Ryan R. Donovan's Microsoft WebLog : Random Thoughts

"R2" TAP and the ROI of Life on the Bleeding Edge

rdonovan — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 00:19:00 GMT

Recently, we have launched the Technology Adoption Program (TAP) for Commerce Server 2009 Code Name "R2" - which is the next version of Commerce Server. This is highlighted in the team blog at http://blogs.msdn.com/commerce/archive/2009/06/22/the-next-version-of-commerce-server-codename-r2-is-on-its-way.aspx - where you can get the full details.

If you sign up, you will get:

One-on-One briefing
Early access to next-generation bits
Direct interaction with the product group

The obvious question is what's in it for me? If I sign-up to be on the bleeding edge - surely I'll have a bumpier road than if I went with a released version. Although that is true, you will also get at least 1-2, possibly more years less lifespan out of the solution.

Investments required in an eCommerce deployment, like Point-of-Sale (POS), are typically large and complex. The goal is to get as long of a runway as possible out of an investment. For POS, it is typically 7+ years, with 10 being idea. For eCommerce, it should be at least 5 years, with more being ideal. TAP helps you achieve just that. By deploying early, you will be live in production before the start of the 5-year standard support lifecycle clock starts. Deploying on a previous version can mean that you will get less than 5 years, some cases considerably so. Above the 5-year standard support lifecycle, Microsoft products enter what is known as extended support - see http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifepolicy. At that point, support options become considerably more limited - and potentially costly. So, a little up front bleeding edge roughness...can save a whole lot downstream if you want to use your deployment for a long time!

Something to consider! Hope this helps!

CS Staffing Requests & Blog Neutrality

rdonovan — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:28:00 GMT

Recently, I have started to get a lot of direct comments regarding requests for staffing referrals. Unfortunately, I cannot answer these directly. Job posting sites such as Monster.com or http://www.microsoft.com/commerceserver/partners/default.mspx (which is in the process of being updated for CS2009) are probably the best resources. Thanks for your understanding!

So what exactly HAVE I been up to?

rdonovan — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 08:35:42 GMT

I have been quiet, but it's all done in the sake of working on cool stuff that I can't yet talk about. ;-) As they say at the movie theatre, silence is golden.

What I will say is that in addition to continue to work on all things e-commerce, I have taken on some new responsibilities at Microsoft in the Web space over the last month. Things are now sufficiently baked in terms of internal communication that it is a good time to start blogging about it.

Specifically, I am now also working on the Web Hosting space - which is a large and fascinating market filled with several unique customer segments (comprising shared, dedicated, and virtual dedicated - through either application or operating system virtualization) and quite a few interesting technological challenges.

So does this mean any wavering in my focus on e-commerce? Not at all - it just means twice as much energy towards furthering the Microsoft Web platform for our customers to cover two principal areas of focus instead of one. Now, if only I could alter the space time continuum to double my working hours...

Be seeing you - with a lot more content soon.

Year in Review & Happy Holidays

rdonovan — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 21:06:34 GMT

2006 has been a truly interesting year for the e-commerce space at Microsoft. For what will likely be my last blog post of the year, I figured it would be good to share some personal reflections on where we have been and where we are going....

Premiering CS2007

This year saw Commerce Server 2007 finally ship, of which I am personally quite proud of the product and the team. Although it's not perfect, it is by far the best piece of e-commerce technology to come out of Microsoft and the first truly geared for the large Enterprise scenarios. It was quite gratifying to see many of the CS200x rough edges like the Business Desk finally disappear, as well as some of the obvious feature omissions like Inventory finally get added.

It's also great to be a technology trendsetter - by being one of the few solutions to include fully integrated deployment and health monitoring capabilities as well as the only (as of today) to be fully Web Service/SOA-enabled and EAI-enabled (via BizTalk 2006 adapters) solution out-of-the-box.

Getting the surrounding eco-system jump-started has been a Herculean effort across the team and a slower start than anyone here would have liked. That said, we are making great progress on all fronts. All of the surrounding Web downloads are done - such as the Language Packs, Partner SDK, BPA, and Starter Site. The first major documentation refresh and Performance Guide are now available, with the second and third major refreshes in progress. SP1 is coming with Vista client support, updated platform support, and all cumulative fixes to-date. And the Commerce Team Blog is now available at http://blogs.msdn.com/commerce/ - this is THE place for official tips and announcements.

