Businessmodel of MicroStrategy

Customer Segments

MicroStrategy serves businesses and organisations of all sizes, providing analytics, mobile and security solutions to a global customer base. According to its website, the Company currently serves more than 4,000 customers in over 28 countries worldwide.

The Company’s products are used across multiple industries including the telecommunications, aerospace, automotive and manufacturing, media, financial services, retail, consumer goods, and energy sectors.

Among MicroStrategy’s customers are high-profile companies such as Adidas, Zurich, Hilton Worldwide and Barclays, as well as smaller regional operators including Moza Banco in Mozambique, Azucarera Paraguaya in Paraguay, SOK in Finland, and Bank OCBC NISP in Indonesia.

Value Propositions

MicroStrategy’s key value to customers is in the quality and efficiency of its products.

In addition to this, the Company provides a range of ancillary services that provide ongoing support to customers, enabling them to utilise the Company’s products as effectively as possible.

These additional services include technical assistance, training and education programs, and consulting services. MicroStrategy is constantly seeking to update its current product portfolio, by adding greater functionality to its existing solutions and developing new software platforms.

It is able to this through its collaboration with a range of partners from various sectors across the world, including technology and consulting partners. These partners in return receive training, support and access to MicroStrategy resources.

Channels

Customers are able to browse MicroStrategy’s products and services on its mobile and desktop websites at www.microstrategy.com. Purchases however are made through members of the MicroStrategy sales team directly.

The Company’s products are available to customers both as on-premises software and as a hosted service offering using MicroStrategy Secure Cloud. MicroStrategy platforms are also accessible through a network of resellers and value added resellers.

Customer Relationships

While MicroStrategy’s products and services are available to browse through the Company’s website, purchases must be made directly via the MicroStrategy sales team. Free trials and live demos, however, can be arranged through the Company’s website on a self-service basis.

Personalised technical support and is available, with customers able to contact the Company directly with enquiries and issues over the phone or via email. MicroStrategy also makes learning and troubleshooting resources available to customers in the form of webcasts, white papers, presentations and guides.

The Company also interacts directly with its customers through various live events, such as trade shows, conferences and symposia, as well as through its Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts. Customers can also interact with one another and collaborate on issues through the MicroStrategy community forum.

Key Activities

MicroStrategy is a provider of enterprise software platforms, spanning data analytics, mobile software and security platforms. The Company offers a MicroStrategy 10 package, which consolidates analytics, mobility and security into a single integrated platform, available both as on-premises software and as a cloud-based platform.

MicroStrategy has three core platforms to which it sells licences:

• MicroStrategy Analytics, which delivers reports and dashboards, and enables users to conduct ad hoc analysis and share insights;
• MicroStrategy Mobile, which enables customers to gain business intelligence insights on the go; and
• MicroStrategy Secure Cloud, a secure hosting service. The Company also offers specialist enterprise security solution named Usher, which replaces physical badges, passwords, and security tokens with secure digital badges.

Key Partners

MicroStrategy collaborates with a rage of international partners with a view to ensuring that it provides its clients with the most efficient and reliable solutions possible. The Company seeks to make investments in joint development projects, take part in cooperative technical implementation training, and participate in sales and marketing enablement programs.

Additionally, MicroSystems collaborates with channel partners such as resellers, value-added resellers, system integrators and consulting firms, original equipment manufacturers, and technology partners in order to license, sell and support its products.

The Company partners with companies in more than 27 countries and across 30 industries, including the banking, energy, government and technology sectors. Its partners include AIG Group, NEC Corporation, Accenture, Sierra Systems, Tata Consultancy Services, and Polynorm Software.

Key Resources

MicroStrategy’s key resources are its software and technology, its personnel – in particular its sales and technical support staff, and its IT infrastructure.

Searches of the US Patent and Trademark Office identified a number of patent applications filed in MicroStrategy’s name including applications entitled ‘Comparing subsets of user identities of a social networking platform’, ‘Mobile customer presence detection’ and ‘Determining happiness indices’.

The Company’s states in its most recent annual report that the Company’s ability to attract and train highly skilled personnel is key to the Company’s ongoing success.

Cost Structure

MicroStrategy incurs costs in relation to the operation of research and development programs, the provision of technical support services, the maintenance of its IT infrastructure, and the retention of its personnel.

The Company also leases office space across the world, accruing costs in the form of rent and utilities. In 2015 MicroStrategy leased around 214,000 square feet of office space at our corporate headquarters, a further 33,000 square feet of office space in the US, and approximately 213,000 square feet of office space in various foreign locations.

Revenue Streams

MicroStrategy generates the vast majority of its annual revenue through the sale of licences for its MicroStrategy Analytics, MicroStrategy Mobile and MicroStrategy Secure Cloud platforms. In 2013, 2014 and 2015 the Company did not generate significant revenue from its Usher solution, a more recent addition to its product portfolio. Sales of MicroStrategy’s analytics solutions, as well as ancillary technical support, consulting and education services account for the largest portion of the Company’s annual revenue, and are expected to do so for the foreseeable future.

In 2015 MicroStrategy recorded an annual revenue of $529.9 million, down from $579.8 million in 2014. Of the Company’s total annual revenue for 2015, total product licences and subscription services accounted for $147 million, while product support services accounted for $281.8 million. The remaining revenue was attributed to other services, such as consulting.