When it comes to desert, the proof is in the pudding. When it comes to IT products and services, the proof is in what sells. And right now SaaS is selling.
And if Gartner is to be believed (and this is one of the rare cases where I believe them) SaaS will keep right on selling.
Garter researchers found that 77% of companies surveyed will increase spending on SaaS. That means they like it, they really like it.
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Posted by Doug Barney on 12/10/20121 comments
Readers share whether or not they agree with Doug that Windows 8 really does need a touch screen for optimal use:
I don't entirely agree with your assessment of the need for touch screens on the desktop. I find using a mouse with Windows 8 instead of a touch monitor quite satisfying.
In fact, I like to use a mouse on my Surface RT better than like the touch screen. (Maybe that's just me! I hate fingerprints on the screen.) I haven't played with Hyper-V yet but the free VMware Player works well with Windows 8. I did all my testing with Windows 8 CP/RP with the VMware Player.
(And I don't see any problems that are being reported with Hyper-V.) Licensing is a problem but I would not use unlicensed code in a production environment anyway so...
I think the absence of ADS with Windows RT is a two-fold strategy for Microsoft. First, it discourages the enterprise from investing in the Surface instead of going to their favorite Windows OEMs for Windows 8 Pro. Second, if the enterprise wants Windows RT instead, Microsoft can offer the enterprise a whole new set of management tools for the Surface RT.
-Marc
Not sure what the fuss is about. I use Windows 8 all the time without a touch screen and have had no problems. I have also installed Windows 8 on new computers for clients who I thought would say no to it -- again no-one has any issues. The new start screen is fine with a mouse and the desktop is just as they know it. In fact people seem to quite enjoy the new start screen and apps.
-John
I totally disagree, Win8 works fine on a desktop/laptop once you learn how the mouse is used. And also knowing some of the main hotkeys does not hurt either. A touch screen would be nice but is not needed, and articles like this give users a misguided view of Win 8. I personally am upgrading my home desktop and my parents desktop, and think that once they get used to it my parents will like Win 8 better than Win 7. Just like any new OS there is always a learning curve and I think that is what most people do not like.
-'80s Rocker
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Posted by Doug Barney on 12/07/20126 comments
Windows 8 is one confusing operating system. It has two wildly different interfaces and, for hardware, two vastly divergent approaches with Intel and ARM.
Now Microsoft is going to befuddle us all more next summer if rumors of Windows Blue are to be believed.
This new OS is kind of a cross between Windows RT and Windows Phone. The idea is to have one OS that spans phones and low-end Windows machines, one that supports the Win RT apps store style of software development and distribution.
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Posted by Doug Barney on 12/07/20127 comments
IT is taking a huge wait and see attitude with Windows 8. Most shops are in the midst of Windows 7 adoption, a fairly smooth upgrade from XP for end users. If you can use XP you can use Win 7.
Windows 8, on the other hand, is highly disruptive. And many are struggling to figure out its dual interfaces. You, the Redmond Report reader, either love or hate Win 8.
Consumers are equally troubled. If you are looking for a tablet, the iPad is the gold standard while Android-based devices are cheap. If you are looking for a PC, Windows 8 seems a bit weird.
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Posted by Doug Barney on 12/07/201212 comments
Netbooks have long been an impulse buy. Heck, a new one is less than $250. I can barely buy my boys a sushi dinner for that amount.
So far I've resisted the impulse. The keyboards are too small and most of the people I ask say they are flakier than a week-old croissant. And that low price is a tease. If you want to keep them from freezing you need more than the standard 1 GB of RAM.
Part of me was hoping for a fire sale on these puppies when Windows 8 shipped, but that was probably just a pipe dream. I'd sure scoop one for $100 though at this point I have no clue what I'd actually do with it.
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Posted by Doug Barney on 12/06/20122 comments
A few months back I heard that Hotmail was being replaced by Outlook. At first blush, I thought the Web mail system was being replaced with something that looked and acted a like an HTML version of the PC client. And who doesn't know how to use that?
Instead, to confuse us all, there are now two Outlooks: the PC client and a Web-based replacement for Hotmail.
Reviewers claimed this new Outlook was a big step up, doing a nice job of flagging messages with photos and attachments and putting these into "quick view" mode. This is handy for a couple reasons. These often carry viruses, spam or shams so they can quickly be deleted. In other cases, they are just what we've been looking for, and want to see right away.
