Microsoft's top 10 hurdles for 2006

Microsoft is expected to enter the new year facing a number of hurdles--but the chief one will be to position Windows Vista as an enterprise product.

Analyst firm Directions on Microsoft, which last week published its list of Microsoft's top 10 challenges for 2006, cited the marketing of Windows Vista as its top concern.

"Windows Vista could offer large organizations improvements in software development, security, reliability, systems management and user interface," according to the report. "However, public demonstrations have been full of cool graphics effects and consumer features that probably turn off more IT staff than they attract."

Microsoft's challenges in the order they were published are to:

• Explain to corporate customers why they should buy Windows Vista without waiting to purchase new hardware first.

• Publish a definitive set of guidelines on developing Windows applications to reduce buggy software and security flaws--and then enforce it.

• Communicate its intent for entering into the managed-solutions market, as well as which parts of this business it will leave to its partners.

• Quickly distribute to developers the next generation of basic tools to support Vista.

• "Gel" its online strategies, such as starting up a new advertising platform and clarifying these offerings to small businesses.

• Make consistent its strategy for enterprise resource planning so its partners can support, sell and transition new customers to its newly named Dynamics product line.

• Move forward on its Dynamic Systems Initiative, potentially a new standard for software that manages other software. Also, document components, such as the Systems Definition Model, and create and promote related developer tools.

• Establish its policy on product releases and show discipline in adhering to it.

• Justify the Xbox 360's high price amid pressure from competitors; develop a must-have Xbox game title for consumers; and eliminate the Xbox shortages and glitches that occurred early on.

• Align pricing of its Software Assurance maintenance plan licenses with its actual product release cycles.

[rcrusoe]

Vista for business

Getting businesses into upgrading to Vista will be a major hurdle for MS. One that they may find impossible to accomplish.

From what I've read, most businesses never upgraded to XP, choosing instead to get XP when purchasing new hardware. That will continue to be true because for most business users, anything that will run their apps (i.e. W2000 up) is good enough.

Vista main "feature", IMO, is massive hardware requirements. A feature that most companies prefer to avoid.

Very true.

My company is still in a mix of 2000/XP because of the high cost for each license of XP. The 2000 machines are almost extinct now that so many machiens have been replaced by slimmer dell desktops, but at this point, the company would balk at buying Vista in the next 3-4 years (after, if ever, Vista is released). The servers are primarily 2003 editions, with a lot of them actually pieced together when more storage is required.

The IT guys said that if the company ever moved to OS X the licensing would be much easier and cheaper, thus upgrades wouldn't be such a "task" to the people who hold the checkbook. However, the company is based strictly on Windows running software and therefor that hope is pretty much down the drain.

[booboo1243]

DRM

there's also the mega DRM levels that Vista will likely introduce,
with every pixel on the hdmi -> hdtv display being encrypted.
Hopefully the M$oft Vista DRM (digital rights management)
technology will be less invasive than the recent Sony CD problems.

[aabcdefghij987654321]

HDTV at work?

the spread of HDTV displays at home will likely make the "Vista
Home Media Edition 360 (c) (TM)" a requirement as "Windows
D.R.Media Player 11(?)" will be needed to play HD-DVD's with full
screen glory (might be a little bit dark on normal CRT displays!).
I don't think my enterprise is willing to put a 26"LCD on
everyones' desk, so I don't think there will be a work based
demand for Vista.
I'm still using OS X at work and impressing my colleagues, Win
XP will work OK until 2008 or so, I plan to put Win2k as the
dual-boot OS on my January Appleintel iBook as the dark side to
OS 10.4.4, I'll keep a Knoppix Boot CD around for Linux playing
too. Good luck M$ and best wishes.

[Wildcat0695]

For the SMB

For a small business there is no bonus large enough to force a move to Vista. As the saying goes,"If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Sorry MS, but you are going to have XP users and Windows Server 2003 users for a long time.

[Johnny Mnemonic]

ain't broke?

Really?

Linux and MS in 2006

You will continue to see very large contracts for both Novell and Red Hat in the coming year as large legacy systems move to those alternatives. Especially in the SMB and hosted applications space you'll see a lot of linux development. Microsofts biggest issue is indeed those lucky few who's network will keep humming along, and simply see no reason to invest in upgrading.

[kensystem]

Should have been titled "Microsoft's top 10 own hurdles for 2006"

Far and away, the biggest hurdles come from competing stratgies for which they have very un-firm (or no) answer.. on almost every front there is a huge hurdle from their compitition, but *not one* of those was mentioned here. Should've been called "Microsoft's top 10 internal hurdles for 2006", or "I write good-PR articles for MS"