Tag: Microsoft

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Supplier Report: 7/30/2016

sn_docks_Austin Neill

For weeks we have been asking if Java is dead… while the rumors of its demise may have been greatly exaggerated, Google may have created the final nail for Java’s future coffin.

Speaking of the future, does IBM have their eyes set on the golden goose Cerner? Acquiring Cerner would finally get them access to hospital information they so desperately want. While IBM is pining for a purchase, Oracle made a big one happen by grabbing NetSuite for $9.3B. Of course we can’t ignore Verizon’s purchase of Yahoo, oh wait I dedicated a whole podcast to that move.

Microsoft seems to be in a funk this week with news that they are cutting employees and potentially misrepresenting their cloud growth (yes, Microsoft too).

IBM

  • Cerner Could Be a Prized Asset for IBM

    To date the only active buyer on the health care front when it comes to large mega cap companies is IBM (IBM) , though its one missing link is access to hospitals, explained Mohan Naidu of Oppenheimer on Tuesday.

    While Cerner would fill that gap, Naidu cautioned that the likelihood of a potential deal comes down to both timing and how much IBM would be willing to pay. The health care IT firm’s scarcity value would likely require a pretty hefty premium, he said.

    Morningstar Inc. analyst Vishnu Lekraj added on Tuesday that Cerner is viewed as a “crowned jewel” in the health care IT space, describing its software assets as top tier in the industry and a “big prize” to gain: “To a company that’s lacking in servicing health care it would be a prime target,” he said.

    https://www.thestreet.com/story/13653083/1/cerner-could-be-a-prized-asset-for-ibm.html
    Note: IBM has approximately $14B in cash as of 3/31/2016 (credit: Spoons)

  • IBM Hired Hundreds of Designers to Figure Out What Customers Want

    So to shake up the status quo, IBM, Cognizant, Infosys and others have been racing to hire thousands of designers who once would have taken more specialized jobs—at an ad agency, say, or an industrial-design shop. At IBM, they team up with engineers and consultants and embed with a multiplicity of clients. Besides providing customer insights, the teams encourage constant feedback and tweak products as they’re built—a process aimed at getting them out faster. It’s how successful Silicon Valley startups operate but radical for the IT services industry.

    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-07-25/ibm-hired-hundreds-of-designers-to-figure-out-what-customers-want

  • IBM to deploy recruitment process automation at ITC Infotech

    The implementation will help us enhance employee experience. This will create visibility in social media and provide real time data and dashboards. We hope that this will also help us improve recruitment efficiency in terms of cost, productivity and time to fulfill, added Anand Talwar, Chief Human Resource Officer, ITC Infotech.

    http://www.financialexpress.com/industry/companies/ibm-to-deploy-recruitment-process-automation-at-itc-infotech/328122/

Oracle

  • Oracle buys enterprise cloud services company NetSuite for $9.3B
    The rumors are true…

    Oracle will acquire NetSuite for about $9.3 billion, or $109 per share in an all-cash deal, the companies announced Thursday. Both Oracle and NetSuite’s cloud service offerings aimed at enterprise customers will continue to operate and “coexist in the marketplace forever,” according to a statement by Oracle CEO Mark Hurd.

    https://techcrunch.com/2016/07/28/oracle-buys-enterprise-cloud-services-company-netsuite-for-9-3b/
    The Flawed Logic Behind Oracle’s NetSuite Deal

    Oracle Corp.’s $9.3 billion bid for cloud financial software provider NetSuite should help boost Oracle’s lagging cloud business. But Oracle is paying a high price, particularly as NetSuite is too small to really move the needle for Oracle. Another big issue: NetSuite plays in a software category—financial management systems—whose mojo is being sapped by newer apps.

    https://www.theinformation.com/the-flawed-logic-behind-oracles-netsuite-deal
    A look at Oracle’s 10 biggest acquisitions
    http://www.networkworld.com/article/3101876/software/a-look-at-oracle-s-10-biggest-acquisitions.html

  • Pulling back the covers on Oracle lawsuit: State could spend $27 million in legal fees

    According to the Oregon Legislative Fiscal Office, the state has spent nearly $16 million so far building its case that the giant software company badly bungled development of the Cover Oregon heath-care exchange. With the trial not set to begin until January, the Department of Justice has estimated the cost of the lawsuit could top $27 million by next April, making it one of the most expensive in department history.

    “I had feared it would be extremely high, but my God, I’m shocked by that number,” said Mike McLane, House Republican leader.

    http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2016/07/puling_back_the_covers_on_orac.html

Microsoft

  • Is Microsoft Massively Overstating Its Cloud Revenues?
    Another cloud provider, another rumor of misreported revenues…

    In its quarterly 10-Q filing with the SEC from April, Microsoft breaks out the specific products it includes in its commercial cloud figure in the following way, “Our commercial cloud … primarily comprises Office 365 Commercial, Microsoft Azure, and Dynamics CRM Online.” As such, Microsoft’s commercial cloud pulls sales from two different official reporting divisions — intelligent cloud and productivity and business processes — each of which contains several unique products, making it guesswork at best to glean how much of that stated $12 billion in sales belongs to which product.

