Entering the cloud of enterprise: Microsoft's six advantages and three disadvantages

Microsoft this week at the Convergence conference released the Dynamics ERP software cloud Strategic plan, continue to the Enterprise Cloud field March. Currently, online ERP service is still in its infancy, and Microsoft's determination and timing for dynamics ERP into the Azure platform reflect the importance of cloud computing in its corporate strategy. So after these announcements, speeches and discussions, will Microsoft's cloud strategy be as successful as planned? In my view, as a corporate cloud provider, Microsoft does have some inherent strengths and weaknesses.

Advantages: Microsoft cloud applications are tightly integrated with Office and SharePoint.

This is the traditional advantage of Microsoft, but also the user is extremely concerned about. Users prefer the familiar operating environment to the user interface, which allows Microsoft to gain faster user acceptance time than rivals.

Advantages: Microsoft can provide the same cloud applications and desktop applications at the same time.

Microsoft's rivals either offer cloud applications, such as Salesforce.com, or provide separate cloud applications and desktop applications, such as SAP. Microsoft's strategy is to provide applications that can be deployed both on the desktop and in the private cloud, as well as in the Azure Public cloud (Oracle's Fusion and Oracle cloud are doing the same).

Advantage: Microsoft supports a hybrid deployment environment.

Allows users to schedule employee roles and workloads with different options, so that organizations can choose to deploy, such as the financial department to deploy desktop applications, the production plant to deploy private cloud, the product supply and marketing deployment of public cloud, which is very important for ERP application.

Advantage: Microsoft claims to support rival platforms and mobile products.

That's what Microsoft COO Kevin Turner said loudly in Convergence's keynote speech, "We'll do our best with Microsoft products, and we'll run on other people's platforms." ”

This is not a bad check, in fact, in February, Microsoft has announced dynamic CRM Mobile options, including support for a variety of Android devices and Apple's iphone and ipad.

Advantages: Microsoft's application development speed is improving.

Tatarinov, President of Microsoft Business Solutions, promised convergence that his team would speed up the pace of development and allow desktop applications to catch up with the development of cloud applications in the shortest possible time.

Advantage: Microsoft is a blue chip.

The advantages that Microsoft has accumulated over the years are not to be overlooked, as an example of dynamics application, which has a status of today simply because it has been under the wing of Microsoft. Microsoft's various architectures and platforms Windows Server, Microsoft SQL Server,. NET, and so on--all have a large number of users.

Next, Microsoft has three disadvantages in cloud computing.

Disadvantage: What about support for mobile devices?

Can IPad, iphone and Android devices guarantee performance in the cloud? In the post-PC era, Microsoft has struggled to catch up with the tablet and smartphone market, so it is a mystery whether Microsoft can deliver a satisfying user experience on these small devices.

Disadvantage: The long road map is not clear.

From the Dynamics roadmap, the details are only planned for 6-8 months, and AX R2 will be upgraded into the Azure platform at the end of the year. However, the next steps are not described in detail. While most vendors leave room for themselves, there are questions about the lack of web client planning, mobile support, and the time that AX and SL enter the cloud platform in the road map.

Disadvantage: Microsoft is not an innovator.

In an important area of cloud computing, Microsoft has always been seen as a follower rather than a leader in technological innovation. Indeed, Microsoft is part of the last batch of ERP vendors to enter the public cloud, such as Dynamics CRM, which only joined social elements last year, and later this year to include features such as sensitive analysis and social networking monitoring. In general, Microsoft will quickly provide practical functionality based on trends, but rarely lead the trend.