Partners Make The World Go Round

Posted by on

This morning on CRN it was mentioned that Apple is courting Microsoft partners. Specifically in the mobility space, but more generally the article alludes to the need for qualified Microsoft Exchange and SharePoint professionals that can span the Microsoft and Apple gaps.

Smart Moveimage

This is a Smart Move. Why? Because, Partners Make The World Go Round. Partners have three things that Microsoft and Apple traditionally cannot provide.

  1. Feet on the Street
  2. Subject matter Expertise
  3. The ability to walk in and speak with the CxO’s

imageFor Microsoft --- Partners are part of their DNA. I'm glad to see Apple is getting on that bandwagon too. I think they are looking at it differently -- mainly because that's what Apple does and also because Apple has a different go to market model.

I think the winners in this case are the CUSTOMERS. Sure, the vendors (MSFT and AAPL, et al) will win too, but as we enter this "Consumerization of IT" society the end users (and Line of Business managers in this case) will determine how, who, when, what and where technologies / solutions will be selected and deployed.

What do you think?

  • Are Partners the Secret Sauce?
  • Will Apple re-invent the partner model?
  • Are Consumers / End Users really in charge?

imageAbout The Author:
I have spent the last 20 years working in various aspects of the ECM industry. I am currently with Kodak as a Director of Business Development. In my past I have spent time at Kofax, Microsoft, FileNet, K2, and at Captaris (which was acquired by Open Text). Prior to that I was a Unix VAR running my own company. Follow me on Twitter, check my blog, send email or find me on Facebook or LinkedIn.

Comments

Post a Comment