    The same problem exists in the intelligent cloud reporting segment, making it frustratingly difficult to gauge the progress of this strategic imperative. When Microsoft announced its new financial reporting structure, it outlined intelligent cloud as including “results from public, private and hybrid server products and services such as Windows Server, SQL Server, System Center, Azure, and Enterprise Services.”

    http://host.madison.com/business/investment/markets-and-stocks/is-microsoft-massively-overstating-its-cloud-revenues/article_985d1685-e5dd-5433-8eb7-c5c93c717a77.html
    sn_lying_ms

  • Microsoft is laying off an additional 2,850 employees

    The latest round of job cuts is in addition to the 1,850 layoffs that were announced in May, reports Engadget. Microsoft made the announcement in its latest SEC filing. Most of the layoffs are ex-Nokia employees, the company Microsoft acquired to try to become a hardware player in the smartphone space. Microsoft says that 900 of the 2,850 employees it plans on laying off have already been notified, with the rest of the additional layoffs coming before mid-2017

    https://news.fastcompany.com/microsoft-is-laying-off-an-additional-2850-employees-4015477

  • Microsoft misjudges millennials, spectacularly

    Since this spring Microsoft has had to apologize publicly three times for offensive, anti-Semitic, sexist, homophobic and racist words and acts, all in the name of getting millennials onboard. One of the incidents could be deemed unintentional, but a lack of foresight certainly contributed to the resulting marketing calamity. Memo to Microsoft: There are much better ways to lure millennials to your brand. In fact, thinking that any of this might help is deeply insulting to your target audience.

    http://www.computerworld.com/article/3101397/it-management/microsoft-misjudges-millennials-spectacularly.html

Storage (Dell | Infinidate | Netapp)

  • Ditch your Macs, Dell tells EMC staff

    Amid Dell’s looming takeover of EMC, an edict has been issued insisting that Dell customers must only ever see Dell laptops during meetings and consulting engagements, EMC insiders have told The Register.

    At least EMC staff after being offered nice replacement kit, in the form of the gaming-bred XPS machines, that another insider told us have been promised to incoming Dell employees.

    http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/07/29/ditch_your_macs_dell_emc/

  • Two in five execs grumble flash technology is too expensive, research finds

    Yet NetApp argues that the benefits of flash go beyond the bottom line. “Our research shows that while the business value of flash in terms of performance and responsiveness is understood by IT decision makers, education on the true value of flash needs to continue further up the chain,” said Laurence James, EMEA products, alliances and solutions manager at NetApp. “Flash is a long-term investment that can transform business performance and should not be analysed in terms of capital investment alone.”

    That is a TERRIBLE sales tactic, you are either saving money or going after a performance boost.
    http://www.cloudcomputing-news.net/news/2016/jul/29/execs-grumble-flash-technology-too-expensive-research-finds/

Other

  • Verizon buys Yahoo for $4.8B

    As a side note to all this, some anecdotal evidence. We’ve been hearing for months that AOL offices in different regions have been readying themselves for a future with more purple in it. That’s run the gamut from keeping a holding pattern over new office space and future hires, through to strategic ‘sprints’ to consider developments in coming months around R&D initiatives, advertising and more.

    “We are preparing. It sometimes feels like the only thing we talk about,” one AOL executive told me. It may be a sign of how confident Verizon and AOL are of a winning bid, but also of how they would like to kickstart an integration and get working together as quickly as possible. (Poor integrations being one of the killers of so many mergers, of course.)

    https://sn.joeylombardi.com/?p=1927
    Why a Verizon and Yahoo merger would be like Microsoft snapping up CompuServe

    Here’s the other infuriating part of Verizon and AOL “purchasing” Yahoo assets. What assets? I know the one-time competitor to Google has some of the highest traffic on the planet, what with all of their weather apps and such. But even Google has figured out how to break free from the old “click my banner” trick so popular in 2007. Major companies like eyeballs, consumers like innovation. That’s the problem with investors who still use a BlackBerry. They want to buy a logo. They see brand acquisition as a conquest, not a business strategy.

    http://www.computerworld.com/article/3099116/internet/why-an-verizon-and-yahoo-merger-would-be-like-microsoft-snapping-up-compuserve.html

  • Salesforce’s Benioff says he would have paid more than $26B for LinkedIn

    Of course, the Benioff email didn’t say how much more he would have offered, or how the revised bid would have been restructured. Microsoft won in part because of the amount on the table, but also because if offered all cash. Salesforce had offered a mix of cash and stock.

