Microsoft COO Explains Software + Services Strategy at CompTIA Event

In his keynote address this week at CompTIAs Breakaway in Las Vegas, Microsoft COO Kevin Turner said the software maker is embracing a software plus services strategy that makes room for its channel partners many of them members of CompTIA, which is a global association of data and voice VARs. About 1,200 people attended the Breakaway event.

Microsofts software + services model includes three options where the customer can host the software, Microsoft can host the software or a Microsoft partner can host the software. That is why we named it software plus services not software as a service, Turner says.

Microsoft’s Kevin Turner speaks at  CompTIAs Breakaway event.

He defends the software vendors moderation on the emerging disruptive SaaS model as prudent based on historical trends. Weve got people today saying 100 percent of software is going to go to software as a service. We dont believe thats going to happen, he said, citing historical examples of failed predictions regarding market domination by thin clients, Java script and outsourcing. What we do believe, what we believe is different about our strategy is we believe we need to offer customers a choice.

Microsoft has 640,000 channel partners reaching 160 million customers. Turner believes this huge channel gives the company a competitive advantage. Evolving our product suite so we can involve partners is a very powerful thing for us, he said.

Turner identified four pillars of the companys multicore products. These include desktop products, server products (including the forthcoming Office Communicator Service), entertainment and software + services. The server business category is the fastest growing of the four, he added.

Microsoft Inc. www.microsoft.com
CompTIA www.comptia.org