Resellers tool up for Windows 2000
As Microsoft gave resellers and original equipment manufacturers a sneak preview of Windows 2000, a row was brewing between the software giant and arch rival IBM over product certification.
As Microsoft gave resellers and original equipment manufacturers a sneak preview of Windows 2000, a row was brewing between the software giant and arch rival IBM over product certification.
At the Computer Trade Show in Birmingham, resellers heard how Microsoft intends to market Windows 2000, which is due to launch on 17 February. The software giant also unveiled its latest round of Direct Access channel briefings and revealed how it hopes to increase its focus on the application service provider (ASP) market.
Robert Royce, sales director at Microsoft reseller Management Software, said: "I can't really fault Microsoft's marketing efforts, but however many seminars it stages and publicity it produces, adoption will still take a little time. Take-up will not happen immediately, and the big corporate customers have not expressed much interest yet."
Meanwhile, Microsoft defended the introduction of a tougher product certification standard for software applications running on Windows 2000. The move came after IBM said it will not forward any of its 300 software applications for Windows 2000 certification because customers are not asking for it, even though all Big Blue's software will eventually be compatible with the operating system.
"What is important is that applications are ready and exploiting Windows 2000, said Adam Jollans, marketing manager for IBM software on NT in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. "The certification process has additional elements of testing, which takes time and money. Certification on Windows 2000 is more complex than on NT 4, because Microsoft has added more requirements."
Mark Tennant, Microsoft's Windows 2000 product marketing manager, claimed that certified applications would reduce the total cost of ownership by having extra functionality, and denied IBM's decision was a snub to the certification programme.
The programme is so stringent that only six applications have been awarded certification so far. Microsoft Office is not among them.
Paul Tollet, manager of Microsoft's small business customer unit, said the vendor's Direct Access briefings, between 17 February and 15 April, will discuss not only how resellers can make more sales with Windows 2000, but how they can benefit from the ASP market.
Tollet also said Microsoft intends to deliver the UK version of its bCentral portal, which is designed for application hosting, this year. From this site, Microsoft could host its own and even some third-party software if the demand is there, said Tollet.