Comments on: Level Platforms Monitors Microsoft Cloud Applications http://www.mspmentor.net/2009/05/14/level-platforms-monitors-microsoft-cloud-applications/ Managed Services Blog for Top Managed Service Providers Sat, 20 Mar 2010 04:17:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc hourly 1 By: Shahab http://www.mspmentor.net/2009/05/14/level-platforms-monitors-microsoft-cloud-applications/comment-page-1/#comment-48150 Shahab Fri, 22 May 2009 18:12:38 +0000 http://www.mspmentor.net/?p=1999#comment-48150 If MS Business Productivity Online Services is a game change it's because MS channel partners are going to become marginalized. It's hard to see what is so groundbreaking about Level Platforms announcement. Microsoft is selling BPOS directly at http://www.microsoft.com/Online/default.mspx Why would a customer go to an IT services firm who has partnered with LevelPlatform to get Sharepoint online or exchange online. They can just go to Microsoft. Then the question becomes who will set it up? But SMBs are looking for SaaS so they can get setup themselves without expensive consulting. Either Microsoft’s solutions are to hard to setup & maintain (SharePoint consulting is a huge business) and IT services are required - if that's the case MS will have a hard time competing with services like GoogleApps or http://www.hyperoffice.com which enable SMBs to get their collaboration portals and business emails up on their own at a much lower cost. SaaS collaboration is going to splinter the various market players, and companies like LevelPartners will eventually lose their balance trying to be on both sides of the fence. If MS Business Productivity Online Services is a game change it’s because MS channel partners are going to become marginalized.

It’s hard to see what is so groundbreaking about Level Platforms announcement. Microsoft is selling BPOS directly at http://www.microsoft.com/Online/default.mspx

Why would a customer go to an IT services firm who has partnered with LevelPlatform to get Sharepoint online or exchange online. They can just go to Microsoft.

Then the question becomes who will set it up? But SMBs are looking for SaaS so they can get setup themselves without expensive consulting. Either Microsoft’s solutions are to hard to setup & maintain (SharePoint consulting is a huge business) and IT services are required – if that’s the case MS will have a hard time competing with services like GoogleApps or http://www.hyperoffice.com which enable SMBs to get their collaboration portals and business emails up on their own at a much lower cost.

SaaS collaboration is going to splinter the various market players, and companies like LevelPartners will eventually lose their balance trying to be on both sides of the fence.

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