Unanet has named Craig Halliday as its new CEO. He replaces Fran Craig, who headed the cloud software company since founding it in January 1998.

The company said Fran and Chris Craig will remain as board members and investors. Halliday was CEO of Intellex Technologies March to June this year and was CEO of EMS Software from February 2017 to August 2018. 

Statistics released by Oracle this week show the number of Oracle NetSuite customer has risen about 28 percent for the 12 months ended August 31. In a prepared statement, Oracle co-Mark Hurd said there were more than 18,000 NetSuite ERP customers when the first quarter ended August 31.

That compares to more than 15,000 reported for the quarter ended Aug. 31, 2018. There were also more 6,400 Fusion ERP customers when the most recently reported period ended, up 13 percent from more than 5,500 year ago. Oracle said the combined products rose 33 percent in the first quarter over last year’s corresponding period. Chairman Larry Ellison also reported strong growth for Oracle’s autonomous databases. “We signed more than 500 autonomous database deals in Q1. We expect to double that in Q2. That will drive not only cloud revenue but licenses revenue.” He called that “a conservative view”. Ellison, not one to be shy about his company, said he was guessing Oracle had 95 percent of the cloud ERP market, meanwhile knocking rival SAP as “Not having a real cloud system.”  The company did not provide a firm number during the course of this week’s earnings webcast. He looked at the rest of the ERP vendors in the market and said, “I think we can consolidate all of them." Ellison also called his company’s products “100-percent more reliable” than competitors because with the Oracle autonomous database essentially can’t go down. He continued, “It’s not safe to go to another database.” Despite the cheerleading, Oracle reported net income of $2.13 billion, down 6 percent from $2.27 billion in last year’s corresponding period. Revenue was flat at $9.22 billion for the most recently ended period, compared to $9.20 billion a year earlier. Revenue was up 2 percent in constant currencies.

Oracle Co-CEO Mark Hurd has removed himself from the software company's operations while he battles an un-specified, but apparently long-term illness. The company announced this week that chairman Larry Ellison and co-CEO Safra Catz will take over his duties.

“Mark was extremely involved with business. through the end of the quarter, now he must take care of himself and his illness,” Catz said during this week’s webcast for earnings for the first quarter ended August 31. The company moved up its earnings report after a call from Bloomberg News triggered Oracle’s decision to disclose the illness, which Bloomberg said had affected Hurd for more than a year and other reports said it had been an open secret in Silicon Valley. Oracle did not disclose the nature of the illness, but in an opinion peace, Bloomberg author, Shira Ovide wrote that during the last year,“Oracle officials gave different explanations over the past year and a half for why Hurd skipped events or why his appearance seemed to change.” Ovide criticized Oracle for failure to go public earlier. While companies aren’t required to make such a disclosure, the article continued, “It was a humane personal decision, but it was the wrong corporate one.”

An 11-percent decline in license revenue cut into Infor’s results for the first quarter ended July 31. With license income off 15 percent in constant currency for two consecutive quarters, the results seemed to cool off the software company’s talk of a possible initial public offering.

“We want to wait until we are further along on the SAAS transition,” new CEO Kevin Samuelson said in his first earnings conference call.  A comment from one financial analyst indicated the comments were read as making an IPO less likely than had seemed from the comments in the prior earnings call.

Samuelson noted that with the transition to the cloud, license revenue will continue to fall. But Infor wants to get back to a 10-percent drop in license revenue on a constant currency basis.The drop cut into net income which fell to $7.3 million for the most recently ended quarter off 70 percent from $77.3 million a year earlier. Revenue dropped 2.8 percent to $780 million from $782.7 million in last year’s corresponding period

Also denting results was a reserve of $7 million taken for a large customer that has put a cloud deal on hold. Samuelson said the company will be talking with the customers. “It’s a company that’s going through pretty material changes itself,” he said. The customer has a leadership change, along with divesting assets.

One analyst asked because of the way SAAS revenue is recognized, “What would cause revenue to be reversed?” Samuelson said most customers pay on an annual basis but said only that reversals happen. He also said there is no change in the length of sales cycles.

Asked about possible acquisitions, the CFO said the company’s stance is to “continue to de-lever”. However, he said cash acquisitions are possible. As of July 31, Infor’s long-term debt stood at $5.13 billion, down from $5.54 billion on April 30. As of July 31 current assets were $928.5 versus currently liabilities of $1.72 billion, a working capital deficit of $792.1 million 

Standing headlines for the political campaign: “Biden Stumbles”…  Former NFL coach and commentator Tony Dungy said he disappointed in Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, because Kraft hired troublesome player Antonio Brown because professional football players need to be role models.

Was this the model Kraft was demonstrating before or after his arrest for frequently massage parlors and have relationships with professional women? … Russia has asked the United States via Interpol to confirm the whereabouts of a former Kremlin official who Russian media have said may have been a U.S. spy exfiltrated in 2017, The simplest way would be to look in the Yellow Pages under spies or maybe the Russians leaders are now all millennials who don’t know what Yellow Pages are. It's about as logical as hoping the U.S. will answer that question. … Actress Demi Moore appearing naked on the cover of "Harper’s Magazine", that includes the coverline, “Take five years off your neck.” At age, 56, she’ll have to fight claims she’s wearing a full-length body stockings. I’m waiting for singer,  Madonna, age 61, to do a reprise of her book “Sex”  I had hoped the late actor  Burt Reynolds would live long enough to reprise his 1972 cover photo from “Cosmopolitan” with a strategically placed hand, but, alas, it was not to be. It would have made a great cover for the “AARP” magazine. …. Despite the TV ad that proclaims, “Age is just an illusion”, my knees and face tell a different story.