    I wouldn’t be proud of that…
    http://venturebeat.com/2016/07/25/salesforces-benioff-says-he-would-have-paid-more-than-26b-for-linkedin/

  • Teradata agrees to acquire data company, to expand services

    Miami Township-based Teradata (NYSE: TDC) will acquire Big Data Partnership, a London-based EMEA-based services provider of big data solutions and training. Big Data Partnership has what Teradata calls deep expertise in disruptive technologies, including Apache Hadoop, and helps its clients discover how to become more data driven and data savvy through data science and the adoption of the latest big data technologies.

    http://www.bizjournals.com/dayton/news/2016/07/25/teradata-agrees-to-acquire-data-company-to-expand.html

  • FireEye Stock Jumps on Takeover Speculation

    Possible acquirers include Symantec, which reportedly made an offer for FireEye in June before ultimately buying Blue Coat Systems. International Business Machines (NYSE: IBM) and Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) may also be interested in the company, with both tech titans aiming to grow their respective security businesses.

    http://www.pantagraph.com/business/investment/markets-and-stocks/fireeye-stock-jumps-on-takeover-speculation/article_4c9bb33c-a526-5bdc-80ab-ac29e3798859.html

  • Why open source programming languages are crushing proprietary peers

    Even more impressive than R, however, is Go, the open source language first released by Google. Based in large measure on a 5X boom in active GitHub repositories defaulting to Go as their primary language, developers have gone gaga for Go. Go may even give the venerable Java a run for its money, given developers’ propensity to use it to build cloud applications.

    http://www.techrepublic.com/article/why-open-source-programming-languages-are-crushing-proprietary-peers/

  • CSC reportedly plans layoffs ahead of HPE merger

    Computer Sciences Corp. plans to lay off about 500 workers ahead of its merger with Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s enterprise services business, according to a Computerworld report. But the company says the layoffs are unrelated to the proposed merger.

    http://www.ciodive.com/news/csc-reportedly-plans-layoffs-ahead-of-hpe-merger/423504/

Photo: Austin Neill

Posted on

Supplier Report: 7/23/2016

sn_danger_Nicolas Cool

IBM had another down quarter but is reporting 30% growth in cloud and their “critical initiatives”, while they are growing the future of Big Blue, are they turning friends into enemies? What does IBM and Microsoft’s deal for their Surface devices means for Apple in the long run?

Salesforce purchased a datacenter analytics company while there are rumors that Oracle might buy cloud computing company Netsuite.

HPE failed to get an Oracle lawsuit dismissed and also seems to be failing to pay their sales teams.

Can Google use AI to cut datacenter energy costs by 40%? (Yes… with a big BUT)

IBM

  • IBM grows in cloud and data analytics but overall revenue slides

    The Armonk, New York, company said Monday that revenue from its new “strategic imperatives” like cloud, analytics and security increased by 12 percent year-on-year to US$8.3 billion. That increase was, however, lower than the growth the company had reported in these businesses in the first quarter.

    Cloud revenue – public, private and hybrid – grew 30 percent in the second quarter, while revenue from analytics grew 4 percent, revenue from mobile increased 43 percent and the security business grew 18 percent.

    Additionally:

    IBM’s systems revenue, for example, was down 23 percent in the quarter to $2 billion, while its Global Business Services, including consulting, global process services and application management, brought in revenue of $4.3 billion, down 3.0 percent from a year earlier. Revenue for the company’s z Systems mainframes was down 40 percent in the quarter while margins improved, “consistent with where we are in the product cycle.” Schroeter said. IBM acquired EZSource in the quarter to help developers quickly and easily update mainframe applications.

    http://www.pcworld.com/article/3097273/ibm-grows-in-cloud-and-data-analytics-but-overall-revenue-slides.html

  • IBM: A Hodgepodge Going Nowhere

    I’m going to pick on Truven here because I’m a bit familiar with the company from the past. Truven basically owns a bunch of data on patients and licenses it out to companies so they can try and analyze it. IBM’s plan is to essentially plug all that data into Watson and hope it can come up with some clever insights to better treat patients. But is it really worth $2.6 billion? While IBM could certainly be onto something with all its healthcare-related acquisitions, since the industry is ripe for reform, chances are probably just as high that the company is acquiring as much as it can in the hopes that something turns into a homerun.

    My friends at Seeking Alpha really don’t like IBM (even when there is positive news). 
    http://seekingalpha.com/article/3989255-ibm-hodgepodge-going-nowhere
    Also from SA: IBM May Not Be A Hopeless Disaster After All

    In the past, I’ve stated repeatedly that IBM was too far away from growing its imperatives revenue quickly enough to make up for the losses in its legacy businesses but it seems that is no longer the case. What started as a small proportion of revenue is now a significant piece of the business and at the rate it is growing, IBM could potentially see top line growth in the relatively near future if it can stop the hemorrhaging elsewhere. Can it do that? Maybe; we’ll just have to wait and see. But at least the conversation can happen now whereas that was certainly not the case in the relatively recent past.

    http://seekingalpha.com/article/3989381-ibm-may-hopeless-disaster

  • CSC and IBM Expand Strategic Alliance with Collaboration Utilizing IBM Cloud for z to Enable Clients’ Move to Cloud

    CSC and IBM today announced a collaboration in which IBM will provide its Cloud Managed Services for z Systems — IBM Cloud for z — and associated mainframe hardware, software, monitoring and governance support to CSC clients who are moving to the cloud and want a more secure, scalable, flexible information technology infrastructure at significantly reduced operational costs.

    The expanded alliance further advances CSC’s vision of the “Service-Enabled Enterprise” and IBM’s “as-a-service” strategy, both designed to increase client choice and innovation in adopting emerging technologies. The as-a-service strategy provides consumption-based pricing for the IBM z Systems environment to give clients’ greater capital investment flexibility.

