ROC Approaches Zero
March 17, 2008 | By Raymond T. Hightower
What does it say about a company when it has to hold a half-day seminar to tell you how to pay for its products? I would say that the return on complexity (ROC) approaches zero.
Come Learn How to Pay Me
I received an email from Microsoft a few minutes ago inviting software professionals to a half-day seminar on Microsoft software licensing. What? Here’s a excerpt:
Microsoft Licensing Boot Camps
Demonstrating your expertise in providing licensing solutions and services to customers opens new opportunities for you to earn additional income, develop continuing revenue streams, and expand your services business. The knowledge you gain in this boot camp can help you differentiate your services from your competitors and help you be recognized as a Microsoft Partner specializing in providing licensing solutions and services. This half-day, interactive event will help build your capabilities in the areas of Open License, Open Value, and Financing Options.
Customers Want Solutions. Not Bureaucracy
I admire Microsoft. I admire what Microsoft has done to democratize information technology. When Bill Gates and Paul Allen envisioned “a computer on every desktop” decades ago, many people thought they were crazy. Now PDAs have taken us beyond the desktop to “a computer in every pocket”. Thank you Bill and Paul.
But now the complexity of licensing seems absurd. And unnecessary. Customers want software that works, and they have zero time to navigate unnecessarily complex licensing terms. Customers want solutions, not bureaucracy. Simplicity required.