google Says It Doesn’t Owe Oracle More Than $8 Billion in Damages
The lawsuit concerns whether Google should be allowed to use parts of Oracle’s Java software under fair use. The more than $8.8 billion that Oracle is claiming was estimated from profits that Google has made from Android, which integrates Java into its operating system.
Another quote:
The multi-billion-dollar damages Oracle is seeking are worth even more than it cost the company to buy Sun Microsystems, which developed Java.
http://fortune.com/2016/03/31/google-says-it-doesnt-owe-oracle-more-than-8-billion-in-damages/
- Oracle Corporation Is Crushing the Cloud Space
I keep hearing how Oracle is crushing it in the cloud space, but I haven’t see the list of companies jumping over to do business with them. Do you think they are really growing at this pace or is some sales re-classification occurring?So, now Oracle’s the one that’s crushing. They saw over 40% growth in their cloud-based revenue, gross margins popped from 43% to 52% in one quarter, and now they’ve got $1.5 billion in recurring revenue from customers from the cloud. So, I think that Oracle came out better from this and has learned a couple things from Salesforce over the last 16, 17 years.
Other
- Exec: Why Red Hat’s new partnership with Sandisk matters
Ranga Rangachari, vice president and general manager of storage at Red Hat, says the announcement also validates a $175 million buy from two years ago – that of California-based open-source storage provider InkTank. The buy included Inktank’s flagship technology, then called Inktank Ceph Enterprise, which delivered storage software to businesses deploying public and private clouds. At the time, executives said the buy put Red Hat in a position to become “the leading provider of open software-defined storage across object, block and file system storage.”
Photo: William Santos