Conference 7.286::digital

    I keep hearing that SI (aka Digital Consulting) is to be merged into
    MCS. The MCS Network Integration unit and SI wil become one I.
    
    So maybe they merge, and then sell off the bunch?  
    
    Or maybe SI & NI merge, we outsource the last of the hardware fix work,
    and MCS is just software service? Hey- we could call that group
    Software Services, we havent used that name in years. Maybe even give
    it back the old PL90 moniker.

    
    Microsoft, Compaq, Dell, CA, Oracle... will be very happy !!!
    
    Olivier.
    Microsoft Alliance Manager 
    France.

    
    .0
    
    Let's see now. How many times have you heard this rumor in the last
    couple of years??? Digital isn't *that* stupid. MCS brings in about
    35% of the total revenue in this company. Your customer needs to stop
    reading rags like the Globe.

    
      .3, that's when you ARE able to sell off a piece of the company....
    when it makes $$$$
    
      I find it easy to believe.  Soon to be gone perhaps like; RDB
    products + people to Oracle,,,Disk drives + people to Quantum...etc...
    

    Re .3                
    
    The rumour might have been around over the years BUT, my source is a
    technical consultant in the UK (I am based in the UK).  The source also
    confirmed rumours about Alan Blank (MCS head in the UK) leaving and
    also there seems to be a BIG annoucement coming on Monday 20th May.
    
    It seems more than JUST rumour at the moment - I agree with your
    comments about how could Digital not be that stupid - BUT we have already
    sold :-
    
    Disk Business
    Terminal Business
    Abolished Consulting Group
    Slashed sales force
    Off loaded PDP business
    Sold Disaster Recovery Business (In states)
    etc etc ....
    
    So it is not beyond the realms of possibility THAT SOMEONE may think
    selling MCS is a good idea !
    
    - Gives the company a good Profit for year
    - Reduces head count
    - Off loads tricky buisness group to third party
    - Resolves Digital to basic core business groups
    - etc etc etc...
    
    
    I personally don't think it is a good idea or that it will happen but
    stranger things have come to pass
    
    Mark :-|
    
    
    

    
    .5
    
    well, you did bring up some good points. Personally, I think we should
    sell off all of our abundunt VP's to Apple. We would then show a
    profit, trim off a ton of FAT, and stick to our core compentencies;
    servicing customers.
    
    Mark

    More likely to sell off Desktop business.
    

    >> I keep hearing that SI (aka Digital Consulting) is to be merged into
    >> MCS. The MCS Network Integration unit and SI wil become one I.
    
    This is not a rumor.  It is being discussed, although no decision has
    yet been reached.
    
    My personal opinion is that it will happen, although I don't know how
    the resulting merged organization will look or what business it will
    actually go after.   I have some serious doubts as to whether this is a
    *smart* move - but who am I?
    
    Although MCS currently brings in a significant piece of Digital's
    revenue, portions of it are under siege and probably represent a
    declining business.  Witness the recent layoffs of field engineers --
    how much longer can we continue to do this and still claim to be trying
    to grow this business?
    
    I think the overriding argument will ultimately be - Do we really need
    two organizations to go over after "integration", project business?
    The answer will have to be NO and in the end SI and at least a part of MCS
    will be combined.
    
    Larry
    

RE: .6

	Was that meant to be a pun????

   <<< well, you did bring up some good points. Personally, I think we should
    sell off all of our abundunt VP's to Apple. We would then show a
					^^^^^^^
    profit, trim off a ton of FAT, and stick to our core compentencies;
    servicing customers.>>>			    ^^^^^
 

	...AND WAS I THE ONLY GUY WORLDWIDE TO NOTICE?

		Kinda makes me feel good...for a moment or two!!

				Dave

    Hmmmmm !!!
    
    
    It looks like the MCS sell-off is actually going to be a MAJOR (And
    I'll say that again MAJOR) re-organisation.
    
