Reiterating that it wants to play better with others, Microsoft has started a group to promote software interoperability. Twenty-five companies, including Sun Microsystems, BEA Systems, XenSource and Novell, have agreed to join the Interop Vendor Alliance... |
Reiterating that it wants to play better with others, Microsoft has started a group to promote software interoperability. Twenty-five companies, including Sun Microsystems, BEA Systems, XenSource and Novell, have agreed to join the Interop Vendor Alliance unveiled at Microsoft's IT Forum in Barcelona, Spain.
The alliance aims on promoting interoperability with Microsoft software in areas such as systems management, virtualisation, identity management, data access, multiple portal connections through web services-based single sign-ons and developer tools, according to Jason Matusow, senior director for interoperability at Microsoft.
"In conversations (about interoperability), one thing that has come through from customers has been the need to have a constructive conversation with vendors about interoperability," said Matusow.
The council is not meant to replace existing standards bodies. Rather, the goal is to identify interoperability problems and to generate recommendations on how to address them, said Sam Rosenbalm, a business development manager at Microsoft who helped organise the council. "Customers are telling us that even with standards, when they get products in production, it doesn't always work well," he said.
"We want to create a forum that creates an environment for getting things done," Matusow said. Vendors that join the group can still decline to make their products work with another member's if they believe it is in their business interest. "Just because one member holds out his hand to shake doesn't mean the other one has to take it," he said.
The fact that Microsoft announced the alliance at an event being held in Europe is also significant, considering Microsoft’s ongoing interoperability war with the European Commission.
"Microsoft has been under fire in Europe for its reticence in joining various multi-vendor interoperability efforts", Charles King, principal analyst with PundIT Research said. "To its credit Microsoft seems to be moving in a seriously different strategic direction. One could take a wait and see position, but on the surface it seems Microsoft is sincere about this."
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