Microsoft Acquires Groove Networks, Appoints Ozzie to Senior Technical Position

Microsoft appointed software pioneer Ray Ozzie to a senior technical position as part of its push to revamp its core Windows and Office product lines. The appointment came as the software giant bought Ozzie's latest company, Groove Networks, to inject a key piece of technology into the next version of its Office PC software applications. Ozzie, creator of Lotus Notes, has championed new applications based on peer-to-peer technology, which he believes will be a core part of future computing architecture. Microsoft plans to incorporate Groove's software into its next version of Office, due next year.

Key Takeaways:

• Ray Ozzie, creator of Lotus Notes, has been appointed to a senior technical position at Microsoft to revamp its Windows and Office product lines.
• Microsoft has acquired Groove Networks, founded by Ozzie, to inject peer-to-peer technology into the next version of Office.
• Ozzie has championed peer-to-peer systems, which allow direct data sharing between laptops, mobile devices, and other gadgets, as a better suited architecture for future computing.
• Ozzie's appointment comes with a position as one of three chief technical officers at Microsoft, reporting to Bill Gates.
• Groove's software will supply a core feature in the next version of Office, allowing remote workers to easily sync with information on their PCs.
• Microsoft plans to incorporate peer-to-peer technology, including Groove's software, into the next version of Windows, codenamed Longhorn.

Statistics:

• More than 100m people use Lotus Notes, which was created by Ozzie 20 years ago.
• Microsoft has overtaken IBM with its own collaboration tools, such as Outlook.
• Groove Networks has 200 employees.
• Terms of the Groove acquisition were not disclosed.
• Microsoft plans to release the next version of Office, which includes Groove's software, next year.

Sources:

• Forrester Research, analyst Nate Root
• Microsoft, Bill Gates, Ray Ozzie
• International Business Machines, Lotus Notes
• Ray Ozzie's personal online blog
• Microsoft press release