Social networking players in China
If you wanted my best guess as to who we would see as the next generation of 'Apples, IBMs and Microsofts' - I would say it's likely to be one of the companies on this list. Bear in mind the size of the Chinese domestic market. If these products achieve the same levels of adoption as Facebook then they would create larger online communities than both Facebook and Google!
Better get used to these names ;-)
Friday, 12 November 2010
Tuesday, 9 November 2010
Business Websites - Still a Competitive Differentiator?
There was a time when businesses could hope to differentiate themselves through their website design to bring a competitive advantage. Not anymore.
A decade ago websites were seen to have the power to wow site visitors and bring them to your door. Promises made by website designers suggested that new online marketing, powered by search engines, would result in a train of new prospects and business opportunities. For most small businesses this promise has not materialized. They continue to generate more business through word-of-mouth contacts, partner referrals and direct marketing methods.
Visitors of websites today want to see a predictable structure and format. This makes it easier to know where the information is they're trying to find. It's no fun crawling around websites to find out what a business does. In an ideal world, everything a site visitor wants to find out should be on the front page. And technologies like streaming video mean that persuasive arguments don't need to fill pages of content. Just like newspapers (news on the front, sports on the back etc.) designs of websites have to tell their stories in a way that visitors don't find irritating. Over time the information design inherits dictated rules.
The idea that a website is a great source of leads thanks to search engines has proved untrue for many micro businesses and SMEs. Bottom line - Unless your business can get into the top 10 hits on a search engine, chances are you're not going to get that call. And most organizations don't have the marketing funds to make that happen. So the website often becomes the second point of contact, not the first.
After three decades of Internet marketing experiences, business leaders are more aware of the return they can expect to get from their web presence. Current sourcing options - either building a DIY site or paying a web designer to build it - don't satisfy this required mix of affordability, control and return on investment. In short, for the level of opportunity business websites bring, they are generally too expensive to design and too costly to maintain. Nevertheless, they are a necessary component of a marketing mix in the digital economy. They have largely replaced the business card as a medium of contact and they have replaced the office reception as the first place to meet and greet new prospects.
A website isn't a good replacement for a salesperson but it IS a good way of welcoming and engaging customers that visit your website. True, your business needs a professional web presence but it has to be easily maintained and deliver on its promises of professional standards of appearance, accessibility and performance - and it has to deliver more value than it costs annually.
The launch of services like Google Sites, Microsoft Office 365, Webs.com,Yola and Squork WebSpace mean that creating a professional website isn't difficult even for people with no IT background. The role and expectations of websites used for the purpose of giving an organization a web presence are changing. No longer can sites be static, show signs of home-made design or unimaginative construction.
They must be living components of the digital communications network of which every organization and business professional is a part of - like it or not. Websites today are expected to provide rich media content, such as video, and social networking features like twitter feeds, blogs and news feeds. They're also required to be transactional (i.e. To offer the capability to capture and publish data normally held in a database to support customer enquiries and process requests).
Websites started as the shop window of businesses, they have moved to become the reception room too (greeting visitors and welcoming them in) and in the next decade we can expect them to become the meeting rooms and general office of enterprises.
Cloud-based offerings like Google Apps, Microsoft Office 365 and Squork are continuously adding service components - file management, collaborative tools, timetabling tools, project and task activity management, business intelligence, performance management, contact management etc. - that are turning business websites into online business spaces.
Websites are losing their design differentiation because of the need to conform to the way people want and expect to work. Competitive differentiation is no longer about design flair, it's about how well platforms deliver the communications and productivity enablement that businesses need.
A decade ago websites were seen to have the power to wow site visitors and bring them to your door. Promises made by website designers suggested that new online marketing, powered by search engines, would result in a train of new prospects and business opportunities. For most small businesses this promise has not materialized. They continue to generate more business through word-of-mouth contacts, partner referrals and direct marketing methods.
Visitors of websites today want to see a predictable structure and format. This makes it easier to know where the information is they're trying to find. It's no fun crawling around websites to find out what a business does. In an ideal world, everything a site visitor wants to find out should be on the front page. And technologies like streaming video mean that persuasive arguments don't need to fill pages of content. Just like newspapers (news on the front, sports on the back etc.) designs of websites have to tell their stories in a way that visitors don't find irritating. Over time the information design inherits dictated rules.
The idea that a website is a great source of leads thanks to search engines has proved untrue for many micro businesses and SMEs. Bottom line - Unless your business can get into the top 10 hits on a search engine, chances are you're not going to get that call. And most organizations don't have the marketing funds to make that happen. So the website often becomes the second point of contact, not the first.
