Isolate the dangerous four (Joachim Kempin)
Date:
Just when we thought we had it all down to a fine art, the industry is facing yet another major challenge by some of our fiercest rivals: IBM, Oracle, NSCP and SUN. If truly aligned, this would be a formidable coalition, but despite a certain amount of displayed unity, all of the above are truly competing as fiercely with each other as they are with us. The key for us in OEM will be to isolate them from the rest of the industry where they, except SUN, hold significant stakes. Knowing our roadmap, it will take us 12-18 months to respond with superior TCO and productivity solutions.
The only weapon we have in the interim is to use our current good relationships with the majority of the PC manufacturers to keep them in our camp and isolate the dangerous four in the market place. While the company is moving toward a D-day type announcement on June 24th, 1997, we in OEM need to continue to point out to PC manufactures that any cooperation with the dangerous four - even from groups outside their PC division, will hurt the PC industry mission of providing superior productivity solutions to our mutual customers. Naturally, talk alone will not pull us out of this crisis. This is why I am calling FY98 the foundation year.
This is the year, which will determine ours and MSFT’s success in the year 2000, which is only 3 years away. Job #1 is unchanged - we must continue to build competitive immunity. The key initiatives in FY98 to prepare us for the year 2000 challenges are as follows:
1. Learn how to improve our customer intimacy significantly
2. Execute a value added web strategy for System Builders
3. Nurture and influence the transition to NTW for all business desktops
4. Increase bootable OS penetration in key development countries
5. Increase WW piracy efforts by creating a grass roots movement as well as stepping up legal enforcement
Synopsis
Snippet
FY98 - A Foundation Year Joachim Kempin Sr. Vice president OEM salesJust when we thought we had it all down to a fine art, the industry is facing yet another major challenge by some of our fiercest rivals: IBM, Oracle, NSCP and SUN. If truly aligned, this would be a formidable coalition, but despite a certain amount of displayed unity, all of the above are truly competing as fiercely with each other as they are with us. The key for us in OEM will be to isolate them from the rest of the industry where they, except SUN, hold significant stakes. Knowing our roadmap, it will take us 12-18 months to respond with superior TCO and productivity solutions.
The only weapon we have in the interim is to use our current good relationships with the majority of the PC manufacturers to keep them in our camp and isolate the dangerous four in the market place. While the company is moving toward a D-day type announcement on June 24th, 1997, we in OEM need to continue to point out to PC manufactures that any cooperation with the dangerous four - even from groups outside their PC division, will hurt the PC industry mission of providing superior productivity solutions to our mutual customers. Naturally, talk alone will not pull us out of this crisis. This is why I am calling FY98 the foundation year.
This is the year, which will determine ours and MSFT’s success in the year 2000, which is only 3 years away. Job #1 is unchanged - we must continue to build competitive immunity. The key initiatives in FY98 to prepare us for the year 2000 challenges are as follows:
1. Learn how to improve our customer intimacy significantly
2. Execute a value added web strategy for System Builders
3. Nurture and influence the transition to NTW for all business desktops
4. Increase bootable OS penetration in key development countries
5. Increase WW piracy efforts by creating a grass roots movement as well as stepping up legal enforcement