We have been reading about the war in the cloud. We have seen how big companies like Google and Apple, and IBM offers its services and applications on the network, changing the way people use technology. We looked at how smaller companies such as Salesforce.com and Facebook and Groupon have turned into giants by (literally) with the beginning of a new cloud industry. We barf every time we watch those idiots at Microsoft commercial that has forgotten their TV programs and are able to do so from the airport by going "on cloud ."
and more ... you know who will win the war cloud of small business? Microsoft. If you want proof? All you need do is visit Paducah, Kentucky.
Paducah (approx. 30,000 inhabitants) is located about two hours from Nashville and three hours from Memphis, St. Louis and Louisville. The city was founded in 1815, occupied by Union forces during the greater part of the Civil War and had a big flood 1937.Grad is known for its annual telethon (Betty White appeared in 1959) and is one of only two cities in the famous poem titled "Hooray for Hollywood ". Former MLB player Terry Shumpert was born there. Dippin 'Dots, candy maker, has its headquarters there. So Bradshaw & Weil.
This is where Jared Morgan works. His family bought a 144 years old insurance agency in 1994 and Jared began working after college. And, except for two years restriction in youth ministry, it's where Jared always worked. And Paducah area is where he always lived. He married his high school girlfriend.
Bradshaw & Weill has eight employees, each an average of about twenty-five years experience. One employee has been with the agency for more than fifty years. Jared, at 29, is dječak.Tvrtka is "light years behind in technology," he says. "The smallest change can make things very difficult for our people ."
Jared to be modest. His company is light years behind in technology. In fact, little Bradshaw and Weil, compared to most other small businesses in San Francisco, New York, is a technology leader. For the past few years they've been using the Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite, or BPOs, for their e-mail and document sharing. In Paducah, Kentucky, for God's sake!
Quietly, Microsoft has added more and more of its core applications for the cloud. If you visit their online productivity sites you'll find a bunch of their product offering, such as Exchange Online for e-mail and calendaring, SharePoint Online for portals and share documents, Office Communications Online Communications, Live Meeting for Web and video conferencing, Dynamics CRM for customer relationship management and Windows InTune PC management.
the price is quite low. For example, only the exchange of rental costs $ 5.00 per month per user. Or if you prefer to host the SharePoint system that costs $ 5.25 per month per user. However, its greatest value is to sign up for BPOs. It will cost a total of $ 10.00 per month per user, and includes Exchange, SharePoint plus Office Communications and Live Meeting too.
Of course, something is still missing here. BPOs do not include any of the standard Microsoft Office products are used to using every day, such as Word, Excel, Outlook, Access and PowerPoint. These applications will be available on-line, according to Microsoft, in 2011 when the company issues its Office 365 hosted service that is currently still in beta stage. This will be one more thing I'll write about it when the time comes.
BPOs has features you'd expect to find in any cloud based nude.Sigurnost 2011, uptime, storage, fast setup and online and mobile access. This is what the cloud is all about.
And it's not as if it is not good competition out there. Google offers its own e-mail hosting, document sharing, and voice / communications services (but not meetings). Zoho offers a suite hosted small business applications. Box.net is a great alternative to SharePoint. Citrix Online has products for domestic meetings and webinars. But back to Paducah. A Jared.
Jared appreciate the advantages of going to the cloud. He saw the potential time and cost of using other people's servers to host its application, and not do it alone. Being in his 20's was more comfortable with technology than others in the company and the confidence to move things a little cloud of the argument from senior management.
and he tried the other cloud services, notably several offered by Google, which currently hosts the company's website. But he eventually decided to BPOs - especially Exchange and SharePoint. Is it for the features? He says he likes the way Outlook works so easily with Exchange. And, with SharePoint, he has helped others to create shared files that document company processes to service specific clients, scheduling reminders, and track restoration. But I am not convinced that Jared is nothing to do with Microsoft BPOs that he can not work with other cloud services.
Which is why Microsoft will win the war of the cloud. Look, I'm not the world's biggest Microsoft fan. Yes, my company sells one of their products. But I was brought to tears too many times to mention Windows freeze-ups. I am looking nails grow before my eyes while waiting for my computer to start (or shutdown). I show symptoms of advanced Parkinson's every time I have to pay for the upgrade of Office.
cloud has so far mainly on consumers. Cool apps for their devices. Valid for new ways schedule of parties and sharing photos. Great web site to store video, talking with friends and finding that perfect new car.
Now the story changes. Microsoft is moving into the cloud. In a big way. A company, along with its thousands of partners, will bring hundreds of millions of users on their small and medium-sized business customers. As Bradshaw & Weill. And that is why Microsoft will win the war cloud.
As the battle will be won and the product features and cool gizmos and applications. People, especially small business people, will be asked to choice quite brzo.Izbor will be on the company and services and who we trust with our data and our business applications. Small business people are nervous about it. Our data is our life and losing can put us out of business. We will not only those who trust him.
Whatever people say about Microsoft, we know them and for the most part, we believe them. We are using your applications for decades. We are comfortable with the look and feel of their products. Most small businesses around today have survived and prospered in part because the technology that you used to work on Microsoft platforms. And even new entrepreneurs will have a close look at their offerings. Of course, we were frustrated with the technical issues and problems with their products. But we know that these problems are more related technologies, and not company related. We know that the products from Google, Apple and others like them also comes with its own technical headaches.
Of course, Microsoft could screw up. They could make a lousy product. They could come down to support. They may fall behind in technology. And just because you have a history of getting into the market late, and then crushing their competitors (such as WordPerfect, Lotus, Netscape) does not mean their current management will be able to do it again.
But they do not have a clear advantage: their products are used and enjoyed by millions of small business people around the world. We do not want to change. We do not want to learn new products to do the same things we are already doing. We just want to do things faster and better. As long as Microsoft makes it easy for us to adjust the cloud We'll go along with them.
And while Microsoft keeps winning over businesses from cities such as Paducah Kentucky they will win the rat small business cloud.
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