After three decades of Internet marketing experiences, business leaders are more aware of the return they can expect to get from their web presence. Current sourcing options - either building a DIY site or paying a web designer to build it - don't satisfy this required mix of affordability, control and return on investment. In short, for the level of opportunity business websites bring, they are generally too expensive to design and too costly to maintain. Nevertheless, they are a necessary component of a marketing mix in the digital economy. They have largely replaced the business card as a medium of contact and they have replaced the office reception as the first place to meet and greet new prospects.
A website isn't a good replacement for a salesperson but it IS a good way of welcoming and engaging customers that visit your website. True, your business needs a professional web presence but it has to be easily maintained and deliver on its promises of professional standards of appearance, accessibility and performance - and it has to deliver more value than it costs annually.
The launch of services like Google Sites, Microsoft Office 365, Webs.com,Yola and Squork WebSpace mean that creating a professional website isn't difficult even for people with no IT background. The role and expectations of websites used for the purpose of giving an organization a web presence are changing. No longer can sites be static, show signs of home-made design or unimaginative construction.
They must be living components of the digital communications network of which every organization and business professional is a part of - like it or not. Websites today are expected to provide rich media content, such as video, and social networking features like twitter feeds, blogs and news feeds. They're also required to be transactional (i.e. To offer the capability to capture and publish data normally held in a database to support customer enquiries and process requests).
Websites started as the shop window of businesses, they have moved to become the reception room too (greeting visitors and welcoming them in) and in the next decade we can expect them to become the meeting rooms and general office of enterprises.
Cloud-based offerings like Google Apps, Microsoft Office 365 and Squork are continuously adding service components - file management, collaborative tools, timetabling tools, project and task activity management, business intelligence, performance management, contact management etc. - that are turning business websites into online business spaces.
Websites are losing their design differentiation because of the need to conform to the way people want and expect to work. Competitive differentiation is no longer about design flair, it's about how well platforms deliver the communications and productivity enablement that businesses need.
Thursday, 28 October 2010
Cloud Security market to hit $1.5 billion by 2015
It's always interesting to read analyst forecasts of market size and growth - but I actually think this one is pretty well grounded.
Cloud security is going to be a hot topic in IT over the next few years.
I think many people think cloud technology is less secure that traditional systems but actually that doesn't have to be the case. Cloud platforms can make corporate IT more secure by adopting an inclusive security model, federated identity management and providing the ability for users to serve themselves with robust IT solutions that serve the long-tail of applications rather than turning a blind eye to shadow systems developed on Excel, Access and PowerPoint. Perhaps the biggest issue though is enabling organizations to cascade duties of data security to departmental managers rather than IT and giving them the tools to do it. Departmental managers often know more about the risk of using data for new apps (and the context of use) compared to IT.
Cloud security is going to be a hot topic in IT over the next few years.
I think many people think cloud technology is less secure that traditional systems but actually that doesn't have to be the case. Cloud platforms can make corporate IT more secure by adopting an inclusive security model, federated identity management and providing the ability for users to serve themselves with robust IT solutions that serve the long-tail of applications rather than turning a blind eye to shadow systems developed on Excel, Access and PowerPoint. Perhaps the biggest issue though is enabling organizations to cascade duties of data security to departmental managers rather than IT and giving them the tools to do it. Departmental managers often know more about the risk of using data for new apps (and the context of use) compared to IT.
Saturday, 23 October 2010
Cloud 9. Nine Reasons Why the Cloud is Worth Taking Seriously
For those business professionals who are keen to get a handle on what cloud computing is and why it might be relevant to their business I've put together a very crude list in this most basic of white papers produced for US Tech Solutions to help start the process of deciphering the business case for cloud computing.
For technologists please don't read it because the oversimplification of arguments will drive you crazy;-).
Ian.
For technologists please don't read it because the oversimplification of arguments will drive you crazy;-).
Ian.
Saturday, 18 September 2010
Delivering the most economically advantageous software apps
At times when organizations need to find smarter ways of working to cut costs, they're often frustrated by the lack of effective software applications to support these new ways of working.
The long-tail of demand for new applications created by middle-managers that are working hard to optimize their departments and core processes is not something that should be ignored. Without this innovation, sub-optimal processes continue to under perform and add unnecessary operating costs.