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Posted by Doug Barney on 12/06/201210 comments
Not too long ago I mentioned how much I'd like to see an iPad that had the full capability of a Mac ("A Mac Tab would be Sweet to Swallow").
It got me wondering, if this iPad-style interface, which is similar to Microsoft's new Windows Store app interface is, is such a brilliant idea, why isn't Apple applying it to the Mac?
Is Microsoft the one to pioneer this idea, even though it is really applying an Apple idea to a Microsoft operating system? We are entering bizarro world.
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Posted by Doug Barney on 12/05/20122 comments
If you're like me you are frustrated that after years -- in fact, decades -- of fighting hackers and building all manner of security software, we are still way to vulnerable. In fact I don't feel one bit safer.
It's kind of like the arms race -- there are more and more hackers with more and more tools. And it's far too easy for script kiddies to get a hold of malware, make a little tweak and set off on a new attack. And criminal and political (countries and movements) hackers are more organized and better backed. All the security companies can do is to keep up.
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Posted by Doug Barney on 12/05/20127 comments
Do you care enough about Windows 8 to read 3,900 words? If so, click here.
If you're just mildly interested, you can read the next words and get a quick run down of Redmond news editor Kurt Mackie's fine report on Win 8 licensing, client management, security and more.
Most Windows upgrades are great for existing machines and technically any PC that supports Win 7 can run 8. That doesn't mean it should. Win 8 is really all about touch. No touch screen equals no fun. If you have a desktop you'll clearly want a touch-ready monitor.
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Posted by Doug Barney on 12/04/20127 comments
GFI has been making a lot of moves of late. It bought Sunbelt, makers of the well-regarded Vipre. And now GFI is moving its anti-malware and monitoring wares to the cloud. GFI Cloud is a straightforward offering that includes Vipre security software and its network server monitoring software.
Redmond magazine asked Brien Posey to review GFI Cloud and he liked what he found.
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Posted by Doug Barney on 12/04/20120 comments
Readers share their thoughts and opinions on the Windows Chief's company exit:
Windows 8 could have been the rave of the world, and still could be if Microsoft put out the service pack that it badly needs. All of the unhappiness over it could have been made to go away if it wasn't for one thing: Sinofsky's hubris. 'I know what you want better than you know what you want' might work for Apple (at least while Steve Jobs was alive), but the corporate IT wonks of the world won't put up with that from Microsoft. I think that the Microsoft board still remembers Vista and it hears the lack of love from IT.
Come on, how hard is it to put in a control panel switch to tell the OS which mode to boot up in: touch-tablet mode or desktop mode? Same thing for Aqua. For gosh sakes, the switch is already there in Win 7. No Start button? Get real. Do they realize how much it will cost us in training? Touch screens cost real money right now and it will be quite a while before they drop in price enough for me to justify replacing our flat screens.
-Vince
I think the reason Windows Chief Steven Sinofsky was told to hit the road is because his management style is team-focused and Microsoft wants to collaborate across divisions. As Sinofsky reached ever more powerful positions, it became increasingly clear that, while he was brilliant and certainly added some needed artistic panache to Windows, a top executive who embraced competitiveness and divisiveness would be an impediment to the overarching corporate goals.
-Gary
The best theory that I have heard goes something like this:
Sinofsky's launch of Windows 8 has been a spectacular success but that he has stepped on a lot of toes along the way. (Yes, even Steve Ballmer's toes.)
Now that Windows 8 is out, so is Steven Sinofsky and his roughshod cowboy way of doing things. It is time to mend fences in order to build a spirit of collaboration among disparate units of Microsoft who are used to working in a vacuum.
Unifying paradigms between Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 (more or less resulting in Windows RT) will require more than just collaboration between Windows units but also among Office groups (separating the Office for Mac group from the Office for Windows group never did make much sense to me). And, to complete the transition, most other Windows applications will need to have consistent 'metro-style' offerings as well.
Collaboration will have to be the new mantra.
-Marc
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Posted on 12/04/20120 comments
The majority of readers of Redmond magazine uses SharePoint and has for some years. But a majority isn't everyone and there are still plenty that haven't made the move (and may never in the future).
For those still in contemplation mode, Don Jones has some things to ponder.
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Posted by Doug Barney on 12/03/20121 comments