State of the Industry

From an industry perspective, e-commerce is becoming cool again. Infrastructure renewal of sites put in place in the late 1990s to early 2000s that are now running on largely unsupported platforms is driving a lot of upgrades. Common definitions of multi-channel retailing are finally starting to coalesce. Demand for it is becoming real, as customers want to better integrate with their back-ends, suppliers, and brick-and-mortar channels. At the same time, making e-commerce infrastructure through altnerative marketplaces or available on non-Web devices is also a driving factor. Internationalization is also a big buzz word - focusing on making available brands internationally as well as the rise of e-commerce sites outside of the typical North American and European markets. From where things stand today, demand in the space overall is only going to go up.

Outlook for the Future

Internally, we have a lot in-store - based on our past track record of being dark for long periods (which I and everyone else are aiming to fix), I think folks will be pleasantly surprised. First and foremost is customer care - making sure any issues get fixed promptly as well as ensuring that all of the latest and greatest platforms are supported. Second, we have many initiatives underway to further round out the CS2007 eco-system surrounding the product. Third, we are also working on what happens next (and have been for some-time)...

As they say at the end of some of my favorite movies, "James Bond will return." Here's looking forward to 2007. Happy Holidays. Be seeing you.

How NOT to Demo CS2007 (and gain TechEd Infamy)

rdonovan — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 13:56:20 GMT

I figured this would be good for a laugh - especially as I had 90+ in attendance when it happened yesterday - which happened to be THE WORST public speaking experience of my life.

While presenting DEV234 at TechEd Europe Developers here in Barcelona Spain, I was most definitely struck twice by lighting from the demo gods - and received the lowest speaker scores of my entire life. This was the exact same presentation and demonstration I had used at TechEd US in Boston, MA in June 2006 and received the highest speaker scores of my life.

First, slide timings somehow got inserted into my PowerPoint deck. So, throughout the presentation I was constantly having to hit the Back button as my slides advanced automagically before me - and before I was ready for the next slide.

Second, and far worse, was the demo. During the first part - it was unbearably slow. I could not imagine why. It had worked great on the five or so previous run-throughs.

During the second part of the demo, the VPC rebooted right before my eyes - killing the entire remainder of the demonstration.

Why, might you ask? The answer was unfortunately all too simple. Have you ever seen those 3AM Automatic Update default dialogs when installing your system? It just so happens that 3AM Pacific Time equalled 12PM in Barcelona, Spain - in the middle of my presentation. Yes, Windows Update had taken control of my machine, installed a plethora of updates, and rebooted the VPC - right in the middle of my demonstration.

I have now added two must-do checks to my pre-presentation checklist. And I am feeling infinitely more secure, albeit embarassed.

Who is this Ryan guy anyway?

rdonovan — Mon, 20 Dec 2004 01:28:00 GMT

Some of you may be wondering, just who the heck is this guy? Well, to answer the question I will do my shameless self-promo spot here and then the subject will not be brought up again... :-)

I work for Microsoft Corporation and am the Group Program Manager for Commerce Server. In English, this means I run the team responsible for product planning (which features & functions go in the box + when do we ship them), project management (making sure we actually ship and do so in a coordinated fashion across all of the teams responsible for working on the product or that impact it), and functional/high-level technical design (specifying in detail what a feature looks like and how it should work + managing impact to other features). Given my role, I also work closely with our product marketing, customer/partner programs (a.k.a. TAP or Technology Adoption Programs for providing customers access to pre-release/next-gen technology), and the field (I often serve as an escalation point on sales, deployment, or post-deployment support issues with customers/partners).

In my most recent past life, I worked for Microsoft Consulting Services in the Retail & Hospitality Industry vertical (with many projects focused on deploying Commerce Server). I spent much of the last 10 years (as of January 2005) working on Internet and e-commerce solutions of various sorts inside and outside of Microsoft - many also on Commerce Server or its predecessors including Site Server and Merchant Server.

So if you need to know anything about Commerce Server or related subjects, fire away!

Ryan Has Entered the Building

rdonovan — Mon, 20 Dec 2004 01:15:00 GMT

Greetings & Happy Holidays!

I just stopped to take a breadth in the middle of holiday madness - and realized it has been about six months (TechEd Europe really) since I really reached out to those outside of Microsoft. Realizing how remiss I have been, I decided to start reaching out again and figured that WebLogging was the way to go.

So effective immediately, I am now online! This will be my official MS WebLog - focused principally on Commerce Server, which is the product I work on at Microsoft. In the future, look for lots of useful information on any/all things related to Commerce Server as well as related products and technologies such as BizTalk Server, SharePoint Portal Server, Content Management Server, ASP.NET, IIS, and more. Realizing that the buck does not stop at Microsoft, I'll also be discussing partner solutions of interest. After all, if it is our SI and ISV community that really provides complete solutions at the end of the day.

So, stay tuned for lots more to come - and in the meantime - happy holidays!