Cloud Productivity Platform Wars

"While 2016 is shaping up to be the year virtual reality and the Internet of Things went mainstream, it could also go down in history as the year email's much-touted demise cranked into overdrive. At least, if this week's events are anything to go by. With the likes of Facebook, WhatsApp, Snapchat, Twitter, and a myriad of communication conduits springing up over the past decade, there's little question that people use email less than they once did for personal communications, and when you swing the demographic dial down to teenagers, the shift is even more pronounced. But email has remained in rude health despite the rise in mobile messaging, and this has been in no small part due to businesses - within companies, between companies, and between companies and customers. But things are changing."

"Microsoft's Windows, which in 2015 fell to third place among the world's operating systems, will continue to lose share this year to both Android and Apple's combined OS X and iOS, Gartner said today. Download the March 2016 digital issue Inside: What you need to know about staffing up for IoT, how cloud and SDN set Veritas free & much more! READ NOW Not until 2017 will Windows begin to recoup some of the losses it's sustained since 2013, Gartner said in its latest device forecast. The continued decline of Windows makes Microsoft's job of pivoting to explorations of cross-platform opportunities all the more pressing. And it goes a long way to explain Redmond's drumbeat of new strategies, including this week's announcement that it will pursue a "conversations as a platform" initiative that aims to put automated assistants, or "bots," front and center on not just Windows, but also Android and iOS. According to Gartner, which provided Computerworld with its forecast broken out by operating systems, Windows will power about 283 million devices shipped in 2015, a 3.4% year-over-year decline. The 283 million represents 11.7% of the total of 2.4 billion devices shipped, over 80% of that number smartphones, and the majority of those smartphones running Google's Android. Six months ago, Gartner's forecast had pegged Windows in 2016 at 308 million devices, or 12.9% of the total. Gartner regularly downsized its estimates of both total devices shipped and Windows' portion of those shipments throughout 2015. The trend continued into 2016. In fact, last September, Gartner predicted that Windows would not slip behind Apple's combined OS X and iOS until 2017. But according to the research firm's latest data, Windows dropped to No. 3 in 2015, thanks to Apple shipping 297 million OS X/iOS devices -- 4 million more than Windows -- and grabbing the second spot behind way-way-out-there Android and its leading 1.3 billion devices. In Gartner's current forecast, Windows will dip 3

"Asana, an enterprise app that lets people set and track projects and other goals, has hit a goal of its own: today, the company is announcing that it has raised $50 million. The Series C round - led by Y-Combinator's Sam Altman - values the company at $600 million, the company tells me. As a bit of context, Asana last raised $28 million in 2012; that Series B was at a $280 million valuation, according to our sources. Co-founded in 2009 by Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz and early FB employee Justin Rosenstein out of the belief, in their own words, that "every team in the world is capable of accomplishing bigger goals, and that software could help empower them to drive work forward with more ease, clarity, and accountability," the company will be using the funds to continue building out Asana's functionality (more on that below) and also expand its customer base internationally (it's largely a US-based list of clients today)."

"Microsoft has held its dominance in the software market in part because it is the go-to provider for many business solutions. Word, Excel and Powerpoint are essential pieces of software across almost any industry, whether they are used for presentations and memos or tracking expenses and marketing products. However, enterprise apps from competitors are growing in popularity, according to a new report from Okta, with apps and services filling gaps left by Microsoft's products. That doesn't mean Microsoft is losing ground, though. In fact, Okta found that Google Apps and Microsoft Office 365 use overlaps at more than 40 percent of companies."

