三大戰略收購有望助微軟再度顛覆科技行業

????據W3Techs稱，全球超過80%的網站都使用PHP語言編寫（一種HTML內嵌式的語言——譯注）（也有測算稱，這個比例只有50%）。隨著市場開始向移動平臺轉移，加上Drupal、Magento和WordPress等熱門應用快速贏得市場，對PHP的應用還在加速。與Linux類似，它也是下一代基于云的網絡和移動應用領域的主要開發工具。微軟應該認識到，它必須成為PHP領域的主導者，同時收購這個市場的領軍企業Zend公司。并不是因為Zend是本公司的投資對象我才這么說，而是因為我深信，收購Zend可以讓微軟重新煥發對開發者的影響力。這么做也可以讓微軟為它的云服務增加更多功能，同時針對使用PHP的用戶進行優化。擁有這一實力，同時成為Linux領域的領軍企業，將有助于微軟成為更有競爭力的云服務供應商。通過為開發者傳統的.NET和PHP領域同時確立堅實的價值創造戰略，微軟將能涉足絕大多數網絡和移動開發領域，同時向市場明確傳達這個信息，下一代應用應基于微軟Azure平臺開發。

????第三個建議收購對象是Double Robotics公司。這家公司主要生產遠程控制機器人移動電話會議系統。一臺平板電腦就是機器人的“頭”，它能顯示與會者的頭像。無論用戶置身何處，這套系統都能讓他們真切地現身辦公室與同事溝通，仿佛本人就在現場。今后Skype很可能將四面楚歌，一旦類似Double這樣的創新產品助力微軟維持市場份額并增加營收，它就會敗走麥城。這款產品熱銷還有助于微軟平板電腦打開銷路。而對Skype來說，繼續支持iPad，將其作為Double Robotics的備選將至關重要。

????開展這三項收購就能向投資者表明，微軟首席執行官薩蒂亞?納德拉有意通過收購最優質企業革新公司的運營方式，為所有平臺提供最佳的云服務，提高微軟智能手機和平板電腦的競爭力，在服務器操作系統領域擴大份額，同時成為電話會議領域的創新企業。從這個角度看，Facebook公司的市值、資金和現金流就都不及微軟了。然而馬克?扎克伯格在充分認識到WhatsApp能有助于進一步鞏固Facebook公司在社交領域的統治地位后，卻能斥資160億美元收購該公司。收購上述三家企業應該用不了160億美元，但卻能為微軟帶來更大的影響力。這類令人振奮又與主業密切相關的收購不僅能讓微軟營收增長，還有望推動它的股價快速上漲。（財富中文網）

????本文邁克?科瓦提勒茨是風投公司Azure Capital Partners的創始一般合伙人。他的主攻方向是軟件及相關基礎設施技術。本文轉自他的博客SoundbytesII。

????譯者：清遠

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????According to W3Techs, PHP is being used by over 80% of all websites (other estimates have it as low as 50%). PHP's growth continues to accelerate on the backs of the shift to mobile and the rapidly expanding footprint of popular apps like Drupal, Magento and WordPress. Like Linux, it is a dominant tool for the next generation of cloud-based web and mobile applications. Microsoft should recognize the need to be the major player in PHP and acquire the market leader, Zend. I'm not necessarily saying this because Zend is in my firm's portfolio, but rather because I believe the ownership of Zend would re-ignite Microsoft's sway with developers. It also would better enable Microsoft to add features to its cloud offering that would optimize for those choosing to use PHP. This, along with a strong Linux position, would help Microsoft compete more favorably as a cloud provider. By having robust developer value creation strategies for both their traditional .NET base and PHP, Microsoft would be addressing the vast majority of web and mobile development and send a clear signal to the market that the next generation of applications should be built on Microsoft Azure.

????The third suggested acquisition is a company called Double Robotics. Double offers a remotely controlled, robotic mobile teleconferencing system. A tablet is placed as the head of the robot and it displays the image of the person telecommuting. From anywhere in the world, it allows a user to have a physical presence in the office and speak to co-workers as if he or she were present. Skype is likely to come under attack from a variety of sources and getting out in front with a next generation product like Double would help Microsoft maintain share and increase revenue. Strong sales of this product could help increase Microsoft tablet sales. It would be important for Skype to continue to support the iPad as an option for the Double robot.

????These three acquisitions, taken together, would show investors that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is changing the way the company operates by acquiring best of breed companies that position it to offer premier cloud services across all platforms, make its smart phones and tablets more competitive, increase its footprint in the server OS and be the innovator in teleconferencing. Putting this in perspective, Facebook has a lower market cap, less funds and weaker cash flow than Microsoft. Yet Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg spent $16 billion on WhatsApp fully recognizing the additional customer dominance in social that this provides. The cost of these three companies should be less than $16 billion and yet could have an even larger impact for Microsoft. Such exciting and relevant acquisitions by Microsoft would also likely payback not only in revenue growth but immediately in stock price.

????Mike Kwatinetz is a founding general partner at Azure Capital Partners, where he specializes in software and related infrastructure technologies. This post is from his blog, SoundbytesII.