Can Unite Create Collaboration?

The team at Opera Software, makers of the Opera browser, released Opera Unite. Unite is a browser-based web-server that allows individuals to share files, host web sites, post notes, share photos, and remotely access music and videos.

The concept and potential for collaborative communications is great. The reality, however, may not live up to the vision.

Home Users:

Definitely the target customer for Unite, home users will be able to create personal and public web presences with little effort at no cost. The downside, however, is bandwidth. Your 5 Mbps DSL speed is download. Upload speed -- how fast data moves from your computer out to the Internet -- is likely no more than 768 Kbps. Accessing Unite sites can be slow and choppy, failing to provide a viable user experience.

Of greater concern, is the networking ports that need to be opened. Your cable Internet or DSL provider probably delivered a router with all inbound access blocked. You can surf the web because the web site is responding to a request that you made. With Unite, you will need to open ports to allow access to initiate from the outside world. Automatic port scanners used by Internet villains will find your computer and you will be attacked. It is only a matter of time.

Small Businesses:

The thought of free web site development and hosting is very tempting to many small businesses. But small businesses face the same issues as home users with respect to security and performance.

In addition, the file sharing capabilities may put your data at risk.

Larger Businesses:

Larger companies with security policies are not going to allow outside traffic into the company's network for Unite sites. It is risky from a security standpoint and with respect to the risk to confidential information via the file sharing feature. Internally, cheap and easy sites for project teams and other collaboration are tempting.

Using Unite within a business, however, creates a host of issues. A collection of disjoint collaboration sites makes it nearly impossible to ensure sensitive data remains private, information on the sites is backed up, and that hosting a local web site does not impede business applications.

In short, the vision and concept behind Opera Unite is pretty cool. The reality of how it can and will be used remains a risky proposition. One of the benefits of using a cloud- or SaaS-based solution is that the vendor provides security and operates on neutral turf. With a service provider, you can work, share, and collaborate without opening your network and computer to outsiders. A little money can save a lot of headache.

Zipcar Becomes a SaaS Provider?

You may know Zipcar as the trendy car sharing (er, hourly rental) service. They have made headlines renting hybrids and other vehicles parked in reserved spaces in local neighborhoods. For $7 an hour an up, customers reserve vehicles via the website and open the doors using a credit card reader.

The brains behind Zipcar, their fleet management system, is now available as a Software as a Services (SaaS) offering. By monetizing (for real) their intellectual property, Zipcar is opening a new avenue of B2B revenue to enhance their B2C roots.

Read more here.

New Leaders in PC Market Indicate Changing Role of Cloud Computing

ChannelWeb, a news source for technology resellers, is reporting that Acer has passed Dell as the #2 maker of notebooks.

Why does this matter? The shift is due to Acer's sale of netbooks.

This shift is a further indication that individuals and SMBs are comfortable with web-based, SaaS, and other cloud-based solutions. Netbooks are designed to optimize performance for web-based applications rather than locally-installed software.

Cloud Computing Reaches Mainstream Media

Cloud Computing and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is gaining coverage in mainstream, non-tech media, such as USA Today. This is an indication of broader acceptance in the market.

Microsoft Moving Towards a Real Office Cloud? Maybe.

As reported in IT World, Microsoft announced that its next generation MS Office suite (Office 14) will include Office Web Applications, a suite including lightweight versions of Word, Excel, and Powerpoint.

Signaling a potentially major shift in Microsoft's view of SaaS, the service will run in Firefox and Safari, as well as Internet Explorer, giving Microsoft office a means to run on Linux servers.

From the article and the announcement, it is still unclear if:

• Windows users will be able to run Office Web Applications in Firefox, or only IE
• If the service will require locally installed software
• If the service will require use of Office Live Workspace

While reports have the new service available in Beta later this year, the service will not launch until the release of Office 14 (which has not been announced).

Microsoft is clearly responding to threats from Google Apps, Zoho, and OpenOffice. Will Microsoft be able to shed many of its current licensing, pricing, and channel policies to effectively compete in an aggressive marketplace?

Understanding SaaS Availability Claims

As small and mid-size businesses (SMBs) evaluate cloud computing solutions, vendors often tout availability, or up-time, commitments. Understanding the metric, and how to compare vendor claims, is critical when selecting a solution.

Availability is generally expressed as a percentage -- 99.9%, 99.99%, and so on. With 8760 hours in each year, 99.9% availability equates to 8.75 hours (0.1%) downtime each year, or an average of 45 minutes per month. Similarly, 99.99% availability equates to 45 minutes of downtime each year, or about 5 minutes per month.

Simple yes, but the devil is in the details. Most vendors caveat availability commitments by excluding schedule maintenance windows. For some vendors, this means regularly scheduled windows; for others this means any non-emergency maintenance activities with advanced notice.

When comparing availability claims, you need to account how availability is calculated.

For example, Google Apps has no scheduled maintenance windows. The Google cloud is designed to allow maintenance and updates without impacting user access to applications and data. Google's 99.9% availability commitment means less than 8.75 total hours of downtime each year. In comparison, Company X running MS Exchange 2003 recently claimed availability of 99.99% as they had no unscheduled downtime in over a year. Looking more closely, they shutdown their email servers for about an hour each week to apply Microsoft security patches, install software updates, and run deep malware scans on the server.

