Tags: Microsoft

Groove Networks acquired by Microsoft with Ray Ozzie becoming a MS CTO

Since the last couple of years, Google has been redefining the way technologies are developed, improvised, and implemented. They enter a field, make it hot, and move onto another challenge. They started with a search engine, moved on to desktop searching, web mail and now maps, and localized searches. Microsoft had to admit to the fact that the search engine giant was beating them to the game. However, they seem to be making some amends to that.

Looks like, Microsoft thinks collaboration software would become the next big thing. They just released their latest versions of their own collaboration software and the latest news in is that they have acquired Groove Networks which happens to be one of the leading developers of collaboration software. Even more interesting is the fact that they have hired the founder of Groove Networks Ray Ozzie as one of their Chief Technical Officers. Ray also impressively is the creator of the famous Lotus Notes.

Ray would report directly to the software mogul Bill Gates and continue to work with his team from the Groove Networks. Gates is quite impressed with Ray and said in a statement: “Ray and his team are true innovators. Microsoft and its customers will greatly benefit from their experience. After working with Ray for years as a close partner, it will be great to have him on our senior leadership team.”

Groove has already worked with the software giant since the last couple of years. The result of their work together has resulted in applications, which allows workers in far-flung destinations to work in collaboration with each other through virtual offices powered by the Internet. His one of the first achievement was to setup Iris Associates in December 1984, which developed what was later bought and sold by Lotus as Lotus Notes. The software was later bought by the tech giant IBM.

The company Groove Networks would continue to work as an independent unit until the time legal issues are met. Microsoft would also be acquiring the services of around 200 employees of the company who would continue to work from their original headquarters at Beverly, Massachusetts.