    So… IBM cuts their consulting force, CSC merges with HPE’s, and now there is this “collaboration”.  Interesting.
    http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/csc-and-ibm-expand-strategic-alliance-with-collaboration-utilizing-ibm-cloud-for-z-to-enable-clients-move-to-cloud-300300377.html

  • IBM Watson Wants to Be Your New Salesperson at Macy’s

    Customers can type in questions, and Macy’s On Call will return the top answer for that question along with location-specific details. For example, a customer could type, “Where are the ladies shoes?” or ask to find a specific brand of a dress, and the assistant will inform the shopper as to where the shoes are located in the store and where the exact dress is located.

    http://fortune.com/2016/07/20/ibm-watson-macys/

Hewlett Packard Enterprise | HP Inc

Oracle

  • Oracle could be about to buy NetSuite

    Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) is on the brink of announcing its buyout of cloud computing rival NetSuite Inc (NYSE:N), according to unconfirmed market rumors on Thursday.

    Gossips reckoned NetSuite has delayed publication of financial results due this week until next week because the pair want to unveil the deal beforehand.

    http://www.proactiveinvestors.com/companies/news/128488/oracle-could-be-about-to-buy-netsuite-128488.html

  • Oracle Wins Round in Copyright Suit With HPE

    U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar on Friday largely denied HPE’s motion to dismiss the suit, which accuses the company of participating in a scheme to use pilfered intellectual property to win customer-service contracts away. Friday’s decision was filed under seal, but at a Thursday afternoon hearing Tigar outlined his tentative ruling. He indicated he would partially dismiss Oracle’s claim under California’s unfair competition law but allow the core copyright claims to proceed.

    Oracle sued HPE in March, accusing its rival of pairing with Terix Computer Co. Inc. to sell hardware and software support services for Oracle’s Sun-branded computers running the Solaris operating system. Oracle’s lawyers, led by Christopher Yates of Latham & Watkins, have alleged that HPE officials knew Terix illegally used Oracle customer credentials to access copyrighted Solaris updates for servers. Oracle claims that only servers covered by valid Oracle support contracts had a license to the updates.

    http://www.therecorder.com/litigation-news/id=1202762942712/Oracle-Wins-Round-in-Copyright-Suit-With-HPE

  • Exclusive: Oracle to reboot Java EE for the cloud

    Rumored to have put the project on the back burner, Oracle has weathered a storm of complaints over its stewardship of enterprise Java, with two separate organizations considering plans to move Java EE forward without Oracle. Rather than let Java EE wither, Oracle is instead looking to reboot the platform to better accommodate where enterprises are headed, particularly to the cloud, said a high-ranking Oracle official in response to recent criticism.

    http://www.infoworld.com/article/3098007/java/oracle-to-reboot-java-ee-for-the-cloud.html

Storage (EMC | Dell )

  • EMC Exec: No Competition Between Dell-Nutanix Appliance And EMC Hyper-Convergence Portfolio

    “If I buy into the [EMC] ‘blocks, racks and rails’ story, it’s not really competitive against Nutanix,” Miller said. The Nutanix-based Dell XC appliance, “is for a smaller play, or someone who hasn’t completely bought into [the hyper-convergence] methodology,” he said.

    http://www.crn.com/news/data-center/300081365/emc-exec-no-competition-between-dell-nutanix-appliance-and-emc-hyper-convergence-portfolio.htm

  • EMC, Dell merger approved by shareholders in 98% vote

    From Joe Tucci, EMC Chairman and CEO: “Today’s resoundingly favorable shareholder vote clearly supports our view that combining Dell and EMC will create a powerhouse in the technology industry. The Board and I care very deeply about, and have worked diligently to represent, what we believe is the best outcome for all stakeholders. I want to thank our shareholders for their support, as well as our customers and partners.  My special thanks to the talented people of EMC for their hard work, dedication and passion.”

    http://seekingalpha.com/news/3194069-emc-dell-merger-approved-shareholders-98-percent-vote

Microsoft

  • What will it take to turn Microsoft back to growth?

    Wall Street analysts on average expect the tech giant to post fiscal fourth-quarter revenue of $22.14 billion on earnings per share of 58 cents, according to a Thomson Reuters survey of 23 analyst estimates. This would mark the smallest year-over-year drop in quarterly revenue since the fourth quarter of last year.

