Close
  • Latest News
  • Cybersecurity
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Mobile
  • Networking
  • Storage
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • 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
Menu
Search
  • Latest News
  • Cybersecurity
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Mobile
  • Networking
  • Storage
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications

    Microsoft Realigns Units, Focus

    By
    Darryl K. Taft
    -
    September 26, 2005
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Five years after a federal judge tried and failed to force Microsoft Corp. to split into several pieces, the company has decided to do the job itself—though the pieces will remain under the same roof.

      Microsoft last week announced a major reorganization into three divisions designed to streamline decision making and speed to market. The Redmond, Wash., company will realign several existing units into three core divisions—Platform Products & Services, Business, and Entertainment & Devices—that better represent Microsofts goals, said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.

      Despite the reorganization, Microsofts appeal to its developer base is unlikely to change, as the company views developers as a key constituency. However, some industry observers say that the new emphasis placed on the MSN online service is an indication that Microsoft officials have significant plans to use MSN as a development platform.

      “This means MSN gets a bigger role,” said Joe Wilcox, a Washington-based analyst with Jupitermedia Corp.s JupiterResearch. “It looks like Microsoft is taking Google [Inc.], Salesforce.com [Inc.] and all those guys talking about Web 2.0 very seriously. I see MSN emerging as another development platform with a significant emphasis on services. And by aligning it with Windows, there will be services aligned with the core asset and protecting it.”

      One key developer-related change will be that Eric Rudder, Microsofts senior vice president of Servers and Tools, will now be working directly for Bill Gates, company chairman and chief software architect. Officials said Rudder will focus on some of Microsofts leading advanced development efforts as well as overall strategy. Rudder will assume his new role following the launch of Visual Studio 2005 and SQL Server 2005 in November.

      Some observers wondered about the logic of the changes. “The overall plan makes sense, as does [Ray] Ozzies role. [But] I am still digesting why MSN would be part of the Platform group and not the Entertainment division. I can think of some good reasons for it but can also come up with strong counterarguments,” said Andrew Brust, chief of new technology at Citigate Hudson, in New York. “I also hope that these new delineations will not impede the developer group from working closely with the MBS [Microsoft Business Solutions] and Office teams. Any dilution there would be most unfortunate, especially with Oracle [Corp.] becoming such a formidable CRM [customer relationship management] and ERP [enterprise resource planning] player.”

      /zimages/2/28571.gifClick here to read about Ray Ozzies expanded role in Redmond.

      Longtime Microsoft watchers say that the companys moves show that market forces, not regulators, should dictate strategy changes.

      “New competitors like Google and Yahoo [Inc.] are doing what regulators couldnt and shouldnt,” said Jonathan Zuck, president of the Washington-based Association for Competitive Technology, an organization that lobbied for Microsoft in the trial.

      Under the reorganization, the new Microsoft Platform Products & Services Division will be led by Kevin Johnson and Jim Allchin as co-presidents; Jeff Raikes will be president of the Microsoft Business Division; and Robbie Bach will be president of the Microsoft Entertainment & Devices Division.

      Microsoft also announced that Allchin, former group vice president of platforms, will retire at the end of next year, after Windows Vista ships, and that Ozzie, one of the companys chief technology officers, will assume responsibility for helping drive the companys software-based services strategy and execution across all three divisions.

      “Competition is getting tough, and Microsoft is evolving to become more nimble,” Zuck said. “Its doing what good companies do: evolve to meet new challenges.”

      /zimages/2/28571.gifCheck out eWEEK.coms for Microsoft and Windows news, views and analysis.

      Avatar
      Darryl K. Taft
      Darryl K. Taft covers the development tools and developer-related issues beat from his office in Baltimore. He has more than 10 years of experience in the business and is always looking for the next scoop. Taft is a member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and was named 'one of the most active middleware reporters in the world' by The Middleware Co. He also has his own card in the 'Who's Who in Enterprise Java' deck.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Android

      Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 5, 2020 0
      Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Why Data Security Will Face Even Harsher...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 1, 2020 0
      Who would know more about details of the hacking process than an actual former career hacker? And who wants to understand all they can...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      How Veritas Is Shining a Light Into...

      eWEEK EDITORS - September 25, 2020 0
      Protecting data has always been one of the most important tasks in all of IT, yet as more companies become data companies at the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      How NVIDIA A100 Station Brings Data Center...

      Zeus Kerravala - November 18, 2020 0
      There’s little debate that graphics processor unit manufacturer NVIDIA is the de facto standard when it comes to providing silicon to power machine learning...
      Read more
      Apple

      Why iPhone 12 Pro Makes Sense for...

      Wayne Rash - November 26, 2020 0
      If you’ve been watching the Apple commercials for the past three weeks, you already know what the company thinks will happen if you buy...
      Read more
      eWeek


      Contact Us | About | Sitemap

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      Terms of Service | Privacy Notice | Advertise | California - Do Not Sell My Information

      © 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.

      ×