Or maybe anyway.
News today that MYOB have taken the surprise decision to dis-establish their MD positions in New Zealand, Australia and Asia. Regular users will recall that MYOB introduced a first edition of an on-demand accounting system, a release that I was fairly dismissive of. The defective on-demand head head of their on-demand product defected to Xero and now this change all adds up to…. something.
I’ve posted previously at length about the pain traditional ISVs feel when trying to move to a SaaS model. The dis-establishment of these MD positions could possibly be tied in to this pain. Clearly a move towards SaaS will have an effect on revenues, perhaps this is a way to keep all the different geographical entities on a very short leash, concentrate control back at head-office, and cut some costs out in preparation for a move to a new model.
This assessment is made more compelling given the news that a new CEO has been appointed while the old CEO moves into the new role of chief innovation executive.
Clearly MYOB needs to innovate significantly – could a true SaaS offering perhaps be on their horizons?
Ben Kepes is an analyst, an entrepreneur, a commentator and a business adviser. His business interests include a diverse range of industries from manufacturing to property to technology. As a technology commentator he has a broad presence both in the traditional media and extensively online. Ben covers the convergance of technology, mobile, ubiquity and agility, all enabled by the Cloud. His areas of interest extend to enterprise software, software integration, financial/accounting software, platforms and infrastructure as well as articulating technology simply for everyday users. 