What is the real potential of Buddy?, page-7

Yes for me, the most famous backer/smart money/(DEFACTO PARTNER?) behind Buddy is Microsoft.

Microsoft has been intertwined with Buddy from the start when it first put $1.13m seed funding into Buddy under its new investment arm Microsoft Ventures. source

It was one Microsoft Ventures FIRST investments. source

In June 17, 2014 Buddy presented at Microsoft Ventures Global Demo Day:


The man speaking is...


Dave is the co-founder, largest shareholder and public face of Buddy. Below he speaks on how Buddy started, and the opportunities they are pursuing:



Here he is with is co-founder Jeff MacDuff, who also worked for over twelve years at Microsoft Corporation until they left to start Buddy. source


Another Microsoft connection is


This is from a conversation I had With Dave McLauchlan early September,
- Question: Regarding Habib Heydarian (Buddy VP Product/Engineering), what's his relationship with Microsoft, I see he's still recently active there?
Dave's Answer: 8 weeks ago Habib went full-time at Buddy, Dave has known Habib a very long time and worked with him back in 2000 at Microsoft. source
(observation- I think it is worth noting Habib, like other ex-microsoft people, has left a career at Microsoft to join Buddy.)

So how valuable is the Microsoft/Buddy relationship FOR BOTH PARTIES?

(I am assuming most readers have an idea what Buddy do from the presentations - for more detail - here's a good OUTSIDE starting point from earlier this year:
“Buddy Platform” – Hosting and Managing “IoT” Device Data)

One of the cornerstones Buddy business strategies is to offer data storage to its customers - and the company that provides that data storage facilities is MICROSOFT:


Through a partnership with Microsoft, Buddy can store data in 5 locations (Microsoft Azure data centers) throughout the world- North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. This is important since many international companies have strict privacy regulations that require data to be stored locally in order to comply with data sovereignty rules. For example, European Union laws require that data be hosted and stored in Europe. source

This is a Buddy key point of difference from its competitors, for example this video and explanation explains a recent EU court ruling:
-
- The Data Protection Commissioner has welcomed a ruling by the EU's highest court which found that a system enabling data transfers from the European Union to the United States by thousands of companies is invalid. source

So in this example - by Buddy being able to sandbox data within the EU at its Microsoft data center - corporate customers of Buddy would be immune from prosecution and their data safe, and legally secure within the EU.

And being on the ball, Dave McLauchlan tweeted about the ruling.
Dave McLauchlan ‏@DaveMcLauchlan Oct 8 Kirkland, WA
EU court ruling = uncertainty into US/EU data transfers. Good thing @BuddyPlatform sandboxes data in US/EU/CN/AU! http://m.rte.ie/news/2015/1006/732665-safe-harbour-ecj/ …




Another Buddy key point of difference from its competitors - Buddy is up and running with Fortune 500 customers already:

Buddy is currently billing in trials or soon to begin trials with Fortune 500 companies in the automotive, telecommunications, airline, consumer electronics and retail spaces, in addition to government customers. Source (page 1)

So when Dave tweeted:

source - thanks Pkhao

It also shows Microsoft is helping Buddy get additional customers to those they already have - and these potential customers are global:

Accenture, Apriso, Aras, Atos, Avanade,
BMC, Bentley, CA Technologies, CGI,
Capgemini, Citrix, Cognizant, CommVault,
Dassault Systèmes, Dell, Dimension Data,
Ericsson, Esri, Ferranti Computer Systems,
Fiserv, GE Healthcare IT, Genetec, ICONICS,
Icertis, Innovation Group, Intergraph, Invensys,
Itron, JDA, Jeppesen, Kronos, Lufthansa Systems,
Manhattan Associates, Misys, NCR, Numerix,
OSIsoft, Open Text, PROS, PTC, Redknee,
Rockwell Automation, SAP, Schlumberger,
Schneider Electric, Siemens MES, Siemens PLM,
Sigma Systems, Sitecore, Sitrion, Sogeti, SunGard,
Symantec, TCS, TXT, Temenos, Teradata,
Towers Watson, Tribold, Varicent, Ventyx,
Wipro, Wolters Kluwer, beqom, i365.
source

And why are Microsoft doing this?
- Because it's good for Microsoft business - as NEW AND OLD BUDDY CUSTOMERS WILL BE/ARE HOSTED by BUDDY, at MICROSOFT"S data centres - WHAT A WIN-WIN for BOTH COMPANIES.

That's why I think Microsoft is almost like a defacto partner - something Fortune 500 companies will appreciate.

Plus when Microsoft want to take a stronger stake in the Iot market - based on their existing relationship - Buddy will be an ideal, and more than likely, friendly takeover target.

This relationship with Microsoft gives Buddy both the foundation and on going support it needs to give Buddy a massive advantage in the Iot marketplace - and be the stable company corporations prefer to deal with.

What a win the MICROSOFT relationship is truly for Buddy shareholders - be it present, or in the future!

One of the things I'd like to touch on more - and my favorite key point-of-difference with Buddy from a lot of other start-ups - the business is already up and running...