The change in the nature of what we call `infrastructure’ is now well and truly underway, and while many large enterprises still feel it will not affect them directly, I would beg to differ. 

The as yet unofficial news that Microsoft is to invest in building some 24 datacentres, each of at least 500,000 sq ft floor area and costing around $500m a time, raises the stakes on even the largest enterprises having to seriously look at what this type of capability can offer them.  

There are, I suspect, still significant flaws in not only the thought processes of enterprise IT managements but also Microsoft itself in the development of its datacentre strategy, but there is no doubting the potential for change in the way ICT services are delivered to end users that Microsoft and Google are about to bring. 

Microsoft’s biggest issue, I suspect, is that it persists in seeing the SaaS operational model as a way of delivering applications to end users, rather than services. To me, that is still operating with the mindset that pens are about `the mechanics of ink delivery’ rather than `writing’ or going to movies is about observing `shutter/celluloid frame image integration’ rather than being `entertained’. This could explain one of the reported hindrances to the planned Microsoft takeover of Yahoo, where there seem to be issues about integrating, or not integrating, the two businesses.  

While there may be scope to integrate technologies at some time, as well as some of the operational concepts, integrating the brands would be silly. Any final takeover would give the opportunity to move all consumer-directed services (ie `applications’ in Microsoft parlance) to the Yahoo brand, while directing the Microsoft brand even more directly at  the business and enterprise sectors. 

It is the greater flexibility of the operational concepts possible with this datacentre growth that enterprise IT managements need to be aware and ready to work with. They may be thinking it won’t affect them as it is all `consumer stuff’. But some of that, the online use of Microsoft personal productivity applications that are the stuff of working life for most enterprise coalface workers, is likely to become endemic amongst them. It will be difficult for IT managers to stop it, I suspect, especially if those workers find it is faster and more flexible to work with an online remote service than with the in-house service. 

And where the individual application/service goes, so more complex services will start to follow. IT managements that don’t at least consider embracing SaaS delivery as an alternative to some elements of the infrastructure – if not the entire thing just yet – may well find it happening within their domain without their control or influence. As we have seen many times before, disruptive technologies like this always create situations where the line between `flexible adaptivity’ and `anarchy’ gets very thin and diaphanous. Those enterprises that can get into the former camp tend to win. 

One final thought: Microsoft already has BT as a favourite cuddling partner in the SaaS marketplace. Indeed, because of its background BT probably has a better understanding of the concept of `service delivery’ than Microsoft and its service=applications mindset. So it could be a good bet as a brand capable of pushing Microsoft into the business and, eventually, enterprise infrastructure space.  

It was not so long ago that Microsoft had some serious aspirations towards acquiring BT. Could it be beyond the realms of impossibility……….?