NewsForge: Open Source community could learn something from Microsoft’s services

“Based on all the negative press coming out of places
like Computer Reseller’s News, independent software developers and
system integrators are ready to declare war on Microsoft. The
reason? System integrators are nervous that Microsoft, along with
HP, IBM and a host of other vendors are trying to take over the
service business.

A recent article by CRN’s Steve Burke is among a blizzard of
similar pieces threatening that system integrators will begin to
walk away from proprietary developers and begin to popularize Linux
if Microsoft and the other vendors don’t stop muscling in on the
service business.

I don’t think so.

Unfortunately, I’ve had the opportunity to watch some of these
vendor-based professional services teams in action over the last
few months. I have watched Microsoft Consulting Service (MCS) in
particular. And — I have a warning for any independent system
integrators who think they could take on these vendor-based
professional services teams: A lot of these guys know more about
servicing customers than you do. What they have done, and what
Microsoft Consulting Services has done particularly well, is pick
off yet another good idea from the broader IT community and made it
their own. What makes it all the more galling is the fact that the
idea of building a service business came right out of the business
plans of several leading Linux developers.”

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