Category: SaaS

Fortiva identifies security and flexible search as two key elements in the product line. Security is a critical component in any Software as a Servie (SaaS) offering. When all the data is stored off site with another company, encryption is your last bastion of hope against would be thieves, privacy violations, etc.

Fortiva would have been a better option for Dell (NYSE:DELL), had Fortiva been local to the Austin area. According to Praising Gaw, VP of Marketing at Fortiva, they maintain a good business relationship with Microsoft as the sole provider for Microsoft Business Productivity Infrastructure Online Services for Enterprises. Since Dell also values a good relationship with Microsoft, why didn’t Dell Computer Corporation nurture the Fortiva relationship? One obvious answer is there weren’t any vested interests in Fortiva, by Dell Computer Corporation or the Dell family.

Considering competitive forces from Google, Autonomy and a fleeting partnership with Iron Mountain, it was in Michael Dell’s best interest to save his investment and reel in MessageOne. Moreover, with all the storage activity going on at Dell, the acquisition could propel the MessageOne services to equal footing in the enterprise with Google, making the $12 annual fee for MessageOne a bargain for Dell related technologies.