    Overall, revenue is expected to decline 2 percent for fiscal 2016, but the company is headed in the right direction: Revenue growth is expected to return next quarter. Analysts project Microsoft to report 2 percent growth in the September quarter and 4 percent growth for fiscal 2017.

    http://www.cnbc.com/2016/07/18/what-it-will-take-for-microsoft-to-return-to-growth.html

Other

  • Salesforce Takes Measures Against Google Android Fragmentation-Related Issues

    Salesforce announced on its official support page that it will only support Google Nexus and Samsung Galaxy devices. The firm released a statement saying that the decision to support a limited number of devices regardless of the many Android devices on the market was so that it can improve its services on the devices supported. This will allow Android users on supported devices to have a better user experience.

    http://marketexclusive.com/salesforce-com-inc-nysecrm-takes-measures-alphabet-inc-nasdaqgoogl-google-android-fragmentation-related-issues/9249/

  • Google unleashes DeepMind on energy-hungry datacenter, cutting cooling bill by 40 percent

    We accomplished this by taking the historical data that had already been collected by thousands of sensors within the data centre — data such as temperatures, power, pump speeds, setpoints, etc. — and using it to train an ensemble of deep neural networks. Since our objective was to improve data centre energy efficiency, we trained the neural networks on the average future PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness), which is defined as the ratio of the total building energy usage to the IT energy usage. We then trained two additional ensembles of deep neural networks to predict the future temperature and pressure of the data centre over the next hour. The purpose of these predictions is to simulate the recommended actions from the PUE model, to ensure that we do not go beyond any operating constraints.

    https://deepmind.com/blog?t=1
    sn_unlimitedpower

  • Microsoft, IBM and SAP’s Impressive Cloud Numbers Don’t Tell the Whole Story

    Moreover, a shift from on-premise to cloud revenue streams is pressuring the margins of many firms, as hosting cloud apps and services brings with it expenses that don’t exist with regular software sales. While Microsoft’s revenue rose 2% in the June quarter, the company’s cost of revenue rose 7%, with cloud and search ad expense growth more than offsetting the impact of plunging phone sales. Meanwhile, IBM’s gross margin fell 190 basis points in the second quarter to 49%.

    https://www.thestreet.com/story/13646457/2/microsoft-ibm-and-sap-report-impressive-cloud-numbers-but-they-don-t-tell-the-whole-story.html

  • Should Apple worry about Microsoft-IBM deal?

    Apple’s role in the enterprise has been and, for the foreseeable future, will be anchored to workers and consumers, not big businesses, says Aaron Gette, CIO of Bay Club, a lifestyle and fitness company. “Microsoft might not be first to market, but they come prepared and well versed,” he says. “Microsoft’s Azure is beginning to win in the enterprise cloud marketplace, so the role of IBM’s ability to deliver apps to the Surface users in the enterprise is a great play.”

    http://www.cio.com/article/3098267/it-industry/should-apple-worry-about-microsoft-ibm-deal.html

  • Salesforce acquires crowd-sourced data analytics solution Coolan

    Coolan is a data analytics platform that monitors the performance of data centers, that helps predict server failure, reduce downtime, and lower the cost of infrastructure. Their cloud analytics platform is aimed at predicting the flaws in a data center and helping the hardware community build a reliable and efficient infrastructure.

    http://thetechportal.com/2016/07/22/salesforce-acquires-coolan/
    Why Salesforce Is Buying This Little-Known Startup

    “If you’re a company buying, say 100 Dell servers this year, and another 100 in six months and another 100 next year, you really don’t know what the components in all those servers are,” said a source close to Coolan, who requested anonymity because he is not authorized to speak on the deal. “Some may have Western Digital hard drives, others may have Seagate, some server lots will have memory from this supplier, others from someone else. Coolan goes in and tells you what all those components are, how they all perform over time and what their failure rates are.”

    http://fortune.com/2016/07/22/salesforce-coolan-data-centers/

Photo: Nicolas Cool

Posted on

Supplier Report: 7/16/2016

sn_beach_JoshuaNess

The fight between Google, Microsoft, and AWS (with IBM and Oracle fighting for scraps) is the major news trend of the week.

Microsoft announced a partnership with GE that will introduce their Predix IoT engine into the Azure cloud. Meanwhile, Google’s Diane Greene says Google can beat AWS and Microsoft in almost any RFP because they know cloud the best.  Amazon said the origins of their cloud infrastructure was a reaction to legacy IT providers “not caring”, especially once the sale was inked.

While cloud was a major topic, HPE once again is making headlines for exploring the possibility of selling off some of their enterprise software (seriously… this again?).

IBM

  • Inside IBM’s New App-Building Training Ground

    While the New York garage is similar to the others IBM has in cities like Toronto, San Francisco, and London, IBM is specifically making an open pitch to blockchain developers. Blockchain is a technology made famous by bitcoin, which has a public digital ledger for every transaction performed that can be shared among a distributed network. Many companies are tinkering with blockchain because it could change the way digital transactions are performed. IBM says this is because it sees an increased need for training and leadership when it comes to this burgeoning technology. Financial services—along with multiple other industries—are trying to figure out ways they can use this new system (which was introduced to the world thanks to bitcoin), and implement it into their system. Many New York-based companies are trying to figure out what they can do. While there’s a blockchain focus in the New York garage, the space isn’t exclusively for that technology.

    http://www.fastcompany.com/3061668/the-future-of-work/inside-ibms-new-app-building-training-ground

  • OpenText CEO Takes Aim at IBM Watson #OTEW

    “Our path on software is pure openness: open standards and open algorithms,” Barrenechea said. “IBM’s platform is closed. Our hardware is built open standard x86. You can chose your vendor, and you can choose your design. With IBM Watson, it’s closed. You use the Watson mainframe when you’re there.”

    http://www.cmswire.com/information-management/opentext-ceo-takes-aim-at-ibm-watson-otew/
    IBM Responds:

    Reached by CMSWire after Barrenechea’s comments, IBM Watson Chief Technology Officer Rob High said the cognitive APIs and services on the Watson platform are available to any developer who wants to build a Watson application.