Company X has total downtime of 52 hours per year. In a fair comparison, user availability is only 99.4%.

One of the advantages of Software-as-a-Service solutions, like Google Apps, is that SaaS solutions are design to provide better availability while reducing system administration and support costs. For Company X, moving to Google Apps would reduce the amount of time spent maintaining and supporting their email service -- saving money and letting their IT staff focus on activities with greater benefit to the business.

My First Feature Role in an Industry Webinar!

On April 15th, I will be one of three featured guests on a Webinar hosted by The VAR Guy and MSP Mentor.

The VAR Guy Live:Google Apps and the Amazon Cloud - Real SaaS Opportunities for VARs?

Click Here to Register.

See you online!

New Federal CIO prefers Software-as-a-Service

The US has a CIO for the first time. In appointing Vivek Kundra the federal government's first CIO, President Obama acknowledges the role information services can play in effective management and service delivery.

Vivek Kundra, the former CTO of Washington D.C., is best known for moving the District onto Google Apps. In addition to big savings on email, Google Apps provided a platform for inter-department collaboration and more transparency for the public. Every District employee is reachable by email and agencies and program use Google Sites to publish and share information.

That the first US CIO has a preference for Software as a Service solutions is a hopeful sign. While he has no direct control over agency CIO's, if the White House is pushing for SaaS, we can and will see adoption and cost savings.

Microsoft to VARs: Never Mind

In a major shift, Microsoft has changed its mind and backtracked from its decision to allow VARs to bill directly for SaaS solutions. Here is the story.

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.

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 three categories: Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS).

Systems like Salesforce.com, eBid, and FirePond demonstrate that corporations are more than willing to put critical business processes in the cloud and that these applications can and will integrate with other corporate systems.

37Signals, the developer of award-winning Web 2.0 solutions such as Basecamp replaced their internal data center with the Amazon cloud. Similarly, our friends at ten24web have built a platform for integrated email/web marketing in the cloud.

When innovative companies are forsaking infrastructure for cloud-resident platforms and infrastructure, and companies of all sizes rely on cloud-resident applications and systems for revenue-critical services, Cloud Computing is real and in use.

Granted, cloud computing vendors may not be publicizing their users. Then again, corporate customers may not want their competitors knowing their technology strategy

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 are your thoughts?

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, are not for the power users. Screens and keyboards are too small and the processors lack "umph". They do, however, meet the needs of many users, and not just road warriors. High-end netbooks, with larger (up to 15") screen sizes and more local storage, overcome some of these limitations and still provide savings of 30% to 60% over traditional notebooks.

Netbooks would fail in the market unless users can lighten their application load. Cloud Computing, and the growth of Software-as-a-Services solutions, lets users move some of the heavy processing and storage load off the local system.

The range of applications and services available in the cloud gives users access to capabilities without the hundreds or even tens of gigabytes often used by locally installed applications. Similarly, cloud computing puts the processing burden on the service, leveraging local resources for the user interface and communications.

Yes, cost is a factor. We see the true driver towards netbooks being their ability to let organizations match the true needs of the users to the most cost-effective solution.

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 (another great service).

For many, Web Conferencing is a great first venture into Cloud Computing. It is a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution that meets a clear need and has easily quantified returns on investment. Combined with Voice over IP (VoIP) telephone service, the benefits can be even greater.

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 internal cloud if you need to manage the virtualization systems and utilities, as well continue to manage and support hardware and applications?
• Can VMware create enough partnerships to move beyond infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) and platform-as-a-service (PaaS) offerings?

The answers to these and other questions will come over time. Stay tuned ....

Gartner Recommends Buying Google Apps from a Reseller

In a publication titled "Google Apps Reseller Channel Puts 'Feet' on the Street", Gartner recommends companies purchase Google Apps through the reseller channel.

"Procure GAPE via the reseller channel and drive toward a
cost plus price, which could potentially reduce the overall GAPE price by
almost 20%."

With bundled implementation, migration, and integration services, Gartner identifies qualified resellers as a means of managing the overall cost of the service.

Levels of Cloud Computing

"Cloud Computing", as a term, is quickly becoming a catch-all term for any service available over the Internet. This post from the vendor Rightscale provides a great definition of the three basic levels of Cloud Computing.

If Microsoft Resellers Don't Like Licensing Options ...

If Microsoft's resellers don't like the licensing options available to small and mid-size businesses (SMB's), why should you?

Yesterday, ChannelWeb (A CMP Publication) reported that Microsoft was mulling over changes to its SMB volume licensing programs, again. This is just another salvo in the ongoing debate over licensing complexity championed by David Schrag and other SMB experts for years.

Microsoft Licensing is overly complex. For every server, there are Client Access Licenses (CALs) to be bought. Volume licensing gets you access to features, training, and a limited number of support calls. Tracking and managing licensing and its related benefits burdens your IT staff with more administration.

Why bother?

For many applications and services, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions meet your business requirements without the licensing hassle. Most SaaS solutions include a reasonable startup fee and annual per-user fees. While user fees for services like Salesforce.com have tiers based on functionality sets, others like Google Apps include all service and application options at a single fee.

Either way, the licensing is relatively simple, you pay as you go, and your IT staff do not need a MS in Licensing (pun intended!).