"Google is looking to strategically tackle the enterprise cloud market by open sourcing some of its internal technologies, embracing a multiplatform design principle and setting what it thinks are reasonable expectations for what its customers should move into the public cloud. The company hopes to continue making strides in the crowded market, which Amazon dominates, by helping enterprises identify business processes that can rapidly transition to the cloud and deliver the fastest ROI. Download the March 2016 digital issue Inside: What you need to know about staffing up for IoT, how cloud and SDN set Veritas free & much more! READ NOW Now that companies can store all the data they want in the cloud for as little as $0.01 per GB per month, figuring out what to do with it all is a significant challenge, according to Greg DeMichillie, Google Cloud Platform's (GCP) director of product management, who spoke with CIO.com at the GCP user conference last week. "It's the needle in the haystack," DeMichillie says. "Companies are drowning in data that they know, or that they suspect, there's value in ... but they don't know how to get the value out of it.""

"Whether presenter or presentee, many of us have sustained minutes of stinging silence as human and machine grapple to cooperate. Such is the cliche of pairing laptops with projectors for the purpose of narrating PowerPoint slides in a somewhat restless room. But a new, pocket-sized adapter may replace all those hassles with smart simplicity. The WeKast is designed to be plug and play, instantly casting presentations from a mobile device without the need of Wi-Fi, cables, or a laptop. Wireless HDMI cast devices have been out for a few years. We've seen the Apple TV and have reviewed Google's Chromecast, the Roku Streaming Stick, and Amazon's Fire TV Stick. Each are useful and powerful in their own right - at least when it concerns home media and entertainment. Although possible to use such devices for professional boardroom presentations, the process may end up more time-consuming and complicated than not. Unlike those other wireless adapters, WeKast is designed with the business market in mind. Simply plug WeKast into any HDMI or VGA port (e.g. TVs, projectors), connect a smartphone or tablet via mobile app (available for Android and iOS), and then select any presentation to start. Since WeKast provides its own Wi-Fi and doesn't require internet access, users won't need to worry about restricted, unreliable, or nonexistent wireless networks. The WeKast mobile app handles the launch and remote control of content to be presented. With smartphone in hand, users can more openly engage audiences than by leaning over a laptop. Files are meant to be uploaded onto mobile devices first, be it from a computer, Google Drive, or Dropbox account. No data is stored on the WeKast dongle itself, and communication is encrypted through a secure connection."

"Hot on the heels of Adobe's Q1 2016 earnings figures, which included record overall revenue of $1.38 billion and record Creative Cloud revenue of $733 million, EMEA journalists were recently briefed on the company's plans for Creative Cloud in 2016 and beyond by the VP/GM in charge, Mala Sharma. Since adopting the subscription model in 2012, Adobe has developed Creative Cloud by integrating services such as cloud storage, file sync, fonts (TypeKit) and photos (Stock), extending the capabilities of its traditional desktop applications into companion mobile apps, and, in 2015, introducing asset-based workflows powered by CreativeSync. 'Assets' are Adobe parlance for format- and resolution-independent descriptions of content items such as bitmaps, vector graphics and video clips. Information on non-destructive edits, renditions for specific apps and devices, and linkages is held in metadata and orchestrated by CreativeSync, enabling multi-device workflows for individuals and more efficient sharing and collaboration for teams. These developments have helped to generate impressive growth in Creative Cloud subscriptions, which currently stand at just under 7 million following the addition of 780,000 new subscribers in Q1 2016:"

"Google is going after the cloud computing market in a big way. The company invested nearly $10 billion of capital expenditures to build its cloud business in 2015 alone, new cloud leader Diane Greene said during her keynote speech on Wednesday at Google's cloud tech conference in San Francisco."