    Life in MCS is going to be changed completely !
    
    
    Mark :->

    
    .9
    
    Dave, yes it was. quick of you to catch it!! :-)
    
    Mark

    Some of the businesses we have jettisoned have turned out to be wise
    decisions. I was reading in Standard & Poor's Outlook publication that
    Quantum had incurred significant losses on the Disk Drive business it
    bought from Digital.

    They might be loosing money on the Disk Drive Business, however, ever
    place I read it appears the industry is enamored with the DLT
    technology that they also purchased.  We couldn't do anything with it
    and our customer's complained and thought the Exabyte technology was
    the best.  The same customers are now dedicated to the DLT subsystems.

    Todays Globe has word that PCs Complete was sold to CompUSA.
    
    so some DECies have now been sold twice.

    
    
    	re .5
    
    	...and don't forget to add Digital Learning Services, who always
    	made a profit, being sold off and now is Global Knowledge Network.
    
    

re Note 4597.10 by CHEFS::WILKINSON_M:

>     It looks like the MCS sell-off is actually going to be a MAJOR (And
>     I'll say that again MAJOR) re-organisation.
  
        Things in Digital get re-orged so frequently, is this really
        newsworthy?

        Bob

    re;
    Things in Digital get re-orged so frequently, is this really
            newsworthy?
    
    think of those that will lose their jobs due to this re-org and i think
    it's a damn sight more than just "newsworthy"...

    
     RE:   .3
    
     Anyone else know of an announcement today ?
    
     Regards,
    
     Bob
    

    I have to answer-the suspense is killing me.You sell off 40-50% of your
    revenue and maybe increase your margin on a 'core' business(percentage
    but not gross).You then invest the money you get in the core business
    and everything is hunky-dory.BUT,the market is growing is areas other
    than your core(in margin or value terms).QED- you're in another kind of
    trouble to say the least.MCS sell off?? not sure.MCS reshape?yep-but
    called keeping in line with demand.Added value sells.
    
    Not being a betting man however....

    End of the day here and no major anouncement as of yet.
    
    Another rumor !!!
    
    I guess so.

    Re: .0, .5 etc
    
    It's 21st May, now, in Australia.  No "BIG" announcement, not even a
    "big" announcement.
    
    Where did you get your information about the "BIG" anouncement?
    
    Where did the 3rd party get their information about MCS being sold off?
    
    If you heard something about both these events then you should be able
    to provide more information from your sources.
    
    If you can't quote genuine sources for either of these events, then stop
    wasting our time and get a life.  This notes conference is too full of
    crap invented rumours.
    
    By the way, did you hear that Elvis is really alive and Paul McCartney
    is really dead?????

OK, my prognostication:

                  Microsoft will do the software.
                      MCI will do the service.
                    Digital will make the Alpha.

I see this fitting in with every strategy I have heard, and recent
developments confirm it. It's only a matter of time.

Pete

    Re. All
    
    The "BIG" announcement has been 'held' by the Management...
    But MCS is going to re-organise.
    
    Separate Business groups will be formed.
    No country manager for MCS
    
    Looks like it could benefit MCS (People allowed to run separate
    business groups within MCS as customers and opportunities dictate
    ,streamlined organisation etc..)
    
    Downside, makes it easier to sell off unwanted or non-profitable
    business groups.
    
    
    Mark :->
    
    
                                   

    re .22:
    
    Your comment about MCS failing to sell our NT people is, at best, not
    true.  We don't have NT people.  We get most of ours from 3rd parties
    to begin with.

