Marketing Strategy Learned from Microsoft™
Gates Says, “We Will Crush Google”
Bill Gates recently announced that they will crush Google, much like they did Netscape, by integrating their competing components, in this case search, into their operating system. By integrating enterprise search deeply into Windows Vista, Office 2007, Outlook 2007 and SharePoint 2007 and the rest of the Windows platform and also emerging web services from Microsoft, it will allow users to search intranets [sic], the internet [sic], their pc’s [sic], the network and more from a common user interface, Windows.
Microsoft’s multifaceted search platform, which includes Vista Search, Sharepoint Enterprise Search, Windows Live Search and an enhanced web search, cannot be matched by rivals because it harnesses other Windows services such as Workflow and BI.
He hopes this will allow users to act on the data, not just find it. He said they were “digging the ditch” with their new Windows Vista platform, and that software will no longer just run inside a company, but can run outside of the company and you can connect to it with software as a service, or SaaS.
And to give you some idea as to the scale of their ambitions he stated that they will be investing $6 billion in 2007 on search, web services and hosted services.
Source:
Commentary:
Even though Open Source advocates seem to dislike Microsoft(TM)’s lust for making money by delivering what customers are willing to pay for, we can learn from this “Marketing Machine.”
Here is the wisdom that Open Source advocates for schools missed, i.e., users want…
- An integrated solution, not a bunch of separate (even if free) tools
- Instant access to all relevant information from a unified interface
- Information access that is “one-click” easy
- An interface that helps them “act on data, not just find it”
- Workflow and “Instructional Intelligence-based” solutions
I don’t know if Microsoft(TM) will out compete and beat Google(TM) at the search game. However, Microsoft(TM) is spending 267% more on research this year than was spent for a year’s worth of eRate discounts for the entire country.
Open Source advocates can profit by paying attention.
We can also focus on competing in the education space because Microsoft(TM) will be moving on with the Vista(TM)/ Office 2007(TM) focus, while most school districts failed to plan for, budget for and manage upgrade paths for this new set of tools.
Open Source advocates probably have a year (because school district planning cycles are so long) to develop a competitive package based upon:
- Standardizing Open Source Tools
- Integrating the Open Source Tools Interface
- Developing the database connectors that could streamline access to school district resources, i.e., databases, tools, documents, etc.
Since we understand what users want, we can build a strategic path to providing that success experience with an Open Source solution. We have maybe a year to deliver on a viable alternative to Windows(TM)’s unified approach, otherwise, school districts will “go with the flow” and follow user demands.
If there were ever a clear reason for Open Source advocates to focus upon end user solutions instead of cheaper budget commitments for school district executive managers, this excerpt is it.
SOS SIG has the resources, in our partnership with ACCD, to get this integration job done.
Are we going to just rail at Microsoft(TM), or are we going to get the job (of building an easy to use, instructionally-targeted package of tools) done?
