CTO Blog

The resulting enterprise uses a new generation of software in a very different manner from its existing software investments which remain in place. The key to the provision of these new abilities, in addition to the obvious point about business process change, is the ability to use multiple different software implementation capabilities. The report does the best job that I have seen in defining five different possibilities with the characteristics of each; SaaS, ASP, Managed Service, BPO, and of course License. Unfortunately, it’s not available to non Citigroup clients and therefore I can’t offer a URL, but can offer a contact if anyone wants to know more.

This made me think more carefully about the provisioning of the infrastructure on which these models will sit. Again there is an obvious point, who cares it’s a service so delivered from there infrastructure, but that’s not going to cover everything. There is a case for a similar exercise to be done considering what are the options and how will they be delivered for the key elements of a more complex set of services making up the new infrastructure. This would be required for identification, security, compliance and a number of other aspects that are related to people, roles and services, rather than applications, data and hardware.

This type of thinking puts a very different picture not just on the winners and losers in the IT market place, but on the strategic planning aspects of the IT department as it prepares for change. The concept is not new, but the reality of the capabilities that will be required is becoming clearer, as are the options from vendors. It’s becoming time to really start to pay more attention to the major vendors global users events and the keynotes on their strategies.

A light hearted note to finish that should provide some fun posts in reply. What if as well as Enterprise 2.0 we also had Real World 2.0 where users tagging defined everything? Take a look at the results in Supermarket 2.0 at http://glumbert.com/media/supermarket . The acting may not win an Oscar, but the thought behind perhaps should win a prize. It’s a move towards user recommendations linked to real world shopping activities as is happening in online shopping.