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Bromium speculation. Don't forget this tweet from VMWorld. PB and Keen hanging with Simon Crosby, the Co-Founder of Bromium. Wonder what they were talking about?
Peter Bookman @pbookman · Aug 28
RT @michael_keen: @simoncrosby @gunnarwb come to the Thirsty Bear when u get in Simon wants to say hi >Great to talk with you. Talk soon ;)
Based on this tweet, it looks like PB and Keen were hanging out with Gunnar Berger, CTO of Citrix Desktops & Applications Group and Simon Crosby, Co-Founder & CTO of Bromium, Inc.:
Peter Bookman @pbookman · 7h
RT @michael_keen: @simoncrosby @gunnarwb come to the Thirsty Bear when u get in Simon wants to say hi >Great to talk with you. Talk soon ;)
"Glassware looks to be a good fit for almost any organization that recognizes it needs an RDSH-style application hosting solution but is unwilling to take on the complexity of current-generation solutions. ISVs looking to take their shrink-wrapped software and deliver it as SaaS may also find Glassware attractive, especially in environments where the customer is looking for SaaS pricing and management, but with the performance and availability assurances that an on-premises deployment can bring."
More from Keen:
Michael Keen @michael_keen · 3h
#VMWorld2014 4 my industry colleagues who haven't heard yet, I have joined Sphere3D as VP of Prod Mgmt & Mrktg. Stop by the booth & say hi
Booth photo:
[https://twitter.com/michael_keen/status/504661546845601792/photo/1
Keen with a couple more shots across the bow:
Michael Keen @michael_keen · 4h
“@DanShappir: Both @VMware and @citrix have some great EUC tech, but man, this is stuff I would have been excited about 5 years ago!” >+1
Michael Keen @michael_keen · 4h
#VMWorld2014 are they doing drug screening for VMware execs? "The best way to run OpenStack is on VMware.." Huh?
"VMware estimated that its total available market would reach more than $60B in 2017."
I'll take a piece of that.
PB and Simon Bramfitt tweeting yesterday. Good to know Simon was at the booth:
Peter Bookman @pbookman · 9h
MT @SimonBramfitt: I just saw a guy with a flip phone at the @Sphere3D booth - you have a Glassware client for that? #VMworld >yet? ;)
Seems pretty obvious to me. In my opinion,if they are planning to de-list, it will not happen before the merger goes through, and no amount of mass e-mailing by shareholders will change that.
The company has gone silent. No announcement of the Chromebook deal. Why? The only Sphere press releases in the three months since the merger announcement have been the earnings release and the NASDAQ uplist release, which had to be done. No other press releases, deal announcements, de-listing, etc., will happen until the merger. They are putting their heads down and going full speed on merger and behind-the-scenes sales. Run silent, run deep.
Just my humble opinion and I'm perfectly happy to leave them alone to continue the great job they're doing for us.
I'd be surprised if they de-list before the merger is finalized. Also wouldn't be surprised if they de-list the day after the merger is finalized.
I think they want to de-list, but don't want to do anything to draw attention ie; issue press releases, de-list, etc., until after the merger.
Love PB, but he really needs to be media trained. Harness the knowledge, passion and energy into a focused presentation and elevator pitch. He doesn't have to be some slick salesman, but there needs to be even the slightest bit of clarity. When you have a 15 minute presentation and the first 7 minutes consists of disjointed video game references, you're not using your time wisely.
I think they're already ramping sales, we just don't know to what extent. We found out about Chromebook deal. How many more have been signed but not announced? I'll bet the OVRL salesforce has been in overdrive for months already. Note the tweet from PB to the OVRL french salesguy. Sandboxes are up and running for client demos. People keep mentioning sales taking off after the merger. I think it's already underway and Q3 numbers could blow us away. Just my humble opinion of course.
I think they only hire housewives from Oklahoma.
Mac, you auditioning for a writing job at StreetSweeper?
I posted this yesterday, but it kind of got lost in the shuffle amongst the discussion of the new hire from Intel. I think it's important enough to post again. It's a tweet from the Co-Founder of LiquidWareLabs. Possible deal down the road?
J.TYLER TREX ROHRER @T_REX_VDI · 3h
the more i investigate sphere3d.com the more interesting it becomes in a few dimensions @pbookman #hmmmmm
https://twitter.com/T_REX_VDI/status/492372718059536384
J.Tyler "T. Rex" Rohrer
Co-Founder / Strategic Alliances
Tyler Rohrer co-founded Liquidware Labs after leaving a key role within VMware's Enterprise Desktop Team. Previously, he was a partner at FOEDUS, which was acquired by VMware. Tyler heads up the Strategic Alliance program and is engaged in managing the company's relationships with major platform and storage partners.
Peter can definitely use some media training. Noticed it as well in the Briforum presentation video from London. He obviously knows his stuff, but needs to convey it clearly, succinctly and emphatically. Especially if this company continues on this path. He's going to have many more speaking opportunities.
J.TYLER TREX ROHRER @T_REX_VDI · 3h
the more i investigate sphere3d.com the more interesting it becomes in a few dimensions @pbookman #hmmmmm
https://twitter.com/T_REX_VDI/status/492372718059536384
J.Tyler "T. Rex" Rohrer
Co-Founder / Strategic Alliances
Tyler Rohrer co-founded Liquidware Labs after leaving a key role within VMware's Enterprise Desktop Team. Previously, he was a partner at FOEDUS, which was acquired by VMware. Tyler heads up the Strategic Alliance program and is engaged in managing the company's relationships with major platform and storage partners.