    Computer Reseller News, 5/20, page 2, has a 1/2 page article entitled
    "Digital to push desktop maintenance service to VAR's". Some selected
    segments of the article:
    
    "Digital is looking to subcontract out desktop maintenance to both
    channel service providers and third-party maintenance parties where
    Digital will be the maintenance manager"
    
    "Sources said Decision 1, the former Bell Atlantic maintenance
    group,may be under consideration"
    
    Quote from Palmer "We need to make it easier for partners to make money
    on services. MCS is undergoing a re-evaluation of its total strategy"
    
    

re. -.26
    
>    "Sources said Decision 1, the former Bell Atlantic maintenance
>    group,may be under consideration"
>    
>    Quote from Palmer "We need to make it easier for partners to make money
>    on services. MCS is undergoing a re-evaluation of its total strategy."
    
    
    Why do we have to make it easier for partners to make money???
    Does this imply that WE do not want to make money?
    
    Bell Atlantic "under consideration".  Isn't there a MCS VP that used to
    work them?  Funny how things work out.
    
    regards,
    

    This is real.  I've been hearing this from managers for a while. We are
    losing money on the desktop.  We are getting killed by the folk who
    bought from CompUSA and call us to their house.  

    
    .27
    
    Does the name Janet Wallace ring a bell with you?

>    .27
>    
>    Does the name Janet Wallace ring a bell with you?

and don't forget Rick Mace either

    
    .25 is doing comments on .22 on a subject, which is discussed among MCS
    colleaques in Sweden. Unfortunately I can not reed .22. I wonder what is
    the reason for this? Is it possible for somebody to mail .22 to me?
    
    Thanks in advance,
    
    Ivan 

    .22 has been deleted, presumably by the author, since I am not aware
    that a moderator did it.
    
    					Steve

Hello,

re .23
>>OK, my prognostication:

>>                  Microsoft will do the software.
>>                      MCI will do the service.
>>                    Digital will make the Alpha.

I can't see many customers buying Alpha without the Digital good service...

Especially here in Israel, many customers don't buy HP, SUN, or IBM because
of the good service they get every day and every hour from the Digital people.

The Digital revenues in Israel is 50% of IBM Revenues and much more than any
other vendor...

Many customers are very unhappy about the Digital strategy of selling Software
products to VAR's especially because of the service of those products.

In summary, I think Digital should keep the MCS strong for better Alpha selling.

best regards

   Arie.

    WELL WHATS GOING ON!  ITS BEEN QUIET HERE ON THE GOSSIP
    

    Well, maybe it is not being sold off.......too bad. 
    
    But there is a 'towers of power' re-design going on.....by you know
    who! The special projects dude.  When will they learn.
    
    chet

    I have heard nothing about MCS being sold, but was told today that the
    Logistics orginization has been sold. The Vendors will be in place by 1
    July, 96. Anyone else know about this ?
    
    

    Thanks for bringing this up as there are alot of rumors in the system. 
    No, Logistics is not being sold.  We are currently in the process of
    evaluating the feasibility of vendorizing some of our local stockrooms
    in the U.S..  Workshops are currently underway in the territories to
    work out the mechanics of how this could be done.  It is our current
    plan to pilot this concept during Q1 and then make a decision based on
    our experience to take this concept further or not.  You will start to
    see more communications on this in the near future.
    
    Regards,
    
    John Gough

    We've already "vendorized" or "outsourced" our logistics operation
    here (South Central Territory).  No Pilot, it's a done deal.  Moved the
    stockroom a couple of weeks ago, are setting up space at the logistics
    vendor's office for the engineers with a couple of phones, etc.  Seems
    to be working pretty well.  A not somewhere else indicated problems
    with ordering parts.  NOT AN ISSUE HERE.  We don't have to absorb the
    expense.... our vendor does.
    
    Toodles.....JPs
    

    MCS signage was "covered over" at DECUS in St. Louis this week.
             
    Mark
    

< MCS signage was "covered over" at DECUS in St. Louis this week.

With what?????

    White tape, or something like that. There was no MCS representation
    at DECUS.
    
    				Steve

We were told here in Colorado that all DECUS activity for
us was out of the budget. DSNlink, DECevent etc had to
cancel, maybe next time. liesl