SAP lets users move from on-premises licenses to cloud

In an effort to expedite and simplify adoption of its cloud software, SAP today launched a new licensing policy by which customers can terminate existing on-premise licenses to adopt cloud ones.

In effect, customers can eliminate maintenance payments on the software they’re no longer using, and use that money instead to pay for cloud software.

While each customer scenario will be taken on a case-by-case basis, there aren’t any restrictions on how customers can apply the new policy, says Augusto Abbarchi, SAP’s head of maintenance go-to-market. It is open to any maintenance level or license type, and even potentially to shelfware.

But there is one caveat: The new subscriptions for cloud software, which include SAP’s homegrown software as well as Ariba and SuccessFactors, have to add up to more than the customer is paying in maintenance and support for the eliminated on-premise licenses. (This is SAP’s way of trying to ensure that while maintenance revenue shrinks, cloud revenue balances it out). And the policy is not retroactive.

“We are trying to make it simpler and faster for customers to adopt cloud solutions,” Abbarchi says. “We know our customers have invested heavily in the on-premise platform and are paying a maintenance fee to SAP, and this can prevent a customer from considering the move to the cloud.”

For several months now, SAP has promised that it will simplify its licensing terms. This new policy is a step in that direction, as partial license termination was something SAP has never allowed. >> READ MORE

Turkish Puzzle Platformer Monochroma Now Raising Funds on Kickstarter

First seen at the 2013 Game Developers Conference, the acclaimed puzzle platformer Monochroma is now heading to Kickstarter. Nowhere Studios, the Turkish studio behind the game, is seeking $80,000 in completion funds after 18 months of self-funded, full-time development. The game is due on December 2013 and will be released on Windows, Mac, and Linux — and eventually Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Ouya.

Set in an alternate universe during the 1950s, Monochroma tells the story of a boy and his brother who witness a horrific crime committed by an evil corporation. The brothers must now survive six hours of devilishly clever puzzles in order to save their world from tyranny.

“We support human rights and are against violence in every form,” says Burak Tezateşer, Executive Producer at Nowhere Studios. “Monochroma stands against the savage capitalism that exploits child labor and strips the planet of its natural resources for selfish financial gain.”

Inspired by current events as well as the developers’ childhood memories of moving from the countryside to Istanbul, Monochroma tells its story without any cut-scenes, narration, or in-game text. Players learn about the environment and follow the story through carefully crafted black-and-white visuals with splashes of red. As a result, the story is instantly understandable by players of all nationalities – without any localization required. More so, the puzzles in Monochroma take a more realistic approach by blending in with the environment. Accurate physics simulation ensures that interaction (pushing/pulling objects, sliding, jumping) always feels right. >> READ MORE

EXCEL, Bulut İş Zekası ile güçleniyor

Microsoft şirketi bulutta çalışan Ofis 365 ürününe yeni bir eklenti yaptı. Ofis 365’ in yeni iş zekası çözümü hemen hemen her cihaza yuklenebilecek.

Artık şirketler Excel’ i “Power BI” olarak isimlendirilen iş zekası servislerine girmek için kullanabilecekler. Power Bi ile şirket içi ve dışındaki verileri araştırma, keşfetme ve bu verilere ulaşma imkanı sağlanıyor. Bu veriler aynı zamanda günün ve geleceğin trendlerini gösterebilen görsel raporlar haline dönüştürülebiliyor. Bu raporlar dünyanın her yerinden ve her cihazdan istenilen kişiler tarafından paylaşılabiliyor.

Ücretlerinin henüz belirlenmediği Excel “Power BI” için lansam bu sene yaz sonlarına doğru yapılacak, ancak bu arada müşteriler deneme ürünü için başvuruda bulunabilecekler.

Deneme ürünü için başvuru formu aşagidaki linkden elde edilebilir:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/power-bi-FX104080667.aspx

Excel ve İş Zekası üstünde yoğunlaşan Microsoft Ofis dairesinin ürün pazarlama yöneticileri Arı Schorr ve Seayoung Rhee Excel 2013 “Power BI” nın ana hatlarını şöyle özetliyorlar:

Veri araştırması ve keşfi için “Power Query”. Power Query ile müşteriler Excel’ i kullanarak şirket içi ve dışındaki veri kaynaklarına Internet üzerinden ulaşıp verileri sorgulayabilecekler.

Verileri inceleme ve raporlama için “Power View” ve “Power Map” kullanılacak.

Microsoft’ un Ofis 365 bulut çözümü, Excel’ e eklenen bu güçlü iş zekası araçları sayesinde yeni bir ivme kazanmış oluyor. Excel’ le bulutta iş zekası çözümleri yeni bir boyuta ulaşıyor.

What powers Power BI in Office 365?

Ari Schorr and Seayoung Rhee are product marketing managers in the Microsoft Office Division focused on Excel and Business Intelligence, respectively.

Power BI for Office 365 is a new self-service business intelligence (BI) offering enabling businesses to gain insights from their data in powerful new ways within Excel and Office 365. Customers now have the ability to easily search, discover and access data inside and outside of their organization and, with just a few clicks, shape and transform that data. They can also analyze and create stunning interactive visualizations that uncover hidden insights to share and collaborate from virtually anywhere, on nearly any device.