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Apple is the No. 1 Client Device
Published on 2012-02-01 03:53:00
A report out by Canalys on the final quarter of 2011 puts Apple ahead of HP as the preferred client device amongst corporates and consumers. Who would have ever thought that? Apple as the domain of geeks and marketing agencies is officially a thing of the past. Ty, you were right all along. Some will say that this is wrong accounting as it includes iPads and iPhones in the total - but this is the entire point about the rapidly shifting client device market in corporations, the device is fast [..] > read more
Apple Doubles Everything
Published on 2012-01-27 00:09:00
In stark contrast to Microsoft's earnings announcements, there were considerable crowings at Apple. Microsoft showed that without a strong enterprise performance, their overall numbers would have looked pretty grim and now it seems there will almost certainly be my predicted earnings drop in 2012 at some point. But Apple just plough on. In fact revenue over doubled comparing the last quarter to the same last year with 118% growth to record over $46bn in revenue. And profit rose the same degre [..] > read more
Is Billing Aggregation the Nirvana in the Cloud?
Published on 2012-01-24 06:09:00
If you want to buy Salesforce.com the most common way is to work out what you need in seats and the types of user, then work out the monthly total charge, multiply it by 12 to get the annual fee then add any project management work to go in and you have your first bill. Eh? You mean that despite the advertised monthly fee you actually pay annually up front? Actually as a residue of the world of SaaS this is exactly how Salesforce.com operates. As did my company, PlaceWare. Even with a minuscu [..] > read more
Is Curbing Executive Pay the Right Thing to do?
Published on 2012-01-24 01:52:00
Vince Cable is in his element. He has the sort of face that seems to say he has it in for someone and he has. In his line of fire are the executives of public owned companies and he is proposing to curb their pay. His reasoning is that over the last few years the combined performance of the top companies in Britain in terms of share price has been static at best while in that period executive pay has risen 13% each year, every year. He has a point. Or has he? After all these companies have su [..] > read more
Kodak - What can Tech Businesses Learn?
Published on 2012-01-19 10:07:00
Today one of the pioneers of the photography, Kodak Eastman, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US. After 132 years of dominating the world of photography, Kodak is on the outtake pile. Yet the photography business has never been bigger. We buy more cameras, take more pictures and share them more today than we ever did and the market is growing. How could a savvy giant like Kodak have so misjudged the market? How could it just stand by and watch the world around it change? How [..] > read more
Is Microsoft doomed in its Current Form?
Published on 2012-01-14 02:17:00
It seems Microsoft has had a dose of reality in the last week. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Tami Reller, the CFO of the Windows division, has warned that PC shipments will be lower than an already gloomy forecast in this quarter. In her case, she put this down to supply problems in the Thai flood regions where the high waters are still causing havoc to component makers, particularly on hard disks. Some UK distributors have plenty of servers but no disks which will impact their [..] > read more
Is Britain Becoming a Nation of Bureaucrats?
Published on 2012-01-10 01:36:00
One of the biggest growth areas in the last 15 years has been the rise in the number of jobs in the Public Sector. In fact, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister never existed before the last Government and now it is one of the largest departments in the firmament of 'Big Bureaucracy'. It was fashionable to spend more money in those booms days on frivolous red tape and many argued that there was a salary gap between private and public sector that had to be closed. It didn't just close - the [..] > read more
Should we Allow Phoenix'ing a Company?
Published on 2012-01-06 05:11:00
It seems a weird thing when accountants suggest a course of action that deliberately puts a company into administration in order to be bought by someone else free of any old accountability but that's what 'Phoenix'ing' is all about. And accountants seem to love it. Blacks is the latest firm to go into administration for a very short period so that the company can be bought free of creditors snapping at their backs. In this case, it is Dragon's Den Peter Jones who appears to be the buyer after [..] > read more
Ban Social Networking at Work?
Published on 2012-01-06 02:26:00
Yesterday I blogged about the sales collapse at Groupon in the lead up to Christmas and I have also looked at the apparent large drop off in use of social networking sites like Twitter over the traditional holiday period. In the two blogs, I have suggested that there seems to be a marked indication that social networking is being 'transacted' largely in working hours. If, I surmised, that the majority of all social networking is for 'social' use and not business, are employers going to get wise [..] > read more
Apple is Anti-Competitive?
