Competitors such as VMware, according to Hammond, could be the ones in the most trouble due to Microsoft's new focus on open standards and interoperability. The specialist of late.

The picture from 451 Research analyst Jay Lyman is similar.

"I think the spinoff is good for Microsoft in that it shows continued evolution and maturation of Microsoft's strategy, thinking and technology as it relates to open-source software ... and I think it should help Microsoft grow its community and its developer and user following in some key areas," he says.

Cloud and virtualization are "absolutely" important factors in Microsoft's new openness, according to Lyman.

It's important, however, not to confuse openness with altruism, he notes.