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by throw_14JAS 2342 days ago
It'x a brilliant piece of marketing from MS, if you think about it. Many decision makers, even in spaces with HIPAA data, have no real idea what it entails. They are frightened of screwing it up.

What Microsoft sells is a "good enough" solution that speaks the right language for the decision makers. In turn, this makes their decision less risky while still satisficing the requirements.

1 comments

Exactly. From the perspective of high level decision makers, PaaS is heading toward being a commodity good, so differentiating your platform can be what makes a deal and making regulatory compliance "easy" in heavily regulated industries can be a pretty strong differentiator.

If you have an existing business relationship with a company and already trust them to help you navigate regulatory hoops, there's going to be strong inclination to continue to trust them as you expand your infrastructure to the cloud.

Like you said, it's the kind of very smart, long-term marketing I tend to associate with "New"/Nadella Microsoft.

Like the new "Windows Terminal" project - EXCELLENT marketing strategies in recent years.

I still don't trust them, but credit where credit is due.

I encourage you to consider how your statement, "I don't trust Microsoft," sounds to a higher level exec or department head. I don't mean this as a criticism -- I notice there's a tendency for ICs to state their opinions in such a way that hurts their perception.

Namely, if you were to state to a higher level manager that you "don't trust Microsoft", you will come across as a crank. Or a developer who doesn't see the bigger picture.

To improve perception, folks should try to reframe their personal preferences ("I don't trust MS") as risks to the business - "I worry that MS will lock us in to their platform and jack up prices". The former is reputation-harming; the latter is being a savvy 2nd order thinker, who looks beyond just what the MS salesman says.

That would be the first reason I'd give to someone that questioned my "crank" statement.

The next one would be the PRISM connection (Skype architecture, etc), and FISA orders they're surely under.

It's not totally they're fault I don't trust them. Buuuuut, it is partly.

Definitely appreciate the feedback - lucky for me, I have removed myself from corporate tech bureaucracy, become self-employed, and can preach from my poor man's pulpit ;D