Published on 2012-01-05 02:23:00
It had to happen. When you analyse how you can buy an Apple PC product, the Apple Authorised Resellers concept is really not particularly healthy, it seems. It appears to be even more more unhealthy when it comes to its own stores. My own experience of buying an Apple Macbook Pro was not entirely pleasant, I have to say. I went to Solutions Inc in St Albans and made the fatal error of asking for some money off the bill as a discount - as you have the right to do as a consumer, you know. I was [..] > read more
Microsoft Office 365 Under the Cosh
Published on 2011-07-06 04:00:00
I have been a bit negative about Microsoft lately, particularly when it comes to their strategy concerning channel and their Cloud version of their productivity products, MS Office 365.So let's take a look at the Cloud based product itself - Microsof > read more
Making Money in The Cloud
Published on 2011-07-05 01:45:00
If you are a reseller you may understand the potential for reselling in The Cloud. The problem for most will be, how can I make money out of selling in The Cloud?At first sight things don't look too good and it's confusing. Everyone seems to want a p > read more
Microsoft 365 is Out - Yippee or So What?
Published on 2011-07-01 02:38:00
The top boys were rolled out at the London launch of Microsoft 365 this week and loyal resellers stood by their side.Hails and whoops were in evidence as the long awaited official launch of the Cloud based Microsoft Office solution became a commercia > read more
The Curse of Low Interest Rates
Published on 2011-06-30 02:15:00
The Bank of England's Monetary Committee was this week split but Interest Rates have again been held at record low levels of just 0.5%. Surely this is good news for us all and the economic recovery?The reality is that there is a ticking bomb in the s > read more
'Under Recruitment' - The new Vogue or just Age Prejudice?
Published on 2011-06-28 06:50:00
I am an older member of the UK workforce so I can comment with some experience on a thorny matter.If I had a pound for every time I have heard the phrase, 'You are over qualified (or too experienced) for a job' I would not be having to apply for jobs > read more
US Debt Crisis is our Crisis too
Published on 2011-06-28 01:50:00
On one side of our political divide there is an urge to spend in order to boost recovery.The danger of this is that your spending gets out of control. In the US, they now have $14 trillion of debt. It isn't just that they are fighting two wars, it's > read more
Google Apps v. MS 365 - A Cloud of Difference
Published on 2011-06-28 01:10:00
Google has upped the anti as the intended launch of Microsoft 365 approaches.For those who read my recent blog, Google use my same argument. Just putting a current product into a hosted environment, amortising the price and calling it somethning diff > read more
The Role of the Channel in The Cloud
Published on 2011-06-26 01:37:00
The role of the Channel in playing in software vendors' strategy in The Cloud is very unclear.My personal experience at last week's Cloud Computing Forum in Olympia was one of confusion when it came to Microsoft. I got information on both Microsoft 3 > read more
Comparisons in The Cloud
Published on 2011-06-24 00:45:00
Hot foot from The Cloud Computing Forum with my free trial of Microsoft Dynamics, I thought I would give the whole thing a go.So I got my MS Dynamics trial going with a little bit of sweat and some clunky processes of verifications. Finally the beast > read more
The Cloud is Cloudy with Outbreaks of Common Sense but Mainly Confusing
Published on 2011-06-23 02:03:00
Olympia first thing, breakfast at El Mundo. West End prices and microwaved bacon like leather, tough on the teeth. It's a fortifying start to a day full of questions.I am hoping to see vendors, hosting companies, resellers make sense of The Cloud. So > read more
If Greece goes bust....
Published on 2011-06-20 03:50:00
Boris Johnson's vote-attracting column in today's Telegraph might get a few knowing nods from the anti-coalition chapter but is this just his love of Rome clouding his vision?Having read his book comparing the Roman Empire to the EU, I am a bit lost > read more
Hubble Bubble
Published on 2011-06-18 01:09:00
The year is 1720 and we are in a coffee shop off Exchange Alley."Can I interest you in in a joint stock offering in a discount voucher scheme?" says the nice jobber sipping a latte."What's a discount voucher scheme?" we ask."It's an enterprise so sec > read more
Anti-Social Networking?
