LinkedSoft - life after the LinkedIn and Microsoft merger

The acquisition of LinkedIn by Microsoft announced in June 2016 makes sense. I mean, the world's professional cloud suite and the world's professional network. From a simple data mining exercise for Microsoft, the benefits are enormous! However, for both the regular punter and the IT Consultant like me - what does this mean? What Brave New World will this merger bring forth?

I will resist the urge to speculate and create my rumour mill wildly, and directly relay and comment on some thoughts Nadella had on what LinkedIn and Microsoft can do together. The first and most obvious love child of LinkedSoft is a tight integration between the LinkedIn web platform, and its 100 million monthly users, and the professional world dominating Office 365. Such tie-ins have already been flagged on a very rough roadmap issued by Nadella on December 8th and include:

• Providing LinkedIn identity and network in Microsoft Outlook and the Office 365 suite
• Delivering LinkedIn notifications within the Windows Action Center
• Enabling members drafting resumes in Word to update their profiles, discover and apply to jobs on LinkedIn
• Extending the reach of Sponsored Content across Microsoft properties
• Providing Enterprise LinkedIn Lookup powered by Active Directory and Office 365
• Making LinkedIn Learning (including its Lynda.com assets) available across the Office 365 and Windows ecosystem
• Developing a business news desk across the content ecosystem and MSN.com
• Redefining social selling through the combination of Sales Navigator and Dynamics 365

As a consultant in the IT space, the company that I work for; Qbt Consulting, is acutely aware of businesses that love integrating their ‘socials’ to their outward marketing (obviously), however, these sorts of changes, tie-ins and potentially more in-depth and whacky integrations could do wonders in terms of mining data of potential employees, reviewing the activities and movements of current employees and really assisting in brand management, outward marketing, campaigns and engagement BI.

For those of you worrying about the application integration with your OS as well as the sovereignty of your information; I’ve two points:

1. It’s 2016 and everything’s connected. If there is a bit of information or knowledge that you don’t want known, don’t put it online – anywhere. It’s not Microsoft or Facebook’s fault that people know where you live; that’s on you for uploading an envelope of a letter posted to you 5 months ago… data never dies
2. When Microsoft put the merger to the EU; they made it clear that IT admins and users would be able decide whether to display in the user interface the LinkedIn profile and "activity information that may be integrated in the future." Microsoft also pledged that users will be able to uninstall the LinkedIn application and tile if they choose to do so, and they won't be subjected to Windows prompting them to install a LinkedIn application.

I for one am excited by this merger and what it can birth. What are your thoughts on these two mega powers coming together?