CTO Blog
There are multiple ideas about how consumer and business will develop using people centric technologies. In the most recent batch of comments and ideas is a very thoughtful, and thought provoking, market report from three market analysts at Citigroup called; A New Era Dawns’ and it looks at Software as a Service, SaaS, and Web 2.0 becoming the next disruptor in the market. Key amongst the comments is the development of a people centric enterprise based on these new technologies that they christen ‘Enterprise 2.0’.
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.
About the author
Capgemini Global Chief Technology Officer, Andy is a member of the Capgemini Group management board and advises on all aspects of technology-driven market changes, together with being a member of the Policy Board for the British Computer Society. Andy is the author of many white papers, and the co-author three books that have charted the current changes in technology and its use by business starting in 2006 with ‘Mashup Corporations’ detailing how enterprises could make use of Web 2.0 to develop new go to market propositions. This was followed in May 2008 by Mesh Collaboration focussing on the impact of Web 2.0 on the enterprise front office and its working techniques, then in 2010 “Enterprise Cloud Computing: A Strategy Guide for Business and Technology leaders” co-authored with well-known academic Peter Fingar and one of the leading authorities on business process, John Pyke. The book describes the wider business implications of Cloud Computing with the promise of on-demand business innovation. It looks at how businesses trade differently on the web using mash-ups but also the challenges in managing more frequent change through social tools, and what happens when cloud comes into play in fully fledged operations. Andy was voted one of the top 25 most influential CTOs in the world in 2009 by InfoWorld and is grateful to readers of Computing Weekly who voted the Capgemini CTOblog the best Blog for Business Managers and CIOs each year for the last three years.
“They” christen it ‘Enterprise 2.0,’ Andy?
You hadn’t heard that term previously? Google the name ‘Andrew McAfee.’ And, take a look at http://www.fastforwardblog.com (along with many dozens – perhaps hundreds, by now – of other sites!).
You are of course right Tom, not a good way to have expressed my self. my real point was that it is interesting when even Financial analysts are picking up and using a term.
May be the use of a term by analsyst is an eleventh sign of being in a technology bubble market? see the very interesting view on the ten signs at http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/06/01/sign_tech_bubble/
Andy, indeed an interesting link about the technology bubble market .
one question to you Andy ,do u think that the tech sector is going for another down cycle in its sinusoid very soon ?,
Can u give your view on that.
If i knew the answer to that question then i would have every financial market analyst at my door!
for what it is worth as a purely personal point of view i beleive that the market will redefine itself around strong growth in the new areas of apply technology to the front office to do better business that creates new high value.
this redefinition will cause problems for many current players as indeed happened when the PC appeared. Wang the marekt leader in office automation vanished to be replaced by Microsoft and a whole new area of venders grew up around ERP.
winners and losers!!
overall – i believe the use of technology by business will continue to increase
hope that helps! other views are welcomed!
Thanks Andy,