Published on 2011-06-18 00:35:00
We are all like kids in a sweet shop. We just can't get enough of social media this and social media that, what's our Klout and the next best social network.It's as if socialising never existed. And as everything grows like topsy we all vigorously de > read more
Caught with their pants down
Published on 2011-06-17 02:37:00
Another day and another mobility giant disappoints.This time around its RIM, makers of the Blackberry. The once darling of the markets and the must-have device of any workaholic executive, the Blackberry led the way for corporations to serve their em > read more
Clouds Brewing
Published on 2011-06-17 01:42:00
I have had a problem with Private Cloud. But then again I get awfully confused about some people's use of the term, 'The Cloud' anyway.I am a veteran of what was The Cloud, SaaS. The concept of having a software application residing outside the firew > read more
Cloud Strategy - Why playing catch up is not a plan
Published on 2011-06-16 04:51:00
The Cloud? Ah, don't worry. When the action really starts, I'll get my strategy together and get a piece of the action.Tell that to Salesforce.com. The SaaS based CRM specialist reported over $500m revenues in its third quarter up 34% on the previous > read more
IPv6 - What's that got to do with The Cloud?
Published on 2011-06-16 03:22:00
It seems like Y2k all over again. Another scare for the software industry and a chance for charlatans to sell 'snake oil' remedies for protection. Is that IPv6?Nope. This one is not optional and there will be change. But there will still be charlatan > read more
Taming the Turds
Published on 2011-06-15 08:00:00
140 characters forces the mind to come up with some gems. How about this for a quote, "Virtually all innovation emerges from piles of turds".The writer goes on to say, "Good news: Lots of turds around hence matchless opportunity to innovate or start > read more
Have you got Klout?
Published on 2011-06-14 05:28:00
There is a rumour that in the future employers will use a measure of your 'influence' on people in social networking and media to assess your suitability for a job. Is this a good thing?Websites such as Klout and PeerIndex offer computational ways to > read more
Is Social Media Just Another Goldmine?
Published on 2011-06-12 12:22:00
Amongst all the banal guff you get on Twitter, I decided to pose a philosophical question. Has Social Media done anything to better the world or is it just another goldmine?To date, I haven't had a single reply. Perish the thought of a retweet. It is > read more
So You Want to be a Dragon?
Published on 2011-06-09 01:43:00
So you would like to be like the Dragon's Den team on TV and have your own portfolio of investments in private small businesses?Good. Because now everyone has a chance to be a real Dragon. This month's IOD Director Magazine features an article about > read more
How to Sell an SME Business
Published on 2011-06-08 05:28:00
Lately, I have seen some poor examples of how and when to sell a small to medium (SME) sized business. No names, no pack drill.Let's face it, if the owners want to take off and run you get to see some pretty shoddy tactics to satisfy their own demand > read more
Small is Better Than Big - The Impact of Social Media on Openness
Published on 2011-06-08 02:36:00
Big brands can be awfully reassuring but why is that when buying from smaller companies the whole experience seems better?I know we go to Tescos for our weekly shop and we buy big brand name cars but why do we also use smaller companies to buy things > read more
iCloud, You Cloud
Published on 2011-06-07 02:14:00
On a day when IDC revised their PC sales figures in Europe down, on the US West Coast, Steve Jobs came off sick leave to unveil Apple's iCloud strategy. It's a sunny day for the industry.As a dedicated iPad user the one fatal flaw I have been aware o > read more
Gold Medal Farce
Published on 2011-06-06 16:39:00
When it comes to cock ups, we Brits excel - make no mistake.Last week, when the result for the London 2012 Olympic Ticket ballot was revealed, suspicions were aroused when an awful lot of people were texting into Radio Five Live saying they either ha > read more
The Future of IT Distribution
Published on 2011-06-06 02:28:00
I sampled distribution as my second job after starting life at HP as a fresh-faced graduate. That was mid-eighties and if I am really honest about it the fundamental issues in distribution haven't changed drastically. We still talk about vendors, sto > read more
Oh Twitter - How Cool Was That?