    “These APIs are available to the public on our Watson Developer Cloud,” he said, “but we’re expanding to other platforms as well.”

  • Microsoft and IBM in a deal to push Surface devices to enterprises
    I wonder how IBM’s buddies at Apple feel about this… not well I imagine.

    For IBM, the deal is much like the one it struck with Apple in 2014 to develop apps for iPhones and iPads. IBM will acquire more enterprise software customers, and it won’t have to worry about supporting the hardware.

    The IBM custom software will take advantage of unique Surface features, Microsoft said. The applications will revolve around analytics, reporting, employee productivity, management and forecasting.

    http://www.itworld.com/article/3094383/microsoft-and-ibm-in-a-deal-to-push-surface-devices-to-enterprises.html

Microsoft

  • Microsoft wins landmark data storage case

    A unanimous decision from the Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Microsoft did not have to turn over documents from an email account stored in an Irish data center despite a 2013 warrant.

    “We have little trouble concluding that execution of the Warrant would constitute an unlawful extraterritorial application of [the U.S. authority],” wrote Circuit Judge Susan L. Carney in the official opinion.

    http://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/287763-microsoft-wins-landmark-data-storage-case

  • Yes, Windows 10 subscriptions are coming, at least for enterprise

    Beginning this fall, Microsoft will offer Windows 10 Enterprise E3, a special enterprise tier of Windows 10 that will cost $7 per user per month. Yusuf Mehdi, the corporate vice president of the Windows and Devices Group at Microsoft, said cloud providers would now be able to offer three premier Microsoft services on a subscription basis: Microsoft’s Azure, Office 365, and now Windows 10.

    “For the price of a cup of coffee and a donut per day, you can get enterprise-class security on a per-user subscription basis,” Mehdi said onstage at Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference in Toronto, Canada. “If you’re a cloud provider, this is now phenomenal.”

    I love the “cup of coffee” line… it is a total diversion tactic.
    machoman_cream
    http://www.pcworld.com/article/3094785/windows/yes-windows-10-subscriptions-are-coming-at-least-for-enterprise.html

  • Instant Analysis: GE Brings Its Predix Industrial Software to Microsoft’s Cloud

    Predix is one of GE’s major investments in the Internet of Things, and it allows companies to manage and analyze industrial equipment (jet engines, factory machines, etc.) to improve their efficiency and reduce downtime.

    “Bringing Predix to Azure means those same customers will now have access to additional capabilities such as natural language technology, artificial intelligence, advanced data visualization and enterprise application integration,” Microsoft and GE said in a press release.

    The companies said Predix will also be integrated with Microsoft’s Azure IoT Suite, Cortana Intelligence Suite, Office 365, and other services, so that Predix customers can access industrial data in their business software.

    http://www.fool.com/investing/2016/07/12/instant-analysis-ge-brings-its-predix-industrial-s.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004

  • Kevin Turner’s departure from Microsoft generates cries of happiness from employees

    Microsoft’s Executive Vice President for its Windows and Devices group also received negative opinions from some of its employees. Over 60% of the employees believe Turner was fired, although that wasn’t the case, and a mini-poll shows that 93 out of 95 of them felt “crazy happy” about this. Only two seemed to feel “crying sad”. Turner was known for being pretty rough, similar to ex-CEO Steve Ballmer, who was also known for being quick to throw anger around, especially as Turner was brought in whilst Ballmer was at the throne.

    http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2464435/microsoft-employees-have-almighty-bitchfest-over-executives-turner-and-myerson

Hewlett Packard Enterprise | HP Inc

Oracle

  • Oracle’s $9B Lawsuit with Google Sees New Development

    Per media reports, last Wednesday Oracle appealed to the San Francisco U.S. District Court to reconsider the verdict. The filing stated that “Google’s financial rewards are as ‘conspicuous’ as they come, and unprecedented in the case law.” Oracle claims that Google has gained over $42 billion from Android powered by its Java APIs and therefore demanded a share of its profit.

    However, Google had earlier defended itself saying that the Java code was free and open and there have been no copyright infringements. In fact, Google’s stance was also supported by a majority of the Java programming community (including most of Silicon Valley) which believed that a decision in Oracle’s favor could prove detrimental to innovation as programmers use open source APIs across various interfaces for developing codes.

    http://finance.yahoo.com/news/oracles-9b-lawsuit-google-sees-150603905.html

Storage (EMC | Dell )

  • John Byrne becomes president of Dell and EMC unified global channel

    John Byrne an ex Advanced 3D, ATI, AMD executive has just got promoted again at Dell. He is now president of the Dell and EMC global channel. Mike Magee and Fudo have known John Byrne for close to two decades, but now is not the time for kiss and tell.

