Tackling Cross Integration

I’ve spent that last two days at Microsoft, moving through what, in other circumstances, might be endless meetings. But the Microsoft folks kept things lively and interesting, so I rather enjoyed the somewhat crammed schedule. Since much of the information is under non-disclosure, Weblogs on much of the content will have to wait for awhile. Among the groups making time for Jupiter Research this visit: Developer Tools, eHome, Licensing, Microsoft TV, MSN, Office System, Platform Strategy, Windows Client, Windows Digital Media, Windows Embedded, Windows Management, Windows Server System and Windows Server 2003.

Some impressions: My largest concern about Microsoft software development remains the significant amount of cross integration of features among different products. On the one hand, Microsoft is trying to leverage its assets to make products more appealing to customers. This does make sense. Why should, say, the Office group reinvent something already available from Windows Server? From that perspective, and from the idea of giving customers a more cohesive experience, feature cross integration makes sense.

On the other hand, this creates a few problems for Microsoft. For example, the company is making a large number of products work better together--and in some ways work only best together--at a time when many businesses continue to favor heterogeneous mixes of hardware and software. To Microsoft’s credit, the company has gotten the message its products have to be good citizens on heterogeneous networks. Interoperability would appear to be a product development priority, something I wouldn’t say was always true in the past. Still, the emphasis on cross integration and Microsoft products working best together opens too many opportunities for interoperability issues to arise. Whether deserved or not, Microsoft carries much public image baggage from its antitrust trial. So the onus is on the company not to make any interoperability mistakes as the feature cross integration increases. Otherwise, whether in the press or from competitor FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) campaigns, issues raised about how Microsoft competes could continue to dent its public image.

My other concern regarding feature cross integration is logistical. Now, single product releases are dependent on adjacent or even distant desktop or server applications. So delay of one product could ripple through to delays of two or three other products. How well different Microsoft groups collaborate and meet their deadlines is crucial--now more than any other time in the company’s history. From everything I’ve seen over the last two days, this is a challenge Microsoft is ready to meet. If the product groups succeed at this task, which would dramatically improve efficiencies developing products, Microsoft likely will become a more formidable competitor and more capable software company. The test will be the six months ahead, when Microsoft’s product pipeline is chock full of products--many with features that cross integrate with each other.

Posted by Joe Wilcox at July 24, 2003 09:02 AM