The nice thing about online gambling is you don’t have to worry about having to hitch hike to the airport after blowing all your cash. … Following his statement that hurricane Dorian threatened Alabama, President Trump plans a career as a meteorologist once he leaves office.

“Let’s see, there’s a tropical storm over New Mexico and we’re expecting early snow in Louisiana.” … Placido Domingo, who has been sued by 11 more women who allege harassment, will be performing a special version of “La Dona e Mobile” from the opera "Rigoletto" in which  he plays the dissolute Duke of Mantua.  He’ll be adding to the famous tenor aria by inserting the bass aria ”Madamina, il catalogo è questo” from “Don Giovanni” in which the Don’s servant, Leporello enumerates his master’s female conquests. The Duke will reply repeatedly, “Oh, no, no no no no no no, non l’ho fatto ( Oh, no I didn’t). … Someone asked me what I think of the Electoral College”. “I don’t know,” I replied. “What kind of football team do they have this year.” “Great, they’re playing the College of Cardinals for the first time. “Aren’t the cardinals too old for football.” “Yeah, but they have a wicked Hail Mary pass.” … Fans are disappointed that the possibility of a new “Spiderman” movie appears closed for now In the initial script, Peter Parker attempts to mate with a female Spiderwoman, who true to her arachnids’ habits, eats him. …Meanwhile, plans for the TV sitcom, “Dr. Wolverine, Proctologist” have been put on hold. … New from the future—2040. “In the 5,000^thvote, the British Parliament again defeated the plans leadership proposed for their company’s leaving the European Union. ... Meanwhile, aging Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was forced to have a surgical chest lift in order to pose for his most recent bare-chested photo.

In the real life update of the Disney Classic “Lady and the Tramp, the romance is cut short when the kind new owners conscientiously have the two dogs fixed. They are also treated for fleas and mange. 

  … An Internet feature has a list of “Biggest Time Wasters”. I posted a response that includes ‘Reading things like this”. …. New British Primer Minister Boris Johnson has angered many in his country by suspending Parliament, a move some believe is designed to give opponents of a Brexit with no exit deal chance to come up with a plan. Some in the House of Lords are proposing that they get together in Runnymede to go over rules of government. “We have this document for him to sign,” one said. Johnson was heard practicing his French, saying something like “l'état, c'est moi”. Johnson looks a bit grown-up, Jay North, long-time star of “Dennis the Menace”.  And in the latest episode of “Boris the Menace”, Prime Minister gleefully tells the Irish he secretly erected booths for collecting duties between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. … With union membership a fraction of what it used to be, Labor Day seems increasing out place. It’s now time for Investor Day to celebrate the people who benefit the most from the decline in unions. ... A Republican state senator in West Virginia is facing charges he solicited a professional woman. The representative, State Sen. Mike Maroney, chairman of the Senate committee on health and human resources, said he was merely conducting research real-life conditions. ... Two counties in Nevada have declared states of emergency in advance of plans by UFO conspiracy fans next monty to storm Area 51, which they have long supported to be the site of secret U.S. weapons. It is also reported to be the hiding place of Big Foot, the Abominable Snowman, the Loch Ness Monster and the secret burial place of Adolph Hitler. Or something like that.

In the last weeks, two candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination have dropped out of the race. That only leaves 200 or so running, right?

In the meantime, former VP Joe Biden, who continues to lead the Dem field, was quoted as saying, “Uh, hmm. I forget”. Biden is known for a historic quote that ranks with JFK's famous “Ich bin ein Berliner”—his comment on the passage of Obamacare. “This is a BFD” (not abbreviated in the original)."… After proposing the United States buy Greenland from Denmark, President Trump proposed buying Alaska. Aides held a quick meeting with him on the subject. ... I have long been a participant in Fantasy football. My fantasy has been the Jets will go back to the SuperBowl. … Golfer Brooks Koepka has drawn flak after his nude, but strategically posed, photo in ESPN’s “Body Issue”. Critics raised serious questions about the size of his putter. One fan commented he was waiting for John Daly to pose in the next year’s issue. Photographers say getting a proper angle of Daly and his ample girth is physically impossible. … Apple is moving product of its Mac Pro to China just in time for another round of U.S. tariff on products from that country. That’s why your next Mac will cost $20,000.  … Todd Chrisley, who has been indicated on tax evasion allegations, is also alleged to have threatened, along with his son, Chase to release a revealing tape of Todd’s daughter Lindie with the “Bachelorette’s” Robby Hayes. Hey, what father doesn’t want to show his daughter’s accomplishments to the world. 

Report: 2018 VAR Stars Building on the Cloud

Overall, the questions of what technology will be used given the accelerating pace of cloud adopting are being answered. The cloud has won it's just a matter of how quickly the rest of the market moves. Download here for your free copy.

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2018 BSI Top 100 VARS

Bob Scott's Insights would like to congratulate all the 2018 BSI Top 100 VARS winners.

This year's selection of Bob Scott's Top 100 VARs comes at a time of dramatic change to the business. Larger firms are becoming larger and all are grappling with the movement of the business from reliance on desktop software to the cloud. Read about the state of the market and the names of the selected resellers.

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The speculation over when the market will move to the cloud is over. Resistance has faded and however many holdouts there are, financial cloud software is mainstream. Read more to learn who is being recognized as a 2017 VAR Star.

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The last year has been one of change—the cloud has moved from being something everyone talked about to something most resellers are doing something about. It is also a market facing rapid automation through related technologies such as artificial intelligence, bots and machine learning. As usual, this year’s Bob Scott’s Top 100 VARs provides the names of dealers who are at the top of the mid-market in revenue. But they are a group that is rapidly changing how they operate.

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