    This is a huge success for Byrne who started at Dell as global vice president of Sales Strategy and Operations in July 2015, then got promoted to be global vice president of Sales Strategy, Operations and Channels at Dell in October.

    http://www.fudzilla.com/news/41103-john-byrne-is-president-dell-and-emc-global-channel

Other

  • AWS says tech legacy vendors ‘don’t care’ about enterprise customers

    In contrast, he accused legacy IT vendors of “extortionist techniques” to hit that revenue, saying: “They forced you to pay upfront even if you are not going to use [what you buy].”

    Amazon went on to reference a stream of enterprise customers using its software, after UK MD, Gavin Jackson, recognised that many in the audience were not serious AWS users, but people interested in hearing more of what the company has to offer their businesses.

    While AWS claims to have more than one million customers worldwide, and the largest number of start-ups (including behemoths like Spotify and Netflix) on its books, it wants more enterprise customers to start using its platform.

    http://www.cloudpro.co.uk/leadership/cloud-essentials/6145/aws-says-tech-legacy-vendors-don-t-care-about-enterprise-customers

  • Google cloud boss Diane Greene: We’re winning against AWS and Microsoft

    “We can actually win an RFP pretty much every time against AWS or Azure. Our growth is great,” Greene told attendees of the Fortune Brainstorm Tech show in Aspen, Colorado on Monday.

    “We have the best infrastructure, our own network backbone, our own fiber, a very cost-effective data centers, very automated.”

    http://www.businessinsider.com/google-cloud-boss-on-aws-and-microsoft-2016-7

  • Why Teradata Corporation Fell 11.5% in June

    Plenty of stocks plunged on the outcome of the Brexit vote, but Teradata suffered more than most. The U.K. has been a solid growth market for Teradata’s data and analytics products in recent quarters, so the prospect of slower orders from that hamstrung economy can be scary to Teradata investors.

    Then, analyst firm CLSA posted a report, explaining that a low-cost bulk storage product known as Amazon Redshift is growing much faster than its traditional rivals. The data warehousing package more than tripled its revenue in 2015 while Teradata and other traditional providers posted shrinking sales.

    That one-two punch lowered Teradata shares more than 14% in just two days.

    http://www.pantagraph.com/business/investment/markets-and-stocks/why-teradata-corporation-fell-in-june/article_417c9709-6078-570f-a7b7-48355263a7ec.html

Photo: Joshua Ness

Posted on

Supplier Report: 7/9/2016

sn_sparkle_Matt Hoffman

Nothing Earth-shattering occurred this week in IT supplier news, but that did give the news media time to collect their thoughts on the last few weeks of massive news stories.

One interesting tidbit is news that IBM formed a new company with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center to address medical supply chain costs.

There is also a follow-up to a news item from this week’s podcast regarding a potential open source fork in Java EE.

IBM

  • Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation versus International Business Machines Corporation Head to Head Compare

    Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation has a substantially higher fundamental rating then International Business Machines Corporation which has an impact on the head-to-head comparison. The CML Star Rating is an objective, quantifiable measure of a company’s operating and financial condition. The rating is computed by measuring numerous elements of the company’s current financial data and their associated changes over time.

    http://news.cmlviz.com/2016/07/08/cognizant-technology-solutions-corporation-and-international-business-machines-corporation-head-to-head-compare.html
    sn_cog_ibm_compare_2016

  • Healthcare Supply Chain to Get the Watson Treatment

    The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and IBM announced on Thursday the formation of an independent company, Pensiamo, to tackle one of healthcare’s fastest-growing expenses, supply chain costs.

    Under pressure to control costs, a vital element of the move to value-based care, providers need to understand costs down to individual patients the companies said.

    http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/technology/healthcare-supply-chain-get-watson-treatment

  • IBM to hire Microsoft veteran Karan Bajwa

    Karan Bajwa was instrumental in establishing Microsoft’s Azure and Office 365 business in India. IBM aims to enhance transformational deals in India with the appointment of Karan Bajwa. Earlier, Karan Bajwa had a stint with IBM and was based out of Singapore.

    http://www.infotechlead.com/hr/ibm-hire-microsoft-veteran-karan-bajwa-40890

  • Better Buy: HP vs. IBM

    HP is overly reliant on PCs and printers, both dying industries in their current form. HP’s innovative tablets and 3D printers should give shareholders some hope, but there remain too many uncertainties and obstacles to overcome. Second, IBM’s migration into cloud, AI, and IoT analytics sales offers limitless upside, as each category is further along the growth curve than HP’s tablets or 3D printers. Investor patience is necessary in either case, but IBM will reward that patience before HP manages to.

    http://www.fool.com/investing/2016/07/04/better-buy-hp-vs-ibm.aspx

Microsoft

  • Jhonsa: Microsoft’s Latest Moves Ought to Make SAP and Oracle a Little Nervous

    On Wednesday, the company said it’s doubling down on its business app efforts by putting all of its apps into one product line, launching new business apps and integrating the products with other Microsoft offerings, including the widely-used Office 365.

