Dealers' outrage at Microsoft Office 365 cloud-sales plans

Microsoft is days away from lifting the covers from Office 365, but top channel brass have yet to assuage reseller anxiety over the client engagement model that they fear paves the way to a massive hike in direct sales. The launch of the cloud-based biz suite, which cobbles Office Web Apps with hosted Exchange, SharePoint and …

[mraak]

MS

Seems like they are lost in between two worlds, they need to cater to and run retirement homes, yet they want to be hipster also :)

[Cameron Colley]

You play with fire.

You get burned.

While I do have some sympathy for MS resellers it has to be pointed out that they have known they resell software for a convicted monopoly with known dodgy business practices for some time.

[HollyHopDrive]

i dont think its dodgy...

I think in this instance its a legitimate business move. However, the resellers are getting a bit dicked on the face of it. But ms apes Apple more and more these days. Less innovate, more copy imho. Why have resellers when direct means 100% of the spoils and you know who all of the customers directly.

Like others have pointed out, I'm sure Google will be more than happy to step in and fill a gap. In fact, its too good an opportunity to pass up.

[Cameron Colley]

I'm not saying _this_ is dodgy.

It does seem a little tough on the reseller though,

I was merely pointing out that anyone expecting MS not to do anything, legal, illegal, dishonest, immoral they can to screw anyone they come into contact with is a little naive.

[Ken Hagan]

Is this news?

The internet has been cutting out brokers and other species of middlemen since sometime in the last century. How can a software reseller not be aware of this in 2011?

What's next? Record company exec is SHOCKED to learn about downloads?

[Anonymous Coward]

bugger the big resellers

To be fair, Im a 1 man MS reseller and if Microsoft want to go with this model then more power to them. If I can get an SME to name me as their supplier at $6/month rather than a massive reseller trying to flog them a server, 10 days of £1000/day consultancy and installation costs, then happy days for me and to hell with the big boys

[Geoff Campbell]

I'm sure Office 365 is wonderful....

....but until it supports 64 bit installations, I'm unlikely to find out.

C'mon, Microsoft, WTF are you thinking?

GJC

[LaeMing]

They have a point....

Whinging and whining about the internets ruining their tired old last-century business models seems to be giving some traction to old-media. Why wouldn't the software sector have a go at it for themselves.

Value-add or go under - it is part of what is a free market (as opposed to what those in the market would like us to think is a free market, seemingly).

[James Pickett]

Runcible

He who sups with the Devil should have a long spoon.

[cmaurand]

and the client loses their data

"We lose control of the client." And the client loses control of their data. Once on the public cloud, who owns the data. I'll bet microsoft does and the they'll be indexing it all (read rifling through it all.) advantage microsoft.

So not going to the public cloud.