Partners Applaud Microsoft And Asus Patent Licensing Agreement Expansion

Partners cheered an extended patent licensing agreement between Microsoft and phone manufacturer Asus, saying it could pave the way for tighter integration between the two companies on Android smartphones and tablets.

"I think this is a good thing for Microsoft's big picture. … It shows they're not putting all their eggs in one basket," said Michael Goldstein, president and CEO of LAN Infotech, a Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Microsoft partner. "In the end, it makes is easier for us to roll out solutions, because Microsoft isn't hedging all their bets on one platform."

Though Microsoft and Asus had an existing patent licensing agreement, the new deal includes a broad cross license covering Asus' hardware and Microsoft's software, devices and services.

[Related: Partners: Microsoft's Cross-Platform Strategy With Samsung Opens Channel Doors]

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Partners say that means they could start seeing Microsoft Office productivity apps and other services pre-installed on Asus' portfolio of mobile devices, such as its ZenFone and Transformer Pad, as well as new product solutions for both companies.

"Microsoft software, including Office, on the entire line of Asus Android smartphones and tablets, is a coup for both organizations in the struggle for an advantage in the uber-competitive mobile market," said Douglas Grosfield, president and CEO of Xylotek Solutions, a Cambridge, Ontario-based Microsoft partner, in an email to CRN.

While he said the agreement was good for Microsoft's channel ecosystem, Grosfield warned that security should be a top priority as Microsoft acts on its strategy of third-party partnerships.

"Let's all … pray that someone in this tangle of interoperability between giants in the mobile space has begun focusing on security in the platform, before the rapid growth of mobile computing (to say nothing of the exponential growth of the IoT) creates a mountain too steep to climb," he said.

Asus is the latest manufacturer in a string of Android smartphone vendors to embed Microsoft services and software in their mobile platform.

Microsoft's strategy plays into CEO Satya Nadella's trumpeted "cloud-first, mobile-first" message to deliver cloud-based services across a bevy of new platforms.

Earlier in the year, Samsung announced it was bundling Microsoft's productivity apps, such as OneNote, OneDrive and Skype, on its Android-based Galaxy S6 smartphones.

PUBLISHED OCT. 2, 2015