We work with dozens of clients, big and small, every month. Sometimes – say once a year – there’s a client whose situation perfectly encapsulates all the tensions involved with cloud computing. We just had that client. Here’s their story. Small company, big needs The company – lets call them Fisher’s Piers – is a [...]
Tag Archives: Microsoft
Community feedback is good. Kinda.
In the good ‘ole days when software still need installing and executives regularly printed their emails, software “support” was a strange thing. Sure, Microsoft had helplines you could call, and Quicken came with a manual, but it wasn’t “support” per se: more like a robotic attempt to appease the odd granny or two. Software personified [...]
Pro tips: 5 user interface features worth avoiding
As cloud-computing breaks into the business mainstream, software vendors are increasingly targeting end-users and individuals, not middle-management. As a result, more execs, marketers and developers are paying attention to the aesthetic and design components of their product’s user interface (UI). We think that’s great: there’s a thin line between form and function and it’s nice [...]
Cloud computing and the horseless carriage syndrome
Despite our recent(ish) blog post bashing Microsoft’s cloud initiatives, there’s a nugget of brilliance in “The Economics of The Cloud,” a recent paper published by Rolf Harms and Michael Yamartino, head corporate strategists at Microsoft. It’s a good paper, but the brilliance is in the opening metaphor: When cars emerged in the early 20th century, [...]
Nine upcoming Cloud Conferences worth checking out
Here at VM we’re planning our spring 2011 conference tour and we’re happy to say there’s a lot going on in the world of presentations and meetings about cloud-computing. Deadlines are fast-approaching though, so check out the list we’ve put together below and see if there’s something happening near you… hope to see you there! [...]
“Be what’s next” and the irony behind Microsoft’s new slogan
If you haven’t heard already, it’s now close to official: Microsoft is trademarking “Be what’s next” as their newest slogan. Compared with the current tagline (“Your potential, our passion”) it’s not a bad change, and when paired with their expanding line of cloud-based software it’s a clear indication of where Microsoft is moving (the cloud). [...]
Software, Surgery and SaaS
Back in my college days I worked at an ambitious and fast-paced non-profit in downtown Portland, OR. It was an ok job: I was the half-IT/half-everything else guy with too much work and no pay, but I liked the people, and, well, I needed the job. Thing was, I was the IT guy and our [...]