    While the solution isn’t going to eat SAP and Oracle’s lunch, it should make the enterprise software giants a little nervous, as it leaves Microsoft well-positioned to add to recent share gains.

    https://www.thestreet.com/story/13631263/1/jhonsa-microsoft-rsquo-s-latest-moves-ought-to-make-sap-and-oracle-a-little-nervous.html

  • Microsoft leadership shake-up as veteran exec departs

    Microsoft on Thursday announced a shake-up in its top ranks, including the departure of longtime chief operating officer Kevin Turner for a new job.

    Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella said that five executives will divide the duties held by Turner, who played a pivotal role over the past decade as Microsoft shifted from packaged software to programs offered as services in the internet cloud to a gamut of connected devices.

    Turner will remain at Microsoft to aid with the transition through this month, then leave to become chief executive officer at global financial firm Citadel Securities, according to Nadella.

    https://www.yahoo.com/tech/microsoft-leadership-shake-veteran-exec-departs-171217916.html
    Microsoft’s Nadella Reshapes Top Management as Turner Leaves

    Other executives already reporting to Nadella will take on parts of Turner’s job, with Chris Capossela leading worldwide marketing, Kurt DelBene leading IT and Chief Financial Officer Amy Hood taking over the sales and marketing team’s finance group, which had been separate.

    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-07-07/microsoft-s-nadella-reshapes-management-team-as-turner-leaves

  • Microsoft’s biggest acquisitions: from disaster to so-so

    Most recently, that meant buying LinkedIn in a shocker of a $26.2 billion deal that also ranks as Microsoft’s biggest ever. Before that, Microsoft made huge purchases in the form of Nokia, “Minecraft” developer Mojang, Skype, and lots of others.

    Some of them added valuable new business software to Microsoft’s portfolio. Some of them flamed out, big-time. At least once, a police raid was involved.

    http://www.businessinsider.com/microsofts-biggest-acquisitions-ever-2016-7

  • Microsoft challenges Google Hangouts with free ‘Skype Meetings’ service
    When are we going to see Skype and Lync merge so enterprise users have access to these features?

    Microsoft today released a new free tool called Skype Meetings that allows small businesses and others to have audio and video meetings, challenging Google Hangouts and other free videoconference services.

    Skype Meetings is for businesses that do not already have an Office 365 subscription and is basically a light version of Skype for Business. The program allows virtual meetings of up to 10 people initially and three people after the first 60 days. Skype for Business can support as many as 250 people in a meeting.

    http://www.geekwire.com/2016/skype-meetings/

Storage (EMC | Dell )

  • EMC-Dell deal gets thumbs-up from key shareholder group

    EMC Corp. picked up an important endorsement for its proposed merger with Dell this week when the proxy advisory firm Glass Lewis advised EMC shareholders to vote in favor of the deal.

    Glass Lewis is a powerful voice among shareholders, as the second-largest proxy advisory firm in the world. It provides guidance to its clients, large institutional investors managing more than $25 trillion in assets, on how they should vote on corporate governance issues.

    http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2016/07/07/emc-dell-deal-gets-thumbs-up-from-key-shareholder.html

Oracle

  • Java EE followers devise plan to seize control from Oracle

    The main reason behind this split according to Java EE advocates is Oracle’s perceived disinterest in the platform. According to them, lack of support from Oracle will leave them with no option but to move forward with their own improvements.

    Java EE 8 with HTTP 2.0 and HTML5 support is reportedly being readied for June 2017 release. But the Java EE advocates say that Oracle will miss this date. So they have formed two groups to enhance Java EE on their own, outside of the jurisdiction of Oracle and the formal JCP (Java Community Process).

    The two groups are Java EE Guardians and MicroProfile.io, will work independently from Oracle and will build extensions to accommodate microservices in Java EE. Red Hat and IBM have joined in as contributors to MicroProfile.io. Payara, which has built a drop-in replacement for the open-source GlassFish Java EE application server that Oracle has reduced its attention to, is participating as well.

    http://www.techworm.net/2016/07/java-ee-followers-devise-plan-seize-control-oracle.html

Other

  • Inside Google And Microsoft’s Race To Catch Amazon In The Trillion-Dollar Cloud

    Google did not have the DNA to create a giant new operation focused solely on selling technology services to other businesses.

    That’s why Greene’s name kept coming up. As Google came to terms with the opportunity, Page asked her to take over the company’s cloud computing efforts. She demurred. Soon enough, other executives and fellow board members followed up with her. It was finally Urs Hölzle, one of Google’s earliest engineers and the man most responsible for building Google’s computing infrastructure, who persuaded Greene to take the job, as the two of them walked their dogs together in the Stanford hills.

    There was one wrinkle: Greene was busy with a new, secretive startup called Bebop, which was developing tech to power easy-to-use business-software applications. So in November of last year, Google acquired Bebop for $380 million and named Greene the head of Google Cloud Platform, giving her the reins to build a salesforce and revamp a unit that spent $10 billion on growth in 2015. The appointment thrust Greene into an unusual role: As an Alphabet board member, she is, in some sense, Page’s boss. As head of cloud computing, she works for Google CEO Sundar Pichai, who reports to Page.

    http://www.forbes.com/sites/alexkonrad/2016/07/06/trillion-dollar-race-for-the-cloud/#3f38ebc06080

Photo: Matt Hoffman