March 11, 2005

Microsoft buying Groove: People and Technology

Last night I was listening to a books on CD (a trial CD sent to me by "Audio-Tech Business Book Summaries) and one of the sample titles was "The 12 Simple Secrets of Microsoft Management". In listening to these secrets one really understands why Microsoft is one of America's best run companies.

Why did Microsoft buy Groove? For a few basic reasons.

The technology and the people.

Microsoft has an array of great tools and services via their Communications Server, SharePoint and Live Meeting tools but nothing like Groove, nothing that hot. Groove is the master at enabling those not on the company network to fully collaborate whenever they want and wherever they want as if they were connected all the time to the company network = distributed computing/collaboration. Instead of building something, it was much faster and smarter to simply buy the best collaboration product on the market.

Microsoft's purchase is much more than the technology, however, it's the people. The brains behind Groove, with expertise in networking, collaboration, security and other important issues can feed their knowledge throughout Microsoft. This marriage is powerful.

The "office" is no longer a building, but it's wherever you, your cell phone, laptop computer and smartphone are.

Without Microsoft's help, Groove would have done ok as a company but with Microsoft's help it can grow SO much more. Imagine the marketing and institutional support now available to Groove as being part of Microsoft.

One downside to Microsoft's Groove purchase is that now Groove will not be a product that can seamlessly integrate into other operating systems and platforms. I'm not sure if Groove was every trying to do so, but as part of Microsoft the die is cast - its all Microsoft.

Lastly, this FURTHER puts a stamp on Microsoft's increasing dominance as THE company to partner with and whose products you'll want to first consider for your companies information needs.

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