Tuesday, May 31, 2011

The Social Mobile Enterprise


Enterprise social mobility is the next big thing.

Yes, I said it.  I'm going out on a limb and predicting that the next major wave of enterprise innovation will be a combination of today's emerging social networking explosion fueled by a move to mobility in mass.  It feels like a very stable limb based on all that I have been seeing over the past few years.

Let's look at it in context.  Many have written about mega trends in evolution of enterprise technology.  Rawn Shah wrote an excellent piece recently outlining the move from Mainframe, to Departmental Computing, to Personal Computing, to Internet Computing, to today's Social computing environment.  I think the next in line on the same scale may be Mobile Computing.

It's funny, as I read this list, and the traditional mentions of "Computing", I realize that term has run its course and it really is time to retire the term "Computing" since it has become irrelevant, something reserved for calculations, tabulations, lists, etc.  Ever since the Internet age, it's really about collaboration and connectivity, not computing.

The Enterprise mobile revolution is happening.  A recent Infographic by Zendesk says, of Fortune 500 companies, 80% are deploying or testing iPhones and 65% are deploying or allowing iPads.  Over the next few years, every enterprise will have made major headway into allowing BYOD (bring your own device) linking iPhones, Androids, and iPads into the enterprise systems.  I am convinced that the convenience and serendipity enabled by Mobility makes all the difference in driving engagement of today's Social Enterprise systems being deployed (see my post on the Upside Down Enterprise Portal).

Mobile brings a new dimension to communications.  For me it started with the Palm Pilot back at the turn of the century (I always wanted to say that) when we began to sync with our calendar and contacts to have this information right in our pocket.  I remember the excitement of having my assistant schedule meetings and then watching them "air sync" right to my device, while I was on the road.

Many a corporate road warrior (including me) became completely dependent upon his BlackBerry (or CrackBerry as we called it) in the mid-2000s.  The BlackBerry showed the world that it is very useful to have instant access to calendar, contacts, and now email, all in one device.  An entire generation of boomers and X-ers became proficient at the thumb typing model on the excellent blackberry keyboard. Soon after getting mine, I remember discovering the browser and beginning to do simple web access activities (checking weather, flight times, simple ecommerce) with the very limited and clumsy early blackberry browser.

Then, my life changed when I moved to an iPhone in 2009.  I had just heard a "future of technology" conference speaker refer to this generation of smartphones, not as powerful telephones, but as small / portable computers. The explosion of the Apple app store and those that followed for other platforms (particularly Android) quickly showed the world that these devices could become a major supplement and often a substitute for the laptop computer.  I giggle to myself when I see someone walking between meetings awkwardly carrying his open laptop, trying to preserve his connectivity to the corporate wifi while changing rooms.  That will be a fleeting "sign of the times".

As corporations were finally figuring out the power of social networking platforms, they began to exploit SharePoint, Jive, IBM Connections, Socialcast, Yammer and a host of other Enterprise 2.0 Platforms.  They found they could use these tools to connect a widely dispersed workforce, create rich employee profiles and online communities to meet and work.  The activity stream and microblogging emerged as a way not only to communicate in quick short messages, but to also allow the system itself to inform colleagues of progress being made, milestones being met, and steps taking place along the course of a project.

These platforms are indeed game changing, but as the mobile revolution has been continuing, many of the E20 platform and tool vendors forgot that they were retooling an enterprise based on a 2000 paradigm.  Many were designing with the idea that they needed to connect stationary knowledge workers who only log in from their corporate desktop or laptop.  Their solution to mobility is to allow a worker to connect to the E20 platform from his / her VPN connected laptop.  This severely hampers adoption.  Relying only on the normal 8-5, at the desk, environment for social engagement is truly unnatural.

Each of the collaboration platform vendors recognizes the need for a mobile component and they have been working hard to create that capability.  Like all transformations in technology it moves in steps. They focus most of their effort on the laptop / desktop worker and then "bolt on" the mobile capability as an afterthought.

