Comments on: Microsoft Channel Chief Allison Watson: Cloud Moves for VARs

By: The VAR Guy

The VAR Guy — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:56:04 +0000

Matt: The VAR Guy has not heard if MSFT is planning any White Label BPOS changes. But our resident blogger will keep investigating. And surely, more answers will surface at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (July 11-15, 2010, Washington DC).
-TVG

By: Matt Landis

Matt Landis — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 19:08:26 +0000

At the moment we are evaluating BPOS along with some other vendors. We have interest in it for OCS but also sharepoint, exchange & livemeeting.

BPOS has some pretty compelling features but I am very reluctant to promote something we are a simple “partner of record” change away from loosing our efforts.

In all reality if we are providing value that shouldn’t matter but the customer is tenously ours at the very best. Let’s say we provide a sharepoint site catered to CPA’s. If the client changes Partner-of-record–boom, there went our effort.. With intermedia we own the sharepoint. No simple POR change looses them. We can add $xx a month or something for our CPA IP. Intermedia’s whitelabel model looks much more safe to me.

Does anyone know if BPOS is considering any change in relation to whitelabel?

Matt

By: The VAR Guy

The VAR Guy — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:36:24 +0000

Frankie: Yes, SaaS profitability for partners remains a work in progress on some fronts. Particularly in the BPOS area, The VAR Guy believes.
-TVG

By: Frankie Says

Frankie Says — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:38:25 +0000

Var Guy, I’m not one of those “gloom and doom” types when it comes to Microsoft. I think they actually have a pretty bright future in the cloud especially when it comes to direct engagements with mid market customers.

But (there’s always a but) the question about partner profitability is a good one and I’m glad you took the time to ask Microsoft about partner concerns on SAAS pricing. It seems to me that if you don’t “own” the code that’s in the cloud, then you’re merely an agent reselling somebody else’s code for a very small fee.

I’m not blaming Microsoft. This is a software industry issue rather than a profit issue. Allison Watson’s reply to your question about cloud pricing suggests that partner profitability on cloud computing is still a work in progress.

Frankie