Published on 2011-06-03 04:06:00
Just when I thought Twitter was going to disappoint me, it has made my life worth living again.Yesterday, the power of Twitter embraced me and I had a brief, but rewarding, conversation with none other than Tom Peters. Yes, THE Tom Peters - the 'Thri > read more
CEO of Ecademy - Arguably the Best Job in the Online World
Published on 2011-06-03 02:28:00
The Ecademy was in many ways a forerunner of many of the natty networking sites we see online today and after 13 years at the top, the CEO Glenn Watkins has decided to move on.Despite the onslaught of social networking and particularly LinkedIn, Ecad > read more
Groupon gets the Support Needed to Succeed in IPO
Published on 2011-06-03 01:19:00
It looks as if my sign up yesterday tipped the balance and the Groupon executives decided that my support was the crucial last step required to go public.Groupon will raise $750m which is fairly urgently required as their marketing bills are over $20 > read more
Acer - The Untold Story?
Published on 2011-06-02 06:42:00
Finding $150 million of inventory you 'thought' you didn't have is quite a mishap.I mean, it isn't that easy to miss a pile of computers that high. So when this small line in $4bn+ quarter of sales that Acer reported cropped up it was very big and ba > read more
Fact or Fiction - Microsoft to Buy Nokia's Phone Business?
Published on 2011-06-02 04:43:00
Don't take it from me - I got this from Business Insider.Speculation has grown since a little-known Russian Tweeter rumoured that Microsoft may buy Nokia's phone business for $19 billion. Sounds cheap for the world's largest shipper of mobile phones > read more
Groupon - Feel the Buzz, Man
Published on 2011-06-02 04:21:00
I am so cutting edge sometimes that I cut myself just thinking about things.Today I joined Groupon, that new fangled and innovative company that purports to 'Translate people power into financial clout'. Perhaps I joined more out of interest in the f > read more
The Apprentice's Sorcery
Published on 2011-06-02 01:23:00
What is it about The Apprentice that captures people's imagination? And then makes them say stupid things?A case in point was when one of my 'Internet Buddies', as Uncle Bryn would call them, last night Tweeted the immortal line, 'Dog Food - interest > read more
Unified Communications without HP Sauce
Published on 2011-06-01 23:33:00
It's something I thought I'd never see. HP sold their video conferencing business for $89m to Polycom yesterday.It's right up there with Shaq O'Neal retiring and Gavin Henson back in the red shirt of Wales (or any rugby shirt for that matter).Last ye > read more
Social Blunder
Published on 2011-06-01 09:02:00
It's very humbling to know that even savvy guys like Eric Schmidt, Chairman of Google, can get it wrong.He cites not reacting to the amazing growth by companies like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn as being 'His biggest regret'. So even Google underes > read more
Heads in The Cloud
Published on 2011-06-01 08:46:00
It's getting Cloudy out there. The murky swirl of market change is upon us and the Blue Sly Thinkers in distribution need be on top of their game.All the hype and buzz about The Cloud and the possibilities it opens up particularly within the SME sect > read more
The Cloud Can Handle it
Published on 2011-06-01 07:18:00
Hold onto your hats. Digital data will have grown by 44 fold by the end of the decade, according to IDC.To size that up, it is a walloping 35 zettabytes. Yes, I had to look it up too - that's 35 BILLION terabytes. The bulk of this data will be contai > read more
Beware of 'Snake Oil' on Social Media
Published on 2011-06-01 03:57:00
I read Twitter messages everyday - it seems like every minute - from one of my 'Follow' people who tells me that I could get hundreds of free leads on Twitter.It struck me that the chap has no idea what my business is and that if only he knew that I > read more
The Cloud via White Label
Published on 2011-06-01 03:05:00
I note with interest that hosting company Intermedia has been bought by Oak Hill Capital.Intermedia was predominantly a US based company offering a range of services in The Cloud to SMB companies such as hosted Microsoft Exchange, SharePoint, Blackbe > read more
Nokia Knocked Again
Published on 2011-06-01 01:39:00
Nokia has once again downgraded its revenue and profit forecast. This has caused an 18% slide in the value of its shares.Not a good time for the new UK General Manager, Conor Pierce, to take the helm and some important decisions will have to be made > read more
The Lost Art of Buying
Published on 2011-06-01 01:16:00
There was a time, long ago when distributors could get bold and sassy and buy cleverly to 'corner the market'. This meant they could, for a short period, control the 'supply and demand' and create some extra profits.Today, the sophisticated relations > read more
Pulling Down the Big Bucks
Published on 2011-05-31 10:00:00
On average, CEO pay increased some 32% from this time last year. That's going to hurt a few people when they read that.Are these guys worth it? I mean, as a customer, when was the last time you got visited or called by a CEO of one your suppliers? Wh > read more
Xooming Marvellous
Published on 2011-05-31 08:42:00
Up front, I will admit I am an Apple iPad man. I bought my iPad 2 about a month ago, upgrading from the iPad in the process. And I love it.Now here's a curious thing. Chatting to a high-up-in-Microsoft mate of mine recently, he basically said that th > read more
LinkedIn IPO - Did They Get it Wrong?
