Rant: E-Invoicing Claims vs. Supplier Reality (Part 1)
As I’ve dug further and further into marketing materials published by various vendors and analysts extolling the benefits of E-invoicing for suppliers, I’ve become less and less convinced that the benefits for buyers and suppliers…
Converging Giants: Microsoft Dynamics lines up against SAP, Oracle, and Salesforce.com
I’ve just come back the Microsoft Dynamics’ Convergence conference, where the news about Dynamics’ progress in the enterprise software space can be summed up in the following manner: The company’s two flagship products, AX and Dynamics CRM, have reached a functional level that basically places them on par with the best of their respective categories. [...]
Microsoft Dynamics makes manufacturing a game, sort of….
During his keynote at this week’s Convergence customer showcase, Microsoft Dynamics chief Kirill Tatarinov demoed the use of Microsoft’s Kinect interactive gaming system as an interface to the company’s AX ERP system. It was a relatively lackluster demo as far as Kinect goes – no wild gyrations, or dislocating motions, no funky music or funky [...]
Event Report: The Sentiment At Microsoft Convergence 2011
Refresh Cycle Reflects Bullish Outlook By Partners and Customers Microsoft Convergence kicked off over the weekend in Atlanta, GA at the Georgia World Congress Center. With an anticipated increase in attendance, many new product announcements, and a technology refresh cycle in play, attendees seemed upbeat. The event kicked off in true tradition including the must [...]
Microsoft’s Online Introduction
Microsoft did some smart things last week when it announced its Dynamics CRM Online service. Most of the headlines will focus on the teaser rate or introductory pricing of only $34 per seat-month for 12 months. Until June, users of Oracle CRM On-Demand and Salesforce who switch will have an added inducement of up to [...]
Research Summary: Software Insider’s Top 25 Posts For 2010
Themes In 2010 Reflected The Buy Side Demand For Both Optimization and Innovation Technology buyers in 2010 focused most of their priorities on finding cost savings through legacy optimization, navigating a flurry of disruptive technologies, and designing/experimenting with new business model innovations. Consequently, the top 25 posts for 2010 reflected these 3 major themes: Legacy [...]
The Realignment of the Enterprise Software Market: Oracle vs. Everyone, Microsoft in Ascendance, and Watch out for Infor
Larry Ellison makes no bones about it, he’s willing and able to compete to the death, or at least to the near death, with any and all who stand in his way. So, despite the billions of dollars in joints sales between Oracle and SAP, HP, and IBM, Ellison has been directly, and at times, [...]
SAP Goes On-demand
While the reigning crown prince of on-demand held court at Dreamforce last week, a pretender to the throne threw down the gauntlet and made its first full-court, concerted press into the future perfect of the enterprise software market. Day two of SAP’s analyst summit was an all-day marathon of product roadmaps, demos, and discussions that [...]
The Master of Guerilla Marketing Turns Microsoft’s Prank Around
CloudAve readers know I am a fan of edgy marketing. Now it’s time to update my recently compiled inventory of software marketing pranks. A major show like Salesforce.com’s DreamForce would not even be real without some guerilla marketing activity – except the players seemed to have traded places this year. Guerilla Marketing is normally David’s [...]
Tuesday’s Tip: Dealing With Vendor Threats For “All Or Nothing” Maintenance Agreements
Recent Client Interactions Hint At Increasingly Aggressive Vendor Behavior Conversations with 11 enterprise apps customers in the past two months indicate stricter enforcement of vendor “All or Nothing” maintenance policies. “All or Nothing” maintenance policies often require customers to put all licenses on maintenance or receive no maintenance from the vendor. These policies also prevent [...]
