Microsoft Changes Controversial SaaS Billing Policies

After a generation of confusing and frustrating licensing policies, Microsoft may actually be listening to its channel partners. Reported by ChannelWeb, Microsoft will let channel partners bill customers for SaaS services.

Google Starts Down Certification Path

Google announced that they are offering on-line courses and a certification test for Google Analytics. This is a good start in helping business owners understand if they are engaging qualified resources. We look forward to Google expanding the program to their other product lines. We also encourage Google to consider a practicum or customer references […]

Microsoft Gives Hosting Firms Toolkit and Ability to Build More Infrastructure

As reported in Web Host Industry Review, Microsoft has released a Data Center Toolkit designed to help web hosting firms host and manage other services on the MS Platform. In doing so, Microsoft is asking web hosting firms to further expand their capital infrastructure. Why not provide web hosting firm with access to a cloud […]

Google Provides Blog Converters

As part of it’s open source initiatives, Google has released Google Blog Converters 1.0. Kudos to Google for helping users move from as well as to Google’s Blogger service.

Google Leaks Sneak Peak at Offline Tasks

An avid Google-watcher, Google Blogoscoped caught a glimpse of offline Tasks when Google temporarily allowed access beyond their Trusted Tester network.

Cloud Computing May Be Better Than Teenage Sex

In a blog from the Cloud Computing Expo, Walter Pinson asks, “Is Cloud Computing Like Teenage Sex?“. His premise is that while everybody is talking about Cloud Computing, few corporations are actually doing it. Here is what he is not seeing. Cloud Computing covers a variety of types of services, which I generally divide into […]

Cisco Steps into Cloud — sort of — With Email Security Product

Cisco, leveraging its Ironport appliances, has announce email security capabilities that can sit in-house, in a Cisco-managed environment, or both. As reported by NetworkWorld, Cisco will provision dedicated or virtualized systems for each customer. In other words, this is not a cloud-based service. Cisco offering a traditional, managed hosted service.

Maybe Microsoft Does See Google as a Threat in the Cloud

While Steve Ballmer failed to mention Google Apps as a threat to Microsoft’s email and collaboration products and services during a recent strategy meeting, the corporate VP of Microsoft Online Services sounds like he is fighting a street brawl. Phil Wainewright provides the blow-by-blow in is blog, Microsoft pumps cloud, trumps Google with GSK. What […]

ITworld: SaaS: The Better Way to Buy

David Coursey at ITworld is on the mark!

Chicken & Egg: Netbooks and Cloud Computing

In his blog, Stop Buying Servers, David Schrag agrees with TechRepublic’s Jason Hiner’s view that NetBooks are driving users to cloud computing. I have a slightly different take Netbooks are not driving users to Cloud Computing. Rather, the growth in Cloud Computing options makes netbooks more feasible. Low and mid-range netbooks, those under the $600, […]

You Can Export Data from Google Apps

The unofficial Google Operating System blog tells us how here: Export Data From Google Services

NetGEAR Rolls out ReadyNAS with Online Storage: We Have Questions

As reported on bMighty.com, NetGear has introduced a new ReadyNAS storage device aimed at the SMB Market. The device includes the capability to use an integrated online backup service with packages as low as $1/GB per month.As always, we have our questions: Is the fee based on native or compressed space? Is the online storage […]

10 Things Steve Ballmer (and Microsoft) is Thinking About

As reported by ChannelWeb, Steve Ballmer touched on many issues at Microsoft’s Strategic Update Meeting in New York last week. Here is my take after reading the quotes: SEARCH: Microsoft is not making money from Search and may be slowing its rate of investment Microsoft is threatened by netbooks and is considering how to adjust […]

Can Unified Communications Improve Productivity?

Summarizing a study by SIS International Research, ChannelWeb is reporting that the greatest communications pain point for SMBs is waiting for information. The study defined “waiting for information” as the time it takes to reach someone to pass along information or get an answer. More interesting facts from the study: On average, 70 percent of […]

Is Consolidation in Online Backups Beginning?

PC Magazine is reporting that HP is discontinuing its online backup services, known as Upline. Without any public press release from HP, customers have received notice of the service termination and will be receiving full refunds.While generally regarded as a slick service, Upline had significant service quality issues.This announcement follows Yahoo’s announcement that the Yahoo […]

Improved Interface for Attachments in Gmail

Google has release two nice improvements for attachments in Gmail. You can now: Select and attach multiple files from the same folder simultaneously See the upload progress of your files

Google’s Gmail Outage in Perspective

Tuesday Morning, from about 4:00 am to 7:00 am EST, many users could not access Gmail through the web interface. For Google Apps Premier Edition users, the impact appears to have been only the web access — IMAP access was working from our iPhones and we could still generate calendar updates and invites, site invites […]

GMail / GTalk Phishing Scam

ZDnet is reporting a phishing scam targeting users of Gmail and Gtalk services. The scam provides an “account termination” warning and asks users to click a link to a fake site that asks for login credentials. What to do? NEVER give your login credentials to fix an “account problem” Run Google Apps Premier Edition and […]

CNNMoney.com Discovers Web Conferencing

When the mainstream media reports on a technology trend, is the trend over? Let’s hope not. In a stroke of industry insight, CNNMoney.com is reporting that “Web Conferencing Booms”. The article gives case studies and pricing for Citrx GoTo Meeting and GoTo Webinar services (both great services), while taking a few jabs at Cisco WebEx […]

VMware Clouds Their Vision

As widely reported and covered in this ChannelWeb article, VMware is promoting a cloud computing strategy with the potential to integrate internal clouds and vendor clouds. A few thoughts: Is an “internal cloud” really a “cloud”, or just an traditional data center abstracted across virtual servers and resources? Are you getting full benefit from your […]