Opinions Vary on CapGemini

Posted on September 11, 2007
Filed Under Enterprise Software |

Cap Gemini’s announcement of support for Google Apps is getting a lot of positive coverage, probably more aspirational than reasoned in many cases. What I mean for that is a significant portion of the market really wants Google to be successful with office apps in order to provide a lever to use against Microsoft. Whether or not Google is successful is secondary.

Even Microsoft did something unexpected in responding to the announcement rather forcefully, which of course indicates that they are going to the mattresses. Read the full response, it’s lengthy.

For a more sober look at the Cap Gemini announcement, read the following posts:

Vinnie Mirchandani:

Cap briefed a few Enterprise Irregulars today, and I was eager to see how a major outsourcer has embraced utility/SaaS concepts. But I heard little of that. They emphasized it was less of a cost play, more of a collaboration play especially to bring "disenfranchised" employees on the shop floor and elsewhere for who no one licensed MS Office tools for.

Dennis Howlett:

But the real problem is with Cap itself. The US is the market of opportunity but it doesn’t figure as a top 10 outsourcing player. Worse still, it’s missing a trick by not signaling a fundamental change in the consulting model. On the other hand, this move makes it look cool in the eyes of Web/Office/Enterprise 2.0 aficionados. How long that lasts remains to be seen.

Michael Krigsman:

Given these arguments, perhaps Google and Cap Gemini are not strange bedfellows at all. However, calling this a marriage of convenience is probably close to the truth.

Josh Greenbaum:

So it’s not clear to me how this deal really changes the game for Microsoft, or for Google either. One thing that will happen for sure is that Cap’s sales force will be reporting back to Google, with considerable authority, on how inadequate Google Apps are for the needs of major enterprises.

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