Microsoft Sure with Azure?

Microsoft broadens the "Software + Services" play with the Azure platform pitch. What's this all about? Well the Azure services platform is, and I quote from the Microsoft site:

The Azure™ Services Platform (Azure) is an Internet-scale cloud services platform hosted in Microsoft data centers, which provides an operating system and a set of developer services that can be used individually or together. Azure’s flexible and interoperable platform can be used to build new applications to run from the cloud or enhance existing applications with cloud-based capabilities. Its open architecture gives developers the choice to build web applications, applications running on connected devices, PCs, servers, or hybrid solutions offering the best of online and on-premises.

This set of hosted services provides a "cloud platform" that developers and users can consume to quickly deliver solutions either, stand alone or as part of a hybrid application that may have some of the services on the inside of the firewall.

I find this positioning from Microsoft interesting. One would say that Microsoft are just trying to counter the Google effect. However, if you look into the Microsoft past as a fast follower, you would more likely say that they have seen SaaS as a viable market play and are now moving to dominate or at least re brand the market in their favour. I have seen before that when Microsoft see an opening they are quick to move and look to dominate within a three year period where possible.

Will this happen? Time will tell.

ECM and SaaS. Intersection or Contradiction?

Well it has been over 6 weeks of no posting, but I can honestly say that I have had a ball with all my girls in the US and Canada, even getting a free 5.4 earthquake ride in Disneyland on the way back out! As one of my girls said "Dad, that was a Disneyland, no queue, free, rollercoaster ride." Right on girl. Well it's is back to getting some posts moving and figuring if you are all stile out there or given up the ghost.

So on with the posting, ECM and Software as a Service. I have been looking at this for some time and trying to figure out where it fits, is there an intersection or are they contra to each other?

From the conversations I have had with vendors and observations that I have seen from customers it seems that SaaS is currently a convenient niche looking to break into the wider ECM big time if it can.

In most cases I am seeing SaaS ECM type solutions fufilling a role of converging multiple independent parties to enable collaboration around documents and content relevant to a joint project. Therefore the solution is document / project specific and the main drivers for going the SaaS route seem to be speed, convenience and cost effectiveness.

Speed - Because x clicks and you are up and going
Convenience - Because it is and you can bypass all the firewall and security hassles of the internal IT Shop.
Cost Effective - Becuase you can pay monthly and when the project is finished shut it down. No harware and software and installation costs required. Only the price for usage.

But coming back to the reason for the SaaS decision. It is a point solution that is generally focused at this time around the collaboration and sharing of documents. Some vendors such as SalesForce are using SaaS ECM as an extension to the CRM option, while companies such as SpringCM are extending out from document management into business process management to get more business automation going.

SaaS still has a way to go, but it is an option that needs to be considered in the mix. Maybe one day we will see a combination of inside / outside solutions to fit the overall enterprise ECM play and if that is achieved then we will truly see an intersection of the two pieces.