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?
