burnin1
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From marijuana.com
Microsoft Partners With Marijuana Software Company
By Tom Angell on June 16, 2016
One of the worlds largest companies is entering the marijuana industry.
Microsoft plans to announce Thursday that it is partnering with KIND Financial to offer seed-to-sale software that helps state and local governments make sure cannabis businesses comply with regulations and laws.
As part of the arrangement, the software giants state and local government team will actively pitch the marijuana software to government entities that put out requests for proposals in accordance with legislation requiring tracking of legal cannabis commerce.
We get staff at Microsoft whose sole job is to help us win government contracts, David Dinenberg, KINDs CEO, told Marijuana.com in an interview ahead of the announcement.
Microsoft wont take a cut of the proceeds when KIND lands a government contract, but will instead benefit from the increased traffic the software sends to the companys Azure Government Cloud servers, Dinenberg said.
They get increased revenue if I win contracts and my software is housed on Microsofts Azure platform. I buy more server space from them.
Many state legal marijuana programs require producers, processors and retailers to strictly track their inventories at each stage of the process, from seed to sale, in order to reduce the chances products will be diverted to the black market.
Thats where KINDs system comes in. Starting from the clone or seedling stage, all marijuana plants are given a unique bar codes or RFID tags. The plants and the products that come from them are then followed and recorded using software including mobile apps. The individualized tracking also makes sure companies can identify which products need to be pulled in case of a recall, and helps to ensure tax compliance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsKwH7buFkQ&feature=youtu.be
KINDs Agrisoft Seed to Sale for Government is a relatively new entrant into the track-and-trace software business. Competitors like MJ Freeway, Metrc and BioTrackTHC already have government contracts in some of the 25 states with comprehensive medical or recreational marijuana laws.
KIND doesnt yet have any government deals, but hopes to change that through the Microsoft partnership. A few weeks ago, the company sent a bid in response to a request for proposals from Puerto Rico, which is moving to allow medical marijuana. In addition to targeting more U.S. states that are expected to have marijuana laws coming online in the near future, Dinenberg said he wants to aim his sights on Canada, Colombia and other countries that are moving away from prohibition.
Microsofts Kimberly Nelson told Marijuana.com in a phone interview that the companys Azure Government Cloud platform is different from its usual private offerings in that it offers a higher level of security and is HIPAA compliant.
Dinenberg said that Microsofts involvement brings legitimacy to the cannabis industry. People that have been on the sidelines for so many years are really starting to pay attention to whats happening in this space.
He predicted that more large and traditionally cautious companies would soon get involved in marijuana, calling Microsofts move a first crack in large businesses looking at the industry.
Microsoft founder Bill Gates told BuzzFeed that he voted for marijuana legalization when it appeared on Washington States ballot in 2012.
Nelson said that she wasnt aware of current company leaders positions on marijuana policy or if there were any plans for Microsoft to get actively involved in the movement to enact legalization in more states.
http://www.marijuana.com/blog/news/2016/06/microsoft-partners-with-marijuana-software-company/
Microsoft Partners With Marijuana Software Company
By Tom Angell on June 16, 2016
One of the worlds largest companies is entering the marijuana industry.
Microsoft plans to announce Thursday that it is partnering with KIND Financial to offer seed-to-sale software that helps state and local governments make sure cannabis businesses comply with regulations and laws.
As part of the arrangement, the software giants state and local government team will actively pitch the marijuana software to government entities that put out requests for proposals in accordance with legislation requiring tracking of legal cannabis commerce.
We get staff at Microsoft whose sole job is to help us win government contracts, David Dinenberg, KINDs CEO, told Marijuana.com in an interview ahead of the announcement.
Microsoft wont take a cut of the proceeds when KIND lands a government contract, but will instead benefit from the increased traffic the software sends to the companys Azure Government Cloud servers, Dinenberg said.
They get increased revenue if I win contracts and my software is housed on Microsofts Azure platform. I buy more server space from them.
Many state legal marijuana programs require producers, processors and retailers to strictly track their inventories at each stage of the process, from seed to sale, in order to reduce the chances products will be diverted to the black market.
Thats where KINDs system comes in. Starting from the clone or seedling stage, all marijuana plants are given a unique bar codes or RFID tags. The plants and the products that come from them are then followed and recorded using software including mobile apps. The individualized tracking also makes sure companies can identify which products need to be pulled in case of a recall, and helps to ensure tax compliance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsKwH7buFkQ&feature=youtu.be
KINDs Agrisoft Seed to Sale for Government is a relatively new entrant into the track-and-trace software business. Competitors like MJ Freeway, Metrc and BioTrackTHC already have government contracts in some of the 25 states with comprehensive medical or recreational marijuana laws.
KIND doesnt yet have any government deals, but hopes to change that through the Microsoft partnership. A few weeks ago, the company sent a bid in response to a request for proposals from Puerto Rico, which is moving to allow medical marijuana. In addition to targeting more U.S. states that are expected to have marijuana laws coming online in the near future, Dinenberg said he wants to aim his sights on Canada, Colombia and other countries that are moving away from prohibition.
Microsofts Kimberly Nelson told Marijuana.com in a phone interview that the companys Azure Government Cloud platform is different from its usual private offerings in that it offers a higher level of security and is HIPAA compliant.
Dinenberg said that Microsofts involvement brings legitimacy to the cannabis industry. People that have been on the sidelines for so many years are really starting to pay attention to whats happening in this space.
He predicted that more large and traditionally cautious companies would soon get involved in marijuana, calling Microsofts move a first crack in large businesses looking at the industry.
Microsoft founder Bill Gates told BuzzFeed that he voted for marijuana legalization when it appeared on Washington States ballot in 2012.
Nelson said that she wasnt aware of current company leaders positions on marijuana policy or if there were any plans for Microsoft to get actively involved in the movement to enact legalization in more states.
http://www.marijuana.com/blog/news/2016/06/microsoft-partners-with-marijuana-software-company/
