Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications

    Keep Track of Friends, Enemies

    By
    Spencer F. Katt
    -
    April 18, 2008
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” Or is it “the enemy of my friend is my enemy”? The Learned Lynx was having a hard time sorting out the significance of all the alliances that were shifted, stressed, strained and dinged in the latest maneuvers among Salesforce.com, Google and Microsoft.

      Some analysts continue to scratch their heads over the application mashup between Salesforce.com and Google Apps. Gartner analyst Tom Austin pondered: Why did Salesforce.com really do this deal with Google?

      See, Salesforce.com guns for enterprise users with its CRM products. Google guns for anyone who will take its apps, which Austin told eWEEK does not include a lot of big businesses, since Google doesn’t provide those coveted service-level agreements.

      “Google Apps are not selling to enterprises. Not yet, anyway,” Austin said. “Why would they when a lot of users are exploiting the free Google Apps as supplements to everything else they have? Why pay when you can get it for free? Using -for free’ products and services means no one has to sign off on the expense. And there is no political exposure for the decision maker. If Google Apps ultimately succeed in a big way, why, these people are heroes! If it fails, no one knows anything. How simple is that?”

      He added that the path of least resistance for Google is to pervade as much of the enterprise as they can in absolute stealth mode.

      So, the Quizzical Katt wondered: Will Salesforce.com chuck away its integration with Microsoft Outlook over this?

      Unlikely, Austin said. “This doesn’t feel like an attack on anyone else,” he added. “The old -the-enemy-of-my-enemy-is-my-friend’ strategy doesn’t seem to suffice as an explanation. So I chalk it up to cloud PR with some unspecified, potential long-term benefits.”

      Then the Sagacious Gato turned his thoughts to what these cloud-computing developments mean for Microsoft, as he reviewed his notes from the recent Gartner Symposium/ITxpo in Las Vegas.

      Microsoft takes a beating from the press, pundits and even Google for its Windows Live platform, which is essentially SAAS (software as a service) built on top of Microsoft’s core desktop capabilities. Microsoft views this as its entr??«e into cloud computing, where powers such as Google and Salesforce.com are well ahead. But Gartner’s David Mitchell Smith told Spencer during a meeting at the Gartner confab that Live is, well, alive and well, calling the notion that Microsoft doesn’t get the Web “way too harsh.”

      So, why does Microsoft get beaten up so much over Live? Smith said the company’s well-documented struggles to get Vista out the door, which contributed to some executive turnover, could have gone toward building momentum for Live.

      To that end, Smith also cautioned the high-tech world against proclaiming “the cloud is king,” as he believes there is plenty of room for traditional packaged apps for the foreseeable future.

      Spencer F. Katt
      Spencer F. Katt, the Whiskered Wonder, has been the mascot and tipster extraordinaire for eWEEK and its predecessor print publication PC Week since 1984. The Gadabout Gatto makes the rounds of the high tech centers of the U.S. and beyond in search of news and gossip about the products, companies and people that keep the IT industry in top gear. By day he can often be found padding about the exhibit halls and briefing rooms searching for tips about the latest breakthrough products. By night he haunts the sushi bars and watering holes his ears alert to the merest whisper about a big round of venture capital funding or a blockbuster corporate buyout. The often tart-tongued tabby is always ready to share his own views about the inside stories behind the headlines. 

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×