Published on 2011-05-31 07:07:00
On the first day of trading, LinkedIn was valued at $45 a share by its lead bankers, Morgan Stanley, Merrills, BoA and JPM raising some $352m for the company. However, by the end of that first day its stock price had risen 100% netting $millions for > read more
Will The Cloud Change Distribution?
Published on 2011-05-31 04:31:00
One of the most popular Channel debates right now is, 'How will The Cloud impact large distributors?'The assumption is that smaller, specialist distributors will actually be able to change more quickly and take advantage of the possibilities that the > read more
LinkedIn - $10 billion
Published on 2011-05-26 04:43:00
So LinkedIn is now traded on the stock market and the current valuation is some $10 billion. That's a mere 600 to 1,000 times its earnings, depending on who you listen to.To be fair LinkedIn makes a profit. I use it daily to network and it no doubt i > read more
"Twitter Ye Not"
Published on 2011-05-24 06:36:00
Perhaps Frankie Howard knew something we didn't when he uttered the famous catchphrase.However, Twitter is fast becoming the centre of attention for all sorts of reasons. Let's face it, for sheer utter banal drivel you would have to go a long, long w > read more
Google Android & Your Data
Published on 2011-05-24 06:15:00
Eric Schmidt (Chairman of Google) has recently tried to allay fears that Google Android devices are accumulating our location data and backing it up to storage devices. He says that, 'Google is on the side of the consumer'.Of course, Google would cla > read more
Information Leakage
Published on 2011-05-24 01:49:00
One of the confounding things about calling up a supplier whether that be an insurance, telecom or TV company is that there is always the series of silly security questions at the start which are supposedly there to prove your identity, protect your > read more
Bad Judgement Day
Published on 2011-05-23 08:41:00
Ever had a real hunch about something? You know the sort of hunch where you not only felt something was going to happen but all the tell-tale warning signs were there? Well that's how Evangelist Harold Camping felt. He not only had a hunch that it wo > read more
Poison Chalice
Published on 2011-05-23 01:39:00
It's a fabulous opportunity. You are going to be paid higher than any other executive in a similar role, you will have limitless cash to invest and some of the best team members in the world already there. The job is yours for the asking.Sounds good. > read more
Future Injunctive
Published on 2011-05-20 03:18:00
Fred, Fred, Fred. Not content in ruining his bank he was set to ruin his life. But he got his cake - we paid for it and he ate it. If only we had known for sure he was as morally bankrupt as RBS was fiscally. We all suspected it.The chin of the man w > read more
Would you Ken it?