"It's a common refrain in executive suites these days: "We need a new narrative." It's not enough any more to say "we make widgets." With changes happening so quickly from so many directions - competition, regulation, technology, talent, customer behavior - it's easy for one's story to become generic or outdated. You want a story that inspires employees, excites partners, attracts customers, and engages influencers. A story that is concise but comprehensive. Specific but with room to grow. One that defines the company's vision, communicates the strategy, and embodies the culture. The natural step is to give the assignment to an agency. Most branding firms will come back with a tagline and positioning statement. Most advertising agencies with creative treatments and marketing campaigns. Most PR firms with messaging and communication plans. These are useful tactics but aren't the kind of strategic narrative you are looking for. A strategic narrative is a special kind of story. It says who you are as a company. Where you've been, where you are, and where you are going. How you believe value is created and what you value in relationships. It explains why you exist and what makes you unique. This doesn't come out of the usual competitive landscape, customer interviews, and whiteboard sessions. It takes a different approach and a shift in thinking led by the leadership team. "

""You'll notice we have many more startups that aren't in the traditional software category," said Y Combinator President Sam Altman at the start of its Winter 2016 Demo Day 1. While once upon a time YC was known for legions of social and marketplace apps no one needed, it's branched out. Now Silicon Valley's top accelerator features tons of hardware, engineering, alternative energy and enterprise startups, too. [Update: Check our our list of the "Top 7 startups from YC W'16 Demo Day 1" according to investors and TechCrunch's writers. You can also see all the startups that pitched on day 2 of YC W'16 Demo Day here.] The afternoon began with a moment of silence for Andy Grove, former Intel CEO and beloved business mentor, as well as the victims of this morning's terrorist attacks in Brussels. Y Combinator President Sam Altman The house at YC's Demo Day was packed - more than anyone expected, it would seem. A few chairs short, millionaires from around the world could be seen sitting on the floor to watch startup after startup strut their stuff - many of them for the first time. The big theme of the day was profitability. In the past, YC startups have highlighted their growth, downplaying profitability as some saw it as a sign that they were shooting too small or not reinvesting enough. But due to the market correction, VCs are more keen on startups that can become sustainable faster and won't need endless funding to succeed. Today, many startups mentioned that they were already profitable, would be in several months, or were in specific markets where you don't account for money spent trying to expand. Yet Altman told us that investment was "hotter" today than he's ever seen it, with VCs aggressively pushing to invest on the spot. For the last year, he says YC has been telling startups to raise less and get to profitability faster in anticipation of a frosty fundraising climate. Yet now he believes the correction "hasn

"Domo has a new upgraded app, called "The Business Cloud," announced at today's Domopalooza event in Salt Lake City. It takes all of the data that Domo has gotten so good at importing from other business apps and lays it all out in a slick interface. James says it lets a customer manage literally every aspect of their business, in real-time.  This souped-up system has been in the works since Domo was founded in 2010, James says, and has taken over $500 million in R&D investment. "

" Netflix worked with Google to create a software program called Spinnaker, which allows companies to easily use Google's cloud, as well as Amazon's and Microsoft's. Netflix made Spinnaker available as a free and open-source project in November so anyone else can use it or contribute to it, and ideally, help Netflix maintain it. And Spinnaker is the topic of the talk that will be given by Netflix engineer Andrew Glover. Spinnaker allows a company to use multiple clouds, like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, at the same time.  While Netflix is currently only using Spinnaker with its cloud provider of choice, Amazon, Wired reports, the threat is not subtle. Netflix isn't stuck with Amazon. Nor is anyone else that uses the tool.  Google Diane Greene Google needs to showcase big enterprise customers and offer them ways to easily try its cloud if it hopes to be a major presence in cloud computing."

"There's a quiet revolution going on in messaging. Companies like Facebook, Google, Atlassian, and Slack are expanding their messaging apps beyond merely sending text, video, and audio and into something a little bit more like an operating system. On Tuesday, for example, The Wall Street Journal reported that Google is working on a new chat app that will let developers build apps that plug right into an instant-messaging window by way of a simple text interface. It sounds like a competitor to the Facebook "M" project, a virtual assistant that aims to help you do everything from shopping to making restaurant reservations, right from within Facebook Messenger. Right now, at the tail end of 2015, these souped-up chat apps look like an interesting trend. Some tech types call it ChatOps. But if I were Apple, I would be losing a lot of sleep over the rise of the smarter messaging app."