Organizations going through change need adaptive IT solutions that can be shaped to support new processes. Of course, there are huge pressures to reduce IT expenditure too - so how do organizations source the new applications they need to create leaner processes?
Current approaches to sourcing software applications fall into three main categories:
1. Purchasing ready-to-use software applications - This isn't a very cost effective way to source business applications because of the high cost of acquiring pre-shaped applications and the fact that it introduces additional costs for integration, maintenance fees - and creates new 'IT silos' into the organization.
2. Custom coding of a new solution - The most common solution is to instigate a custom coding project - either internally (tying up scarce IT resources) or externally through contractors (necessitating procurement procedures and the high cost IT development).
3. Outsourcing of systems - The view held by many today is that outsourcing IT systems or particular process disciplines are better outsourced and placed in the hands of 'experts'. The downside of this approach is that control is lost over the resources and systems outsourced causing the organization to be less able to adapt to changing business requirements. It also means that costs of contracts soar.
Thanks to innovations in rich internet web technologies and cloud computing, there are new options now open to organizations that want to support process improvement without having to jump into an expensive IT procurement or complex project.
Situational applications development software like Encanvas Secure&Live provide business analysts with the technology tools they need to develop applications without custom coding by adopting architecture similar in concept to LEGO. It means that organizations can embed business analysts into change teams and have them develop new applications solutions as quickly as they emerge.
The advantage of this approach is that organizations typically don't need to go to IT procurement or outsourcing but can serve themselves with 'right-first-time' solutions developed across the table in workshops held by business analysts and project sponsors. The applications produced are deployed on the Microsoft Web Platform and can therefore be operated internally or on the cloud.
Innovations that make Encanvas Secure&Live 'enterprise ready' include advanced security features to manage site access, data, users and groups. It also includes data acquisition and mashup features so that business analysts don't need to do any custom coding or learn many different tools. Everything that business analysts require to deliver professional business applications is in the box.
I was asked by Encanvas to write a business argument for situational applications development so I've provided a link to this document here.
https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B_mCKU7TIXWaNTJmZmJlZGQtNTMyOS00YTFiLWE3MjktMDAyNmY2OWE0NGM0&hl=en
The long-tail of demand for new applications created by middle-managers that are working hard to optimize their departments and core processes is not something that should be ignored. Without this innovation, sub-optimal processes continue to under perform and add unnecessary operating costs.
Organizations going through change need adaptive IT solutions that can be shaped to support new processes. Of course, there are huge pressures to reduce IT expenditure too - so how do organizations source the new applications they need to create leaner processes?
Current approaches to sourcing software applications fall into three main categories:
1. Purchasing ready-to-use software applications - This isn't a very cost effective way to source business applications because of the high cost of acquiring pre-shaped applications and the fact that it introduces additional costs for integration, maintenance fees - and creates new 'IT silos' into the organization.
2. Custom coding of a new solution - The most common solution is to instigate a custom coding project - either internally (tying up scarce IT resources) or externally through contractors (necessitating procurement procedures and the high cost IT development).
3. Outsourcing of systems - The view held by many today is that outsourcing IT systems or particular process disciplines are better outsourced and placed in the hands of 'experts'. The downside of this approach is that control is lost over the resources and systems outsourced causing the organization to be less able to adapt to changing business requirements. It also means that costs of contracts soar.
Thanks to innovations in rich internet web technologies and cloud computing, there are new options now open to organizations that want to support process improvement without having to jump into an expensive IT procurement or complex project.
Situational applications development software like Encanvas Secure&Live provide business analysts with the technology tools they need to develop applications without custom coding by adopting architecture similar in concept to LEGO. It means that organizations can embed business analysts into change teams and have them develop new applications solutions as quickly as they emerge.
The advantage of this approach is that organizations typically don't need to go to IT procurement or outsourcing but can serve themselves with 'right-first-time' solutions developed across the table in workshops held by business analysts and project sponsors. The applications produced are deployed on the Microsoft Web Platform and can therefore be operated internally or on the cloud.
Innovations that make Encanvas Secure&Live 'enterprise ready' include advanced security features to manage site access, data, users and groups. It also includes data acquisition and mashup features so that business analysts don't need to do any custom coding or learn many different tools. Everything that business analysts require to deliver professional business applications is in the box.
I was asked by Encanvas to write a business argument for situational applications development so I've provided a link to this document here.
https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B_mCKU7TIXWaNTJmZmJlZGQtNTMyOS00YTFiLWE3MjktMDAyNmY2OWE0NGM0&hl=en
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