Scott Braden

Nov. 14,2012

This is a big quarter for Microsoft, with the release of Windows 8 and Office 2013, as well as the Surface / RT line of tablets and phones. It’s also a historic market opportunity for Microsoft’s enterprise customers. Most large businesses have been paying for Enterprise Agreements for a decade or more now, and are wondering whether the continued investment is worthwhile in a time of tightening cost controls and decreased relevance of traditional desktop computing in the enterprise. Will the market embrace Microsoft’s new products, or yawn and continue to run on the “good enough” existing versions of Win/Office, and continue the amazing ...

Steven Zolman

Nov. 14,2012

IT Optimization There are three major components to consider when maximizing economic and strategic value in your agreements, investments and relationships. They are: • Your Company • Your Suppliers • And The Market In your company, you’ll have needs, ambitions, organizational objectives, priorities, budgets, capabilities, infrastructure, and demographics that are all unique to you. In your technology supply chain, suppliers will have their own goals and ambitions, and will have strong incentives to promote their innovations, highlight their capabilities, sell their wares, and position their eco-system partners. In the market, you’ll find ...

jfisher

Oct. 25,2012

You are a new CIO, it could be your first CIO job or you may have been in that seat before. Whatever your situation, you are now in a new job and you need to make an impact on your new organization. The saying, “you only have one chance to make a first impression” certainly applies to your situation. Without a doubt, your organization will be looking for you to build value and whatever you do, you will make a first impression (either positive or negative). Here are some tips from the trenches to help you make that first impression a positive one. While there is always a “honeymoon” period for a new CIO, it doesn’t last long and in almost all ...

Steven Zolman

Oct. 25,2012

Undeniably, there is a cultural shift going on – and despite lingering security concerns and fears of supplier lock-in, our clients (like many others) are moving to the cloud with increasing confidence that the cost savings, operating efficiencies, and improved services levels are quite worth the perceived increase in risk of additional supplier accountability for security and data issues. In the last couple weeks, as I have participated in two conferences, numerous clients have asked me about Oracle’s cloud strategy. It’s no doubt that Larry Ellison, who famously denounced the cloud in 2005, is not necessarily the first one you think about ...

Scott Braden

Oct. 25,2012

Of course they do. Software companies design complexity into their licensing terms, and the result is that customers are unable to ever be sure they are completely in compliance with the license terms. This problem is endemic to the industry and is well known by every observer of the sector. As the soft economic cycle continues, the IT media is full of stories warning of software companies increasing audits. The connection is obvious - if revenues decline due to slow customer purchases, then the software companies can simply turn to their enforcement arms in order to make up the revenue shortfall. A rational observer can only conclude that ...

Steven Zolman

Sep. 24,2012

Last July, NET(net) analyzed the consolidating Talent Management Systems market following SAP’s acquisition of SuccessFactors in December 2011 and Oracle’s acquisition of Taleo in January of 2012. Since then, our prediction of further market consolidation continues to materialize. The most recent update is as a result of IBM’s acquisition of Kenexa for $1.3 billion in August, which appears to position IBM to compete more directly against Oracle / Taleo and SAP / SuccessFactors. Kenexa has been struggling to make money since 2007. Last year, they generated revenue of $283 million (a 44% increase year over year), but still managed to post a ...

Steven Zolman

Sep. 24,2012

In one case with our client, we were working with their business consultant, and the software supplier they recommended for an enterprise applications deal. The software supplier recommended a value added reseller (VAR), and the client also needed a systems integrator. It was also decided to host and manage the application, and two providers were needed for this. Due to incomplete software in the core offering, the client also needed to buy some third party applications, and also hired a development company to write needed custom software. Further, the client needed to purchase additional networking equipment, processing equipment, and ...

Steven Zolman

Sep. 24,2012

This month, NET(net), the market leading IT Investment Optimization firm, is celebrating its 10-year anniversary. This is a meaningful milestone considering only 2 out of 100 companies make it to 10 years. It all started with a simple but brilliant business model crafted by NET(net)’s Founder and CEO, Steven Zolman. Steve’s mission for NET(net) was and is to be the premier source of IT supplier market intelligence to help our global clients optimize their IT investments, agreements, and relationships with key technology suppliers. Reflecting on the last 10 years, it has been an amazing run advocating for our client’s needs and creating ...

Scott Braden

Aug. 27,2012

Has Ballmer’s regime sneakily turned Microsoft from the starry-eyed tech dreamers that Gates left, into flinty-eyed bloodsuckers now? As the stock brokerage commercials say, past performance is no guarantee of the future... but what else do we have to go on? So let's review some Microsoft history: After establishing market dominance with DOS (a story that itself is full of questionable business tactics), Microsoft quickly realized the value of bundling products together in order to claim market share and crowd out competitors. Microsoft introduced Office in 1990, the same year that the US Federal Trade Commission began an investigation into ...

Dave Young

Aug. 27,2012

Competition is good for the consumer and in enterprise networking, it almost always leads to better deals for our clients. However, there continues to be a love affair with Cisco gear, both on the edge and the core that makes the job of introducing a legitimate competitive threat difficult. Cisco has great gear in most cases, particularly in the core, but at what price? Cisco is consistently more expensive apples to apples, with legitimate lower cost options from Brocade (including legacy Foundry), Juniper and Huawei, as the most notable examples, with comparable functionality that meets most enterprises’ need. Sure, there might be some ...