It has been amusing this Independence Day reading reaction to Microsoft’s Equipt announcement. The reaction has ranged from hope to anger, depending on the author’s attitude toward Microsoft. Rather than play either note I’d like to focus on the business model and the opportunities it offers open source.

What we’re looking at here is bundled SaaS. SaaS for the masses.

Security is at the heart of this announcement. This is aimed far more at McAfee and Symantec than at Open Office. Microsoft is bundling an anti-viral with office productivity at roughly the price of the first.

Second, re-sellers. Microsoft chose its Worldwide Partner Conference in Houston as the venue for this. It had good reason. Microsoft is depending on its vast re-seller network to make Equipt a money-spinner.

But what can we learn from this?

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