This is one of those items that’s of more strategic interest than something that affects day-to-day channel business. However, with SAP entering an agreement to buy Sybase, the move should eventually impact a lot of people. With SAP having one of the larger business intelligence units in Business Objects, the acquisition of Sybase establishes SAP as having a broad technology platform. The SAP press release highlighted development on mobile systems and the move towards in-memory computing. Read more...

Maine Systems is recruiting resellers for its P2 Microsoft CRM for Professional Services, whose  target market, includes accountants. The company is based in Jersey (not the one in the U.S., the island with the cows). Maine developed its system on top of Dynamics CRM and has done the best job I've seen of an English company getting American English into the displays. There's a time honored tradition of English companies trying to move into the practice management software market here but leaving the "U" in labour. And Maine says the ability to change terminology to fit a business is one of its strengths. The one clinked I see is that P2 has its own accounting module which was described as "QuickBooks-like". Trying to buck the QB behemoth doesn't seem like a great way to make a product a hit. I'd say why not add QB- friendly features. Main used Microsoft Convergence in April to inaugurate its reseller recruitment efforts in the States. There are three modules, bundled for $750 suggested retail. Two modules are $550 and individual modules are $350. There is also a 29 percent annual maintenance Read more...