June 28, 2013 : In this edition, the biggest news is clearly Oracle's alliance with Salesforce and a number of other
providers including Microsoft and Netsuite, but a few other things caught our eye as well.
Top-tier SMBs view technology as strategic differentiatorZDNet, 6/18/2013Summary: According to the 2013 Global SMB IT Confidence Index published by Symantec, 83% of top-tier SMBs view computing technology as a point of strategic differentiation, in comparison to just 44% of those from the bottom tier of their industry; yet they are spending less for IT than the bottom-tier SMBs.
Our Take: SMBs have been early adopters of cloud technology so the top tier are probably those who are using cloud solutions to both spend less and differentiate themselves.
Fund Managers Like The Cloudy Outlook For TechnologyForbes, 6/20/2013Summary: According to this Forbes article, cloud-based processing, in comparison to previous years, has become more widely accepted among asset managers. Though fears about cloud security still remain, buyers are becoming more comfortable with cloud technology and new development models.
Our Take: We've seen financial services companies become big users of cloud solutions so it's not surprising that asset managers and smaller funds are following suit.
HR technology booming as businesses turn to the cloudComputer Weekly, 6/19/2013Summary: According to new analyst research, nearly 60% of organizations are planning to implement new HR and talent management systems over the next 18 months. As more businesses have been replacing legacy IT systems, areas in HR technology such as talent analytics and retention analytics have experienced significant growth rates.
Our Take: HR organizations are going through a major transition as they move from a primarily administrative function to one that really powers the business. Cloud adoption is a major enabler of the reimagination of HR.
A Software Feud Ends, at Least for TodayNew York Times, 6/27/2013Summary: Oracle and Salesforce this week announced their plans for an expanded alliance. On Thursday, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison and Salesforce.com CEO and chariman Marc Benioff held a conference call to explain the companies' recent strategic partnership. The objective of the call was to explain next steps in the Oracle-Salesforce relationship and the benefit of this partnership for customers, though many are still left with unanswered questions about the deal.
Our take: Check out yesterday's blog post, Deciphering the Oracle/Salesforce #Bromance, with Appirio's perspective.