"he's found the most exciting thing he's seen since the iPhone emerged: bots. Specifically, chat bots that interact intelligently with people as they use apps, providing useful information before they even know they want it. "In 2007, I had this vision when I first touched my very first iPhone where I kind of understood what the next five years would bring, and I haven't had that kind of clarity since," he told us in a conversation at Y Combinator's demo day on Tuesday. "And now, I have the same kind of feeling about bots, about conversational UIs." Bots are at the heart of how Facebook, Apple, Google, and smaller companies like Atlassian and Slack are transforming how messaging works. These leaders are beyond sending simple text messages, and evolving chat into a whole tech platform almost like an operating system, where others can plug their own apps in and create entirely new functions."

"Microsoft's push to get customers to run their applications on the cloud is challenging channel partners who are comfortable selling the way they currently sell, according to Arnie Bellini, CEO of Connectwise. He says although partners may be reluctant to see their managed services lifestyle changed, it's time all Microsoft and Connectwise partners start considering a cloud services practice. Bellini pointed out that many ConnectWise and Microsoft solution providers are "reluctant" to embrace building a cloud services practice because "life is good" in managed services and predictable recurring revenue. But with the way Microsoft prices on-premise versus cloud Office offerings, no reasonable business person will opt for on-premise anymore, creating challenges for channel partners, Bellini told Channelnomics. "When it's under [a customer's] roof, MSPs are very comfortable because they know they can manage and monitor it and they become very sticky with their client as a result," he said. "But once that infrastructure moves from under the roof to the Microsoft cloud, they feel they will lose control. They feel they will not be able to bill for those services, and that's what Microsoft is asking them to do. They saying you've got to...resell Office 365 and bill your clients for it. The logistics of all of that are crushing to Microsoft partners.""

"Dropbox made a number of headline-grabbing moves over the past few weeks, but Storm Ventures partner Anshu Sharma's more concerned than impressed. He sees a company that's failing to figure out what customers truly need - falling for what he calls the "Stack Fallacy," a term he coined to describe how successful companies in one area often overvalue what they know and misjudge what they need to build next. "Companies fail when they take the 'what' for granted," Sharma told Business Insider, referring to companies that falsely believe that they already know "what" customers want. "

"You used to see it anywhere business workers congregated: the BlackBerry. Some of them are still out there -- secure messaging devices that can be centrally managed; the heart of the business mobile fleet. But the day of the BlackBerry is over and something new is needed -- a mobile operating system that is built for work as well as personal use. Microsoft's latest phone OS is trying to make a play for the enterprise high ground, with a mix of its Windows 10 Mobile platform, a new application development model and a suite of business-focused cloud services. But how well does it fit the needs of today's companies?"

By Mitch DeFelice Recent announcements from Google and Microsoft regarding machine-learning capabilities will provide the ability to transform corporate Enterprise Content Management (ECM) system from a simple unstructured data repository into an oracle of corporate data. In their book Smart Customer Stupid Companies…Why Only Intelligent Companies Will Thrive, and How to Be One of Them - the authors Michael Hinshaw and Bruce Kasanoff articulate how customers are becoming "smarter" with technology advancements.  The book presents a sound case that companies that do not evolve with their customers will become irrelevant. There have been two recent announcements that have occurred (November 9th, 2015 and November 12th, 2015 respectively) that have the potential to turn the metaphorical phase "Stupid Companies" to mean literally that.

"As CIOs look for better value from their enterprise content management (ECM) solutions, they're finding more cost effective ways of operating from cloud based file storage vendors. Box, Google Drive, AWS and others provide the same capabilities offered by expensive ECM solutions. In this article, ECM refers to a solution that stores unstructured data, such as documents, images, and plain text. Traditional ECM solutions are no longer cost competitive and do not provide any additional value over the simple indexing, storage and retrieval capabilities. Shifting ECM management of infrastructure, maintenance and operations to cloud based file storage vendors seems unavoidable to stay cost competitive."