Most Microsoft watchers are focused around the depatures of President Robbie Bach and Chief Expertise Officer J Allard that had been announced on Might possibly 25 by CEO Steve Ballmer as component of a large reorg at Microsoft.But there had been another moves that had been part of right now;s announcement that are acquiring less scrutiny but shouldn;t be ignored. These consist of:1. Windows Internet Solutions is born. Antoine Leblond,
Office Home And Business 2010 Key, who has been Senior Vice President with the Office Productivity Programs Group, is shifting to a new position: Senior Vice President for your Windows Web Solutions crew. What exactly is Windows Internet Services? Excellent query. CEO Steve Ballmer;s e-mail describes it as “integral Windows solutions that currently deliver updates,
Windows 7 Professional, options,
Office 2010, community and depth information for your Windows consumer.” Leblond will be reporting directly to Windows/Windows Live President Steven Sinofsky. However, Windows Web Companies has nothing to do with Windows Live, the Softies say.2. Workplace gets a brand new engineering chief. Kurt DelBene, Senior Vice President of the Office Business Productivity Group, is now head of all with the engineering responsibilities for that Office business.3. Former Live Platform Companies head David Treadwell moves out with the Windows division and into the Interactive Entertainment Business (the part of Microsoft that oversees Xbox and video games). So what does this mean for the increasingly invisible Windows Live Platform for developers? A Microsoft spokesperson said the Live Platform is still around and under Corporate Vice President Chris Jones. But it;s been a long, long time since Microsoft has shared any information about what;s going on for developers around the Windows Live front….4. Ballmer;s decision not to replace Bach has a precedent. Remember when former Windows Platform and Providers Kevin Johnson quit in 2008 to join Juniper Networks? Ballmer had Windows and online solutions report directly to him for a while in order to try to get those houses in order. Seems like he;s doing the same with gaming and mobile with right now;s reorg. (At some point I bet he;ll appoint a brand new Mobile President. We;ll see, though….)5. The Mac Business Unit (MacBU) is being moved into the Microsoft Business Division as component of today;s moves, a Microsoft spokesperson confirmed. I also asked what;s happening with the Surface crew; no word back so far. The spokesperson said that the Specialized Devices and Applications staff under Rusty Jeffress — which is where MacBU,
Office Professional Plus 2007, Embedded, Auto, Surface and Hardware — will continue to operate under Bach until his transition period ends this fall. Where these other teams will move after that is TBD (to be determined),
Purchase Windows 7, the spokesperson added.6. Mindy Mount is now the Corporate Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Microsoft;s Online Companies Division. Until currently, she was CVP and CFO with the Entertainment and Devices Division.Reactions to the news about Bach and Allard leaving are mixed. Some seem to see the move as the beginning with the end for Microsoft in the entertainment/consumer space. Others — including the anonymous Microsoft blogger Who;da Punk (a k a Mini Microsoft) — see the changes as positive.I have to say I;m more in the latter camp: I think the Entertainment and Devices division needed a shaking up. I;m just not 100 percent convinced that Ballmer is the proper guy to be leading the mobile and gaming charge. What;s your reaction to currently;s news?