Published on 2011-05-19 08:02:00
Ken Clark is an oaf. He comes across as the man in the front bar who sups his pint and expounds his theories largely to himself and a quiet audience who all agree that things aren't the same as they used to be and a woman's place is behind an ironing > read more
IMF**k Up
Published on 2011-05-16 07:57:00
The news that IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn allegedly cannot keep his genitals to himself will come as little surprise to Tristane Banon who had claimed similarly before. But it may come as some relief to Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor who w > read more
What the Future Might Hold
Published on 2011-05-16 03:31:00
Listening to the radio this morning there was a report coming up that suggested that the gap between rich and poor in the UK might soon reach proportions last seen in Victorian times.That is just startling considering the standard of living we enjoy > read more
New Tablets? Keep Taking the Pills
Published on 2011-05-12 08:59:00
As you can see from the footnote of this blog entry, I use the iPad. I am one of the growing army of suckers who believed that iPad 2 was better so I bought one of those less than a year after buying the original. The differences are small enough not > read more
Joined up Thinking
Published on 2011-05-11 09:48:00
Doesn't management jargon drive you nuts?Sadly, we're all at it. I recently talked to the Council's Planning Department who thanked me for 'reaching out' and 'engaging in dialogue' about a proposal. What I did was I phoned them and I talked to them. > read more
Save a fortune on recruitment costs
Published on 2011-05-10 03:34:00
You want to save on recruitment costs? Simple. Hire an intern and give them the job description of every new recruit you want to find, give them a Premium LinkedIn account and then get them to contact all those whose profiles match and get them to se > read more
There ain't no money in Twitter, mate
Published on 2011-05-10 03:21:00
Twitter in its current form will never turn a sustainable profit. You heard it from me.Today, Skype is reputed to be under offer from Microsoft for $7-8 billion and you might argue that it's the same situation. But it isn't. Skype can morph and bridg > read more
Tax To The Rescue
Published on 2010-04-01 01:31:00
Today's furore on the Government's proposal to add 1p to National Insurance is caused by a letter signed by 23 top business people in the Daily Telegraph which says that they back Tory plans to scrap the increase.Ostensibly, they believe it is a 'Tax > read more
Death Wish?
Published on 2010-03-29 01:06:00
The second planned strike by Unite has gone ahead and BA reckon that 75% of their scheduled flights will go ahead.The two statements within that one sentence should be the most terrible things a world class airline could possibly imagine but for Will > read more
They Think It's All Over.....
Published on 2010-03-22 02:44:00
Oh, how naive of us to believe that dodgy expenses was the full extent of Political trough-snouting.No one seems to realise that Politics is the ultimate game of sales - how else can a former PM be suddenly worth an accumulated £20m in just 3 years > read more
The Truth Will Out?
Published on 2010-03-12 01:50:00
The revelation today that 'Bush's Brain', former senior adviser Karl Rove, has admitted he was 'proud' of the use of waterboarding as a form of 'information gathering' may be startling to some - simply necessary to others.Under legal notes passed at > read more
A Month Is A Long Time
Published on 2010-03-10 05:52:00
I am happy to say I have enjoyed a month away from writing as I have been lucky enough to become a father for the first time at my ripe age. It's been a very rewarding time.Not much has changed around us, if truth be told. I thought Gordon Brown's p > read more
Misplaced Priorities
Published on 2010-02-14 01:31:00
I was accused by someone who read my blog on London 2010 and my chance meeting with a homeless person that I had lost a sense of perspective and implied I had gone soft.I understand the point the person was making -without banking and bankers we woul > read more
How Much Is A Greek Urn?
Published on 2010-02-13 01:15:00
The old Morecambe and Wise joke doesn't seem so funny anymore as one of the beneficiaries of the modern innovation of a single European currency is virtually bankrupt - Greece is on its knees and the Eurozone is having to bail it out.It sounds chilli > read more
London 2010?
Published on 2010-02-11 23:55:00
I am not sure what point I'm making here but bear with me.Yesterday, on a tube train in the bowels of London, I was sitting in a crowded carriage, travelling from Kentish Town to Bank. At Camden Town at young man with gingery hair and beard, supporte > read more
Premier League Banking
Published on 2010-02-11 01:49:00
Premier League football is lot like banking.Do I mean that all bankers have girlie hairstyles and fall over whenever someone passes them in the corridor clutching their leg as if they have been shot by a sniper? No, what I mean is that most Premier L > read more
Oh What A Lovely War!
Published on 2010-02-10 01:40:00
There is yet another new push in Afghanistan's Helmand Province, this time advertised as a 'final' push against the Taliban.Bob Ainsworth, our bungling Defence Minister, has warned us all to expect more casualties. On the same day, we hear that Briti > read more