Pete,
Considering that the company never issued a press release on the big Chesapeake schools deal, I think that supports your theory of a self-imposed quiet period.
Run Silent, Run Deep
@pbookman
RT @kenhess: @Sphere3D Sphere3D folks, I'd like to interview you and get a demo. >Of course! Let's set something up soon.
Ken Hess:
https://twitter.com/kenhess
http://frugalnetworker.com/
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/consumerization/
"Holy crap. He works for T-Systems."
Not anymore.
New hire?:
“@pbookman: Looks like I get to work with @michael_keen w/ @Sphere3D ! Woot! :)” >very excited to b working w/ everyone at Sphere3D
— Michael Keen (@michael_keen) July 18, 2014
WWSD-What Would Sheldon Do?
He sure doesn't seem concerned by a lack of news.
Here's an interesting article from last year about Dell as it re-invents itself. I particularly like all the talk about acquisitions and the cloud, especially with the developments with Stoney, Dell Drive and Chesterfield:
http://www.inc.com/eric-markowitz/how-michael-dell-could-reinvent-his-company.html
Focus on R&D.
According to a "Dell Special Committee Investor Presentation" compiled, in part, by the Boston Consulting Group and filed with the SEC on July 15, it's clear that Dell has a spending problem. Not that it spends too much--but that it doesn't spend enough.
The report acknowledges that Dell has a "weak position" in "key growth segments" including cloud and software as a service. Part of the problem is that, compared to the company's competitors, Dell simply hasn't spent enough on research and development.
Michael Dell knows this needs to happen. In a letter to shareholders filed with the SEC in April, Dell said:
We anticipate making significant investments in research and development, capital expenditures and personnel additions. This includes hiring additional R&D, services and sales personnel in order to extend the depth and breadth of our capabilities and to increase the number of customers to whom such services and solutions are provided. Dell’s strategy of becoming an integrated provider of end-to-end IT solutions is expected to require additional investments in converged infrastructure solutions, software, cloud solutions, application development and modernization, consulting and managed security services.
Acquire new enterprise companies.
Since 2008, Dell has spent $13 billion on acquiring at least 20 B2B companies. Most recently, the company acquired Enstratius, a cloud management firm. However, the company acknowledges these acquisitions have only resulted in "modest revenue contributions."
Perhaps Dell should take a page out of the Marissa Mayer playbook--find and acquire disruptive, scalable tech companies early in their lifecycle. Dell knows that these types of acquisitions will be necessary ("it is likely that we will need to make additional acquisitions to complete our transformation," he noted in the April letter) but it will be key not to overpay.
Michael Dell doesn't talk specifically about the companies he's interested in, but according to an April 2012 Forbes interview, Dell said he, personally, looks at over 250 companies every year that might fit into the company's acquisition strategy, even if the company only acts on a few. In all likelihood, Dell will focus the company's future acquisitions towards enterprise software companies, which, he says will create "long-term value and growth for our company and for our stockholders."
Invest in the private cloud.
This may not be the sexiest component to Dell's transformation, but it's integral to the company's success. Here's a slide from a recent filing to get a sense of what Dell is after:
Dell is shifting away from public cloud model--a strategy favored by tech companies like Google, and Amazon. This makes sense, given the company's limitations. Instead, Dell will sell OpenStack-powered private clouds that run on Dell technology.
As Slashdot points out: "given the broader trends within the tech industry, any company that refuses to offer cloud-based products risks appearing obsolete (just ask Oracle about that one). But starting up any sort of public cloud infrastructure requires considerable investment, and Dell may lack the internal drive and resources to make such a thing happen at this time."
Thanks guys. Let's roll!
Some of you have mentioned that ANY is now showing up in your online trading accounts. Does this mean we will start NASDAQ trading on Monday instead of Tuesday?
I think what PB was saying in his tweet was that Glassware is in the article, not that Glassware is in RemoteApp.
Works for me. Let's roll.
Simplicity at it's finest. Love it.
What's the origin of the ANY ticker symbol from the Canadian exchange? Seems like an odd symbol for a company named Sphere. Just curious. They can do whatever the hell they want if I get +13% every day.
Was the interview with Peter live or taped? That could alter the 7-10 day timeframe for uplist if it was taped a few days ago.
"Chaos of success". I liked that one.
Yeah, they announced that their chat room was blowing up way more than their typical podcast. Good to know there is so much interest.
"We have more demand than we know what to do with".
-Peter Bookman
The Jacob price target of $12 came before the Novarad, Overland and Ericsson announcements. I wonder what their price target would be now?
Sphere is a Canadian company. It trades in both countries. Symbols:
Canada-ANY
US-SPIHF
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Yes, something like that. Overland has 17.5 million shares outstanding, and on the call they said each Overland share would net .5+ SPIHf shares.
Another pic from SIIM:
https://twitter.com/pbookman/status/466970036721053696/photo/1
Seriously! I'm with you. I see your 18 shares and raise you 75 more.
The blatant lying in that "article" is a nice touch:
* Currently no real commercial product.*
Good enough for Sheldon, good enough for me.
That's my new motto: WWSD
What Would Sheldon Do?