By Linda Leung, VNU Net
Whatever the outcome of Microsoft’s antitrust trial, users
shouldn’t abandon the company too hastily because there are no
viable alternatives, researcher Giga Information Group said this
week.
Giga analyst Rob Enderle said that although there is no
immediate panic for customers, they should review their contracts
because users could end up paying for Microsoft’s legal costs.
“Lock in guarantees on pricing, licensing and service and
support, because no-one knows exactly how this suit will play out
or when it will conclude,” he told delegates at GigaWorld IT Forum
2000 this week.
“Don’t jump ship, because there is nowhere to jump to. Unix is
going back to being legacy systems, and Linux is not ready for
you,” he said, adding that he believed companies should use
Microsoft partners, such as Hewlett Packard and EDS, as backup
because they will work hard to protect customers from any negative
outcome.
But users should not bet their businesses on future products
that are not yet in beta, especially those that rely on Microsoft’s
entire portfolio such as next generation Windows services, because
they may not be as effective if the company is split in
half.
Giga believed that a Microsoft broken up into Baby Bills would
be faster and better able to compete with emerging companies.
An operating system (OS) unit, for example, could consolidate
systems and might even capture the Mac OS market with co-investment
from Apple. This would create a blended system that would also free
Apple to compete more effectively with other PC vendors.
An applications unit would be free to target the emerging
internet market without fear of hurting Windows, while a consumer
unit would be free to grow as a stronger competitor against
AOL/Time Warner by acquisitions.
“Taking sides [in the legal dispute] is risky,” Enderle
concluded. “This is far from a done deal and finding yourself on
the wrong side of how this will come out represents a larger risk
than any related benefit.”