The game is changing again.  It is time now to create environments that recognize the following facts:
  • Workers are mobile, even in their office
  • Workers collaborate 24x7
  • Firewalls are going away
  • Workers will continue to bring their own devices to work
  • Tablets will not go away
  • Laptops will become much less relevant (like Desktops have)
  • Knowledge work is being distributed to external partners
The next generation Social Mobile Enterprise solutions must be designed to allow:
  • Mobile access to all corporate services and information assets
  • Cloud based storage accessible to all business partners
  • Mobile connectivity among the workforce in the same office and across timezones
  • Mobile / Social stickiness through "Gamification" engagement models
  • Mobile / Social connectivity with equal access for employees, contractors, and business partners
What do you think?  Are you also seeing this trend?  Can you give some examples of what your enterprise is doing or planning in the comments below?     

(By the way, this post was authored on my iPad and edited only iPhone. Only the final upload, graphics and hyperlinks were done with my laptop.)

Sunday, May 1, 2011

133 Curated Tweets from April 2011


It was a hit last month, so here it is again.  My curated list of tweets from April.  As you can see, I focus on Cloud Computing, Twitter, Communities, iPad, Enterprise 2.0, Location Based Services, Gaming, Mobility, Social Business and a few other topics.

My Blog Posts
  1. 150+ links, I tweeted in March, all in one place http://bit.ly/gUgKDV  
  2. The Upside Down Enterprise Portal  http://lnkd.in/Dj5Dpa
  3. Tune In to the Social Web http://t.co/HH2fkdA  
Chat (Twitter Chats)
  1. Transcript for last night's #LeadershipChat now available http://ow.ly/4HQlg  on leadershipchat.net
  2. Forrester: A webpage w/video is 50x more likely to appear on page 1 Google than 1 w/out http://t.co/nh73FQ7  
Cloud
  1. The Future of Microsoft Office is in the #cloud http://dlvr.it/PdKTl  
  2. HOW TO: Optimize Your Content for the Cloud http://on.mash.to/e6gi4Y  
  3. Message from John Chambers: Where Cisco is Taking the Network http://t.co/1uOLfiI  
  4. First look at Microsoft Office 365: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9215883/First_look_at_Microsoft_Office_365 
Cloud Crash
  1. This Amazon cloud crash is affecting no less than 4 of my daily activities so far! http://t.co/34kz58k
  2. Amazon's cloud crash takes many with it http://t.co/34kz58k
  3. Amazon's failure continues. I expect this will dampen #cloud euphoria a bit http://t.co/4YH0DPU 
Community
  1. Community Managers: What They Do, Why You Need Them -- InformationWeek http://t.co/saLbr0g by @cflanagan
  2. More on Community Managers: The Second Leg Of The Social Business Stool http://zite.to/dRkMjG
  3. Are you building and managing E2E Communities? http://zite.to/dUeXw0

Enterprise 2.0
  1. Corporate Microblogging Helps Employees Migrate Work Convos Online http://bit.ly/f4orbI  
  2. Enterprise 2.0: Why All Business Software Must Go Social http://bit.ly/gNregG
  3. Are you culturally ready for #e20 / #socbiz? http://cot.ag/fAGsiO  & http://cot.ag/gJl0uB  by @themaria
  4. Social Intranet –The Intersection Diagram http://j.mp/kogbZ8  explained very well by @adowbor
  5. Social Networking for Business - WSJ http://ow.ly/4GcnC
  6. Looking at IBM's collaboration assessment tool: http://ow.ly/4I46c   Compares your best practices with 450 other firms.
  7. Creating a Social Intranet Where Your Employees can Learn http://socl.ly/gLEPQp 
  8. To bond or to bridge, is that the question? http://t.co/CMPYAbf   by @lammiia 
  9. Congratulations to @GuatamGhosh on your move: Joining Social Business and Enterprise 2.0 firm Qontext http://t.co/IlI3diX
  10. Beyond Quora: 9 Q&A Services for the Enterprise http://v.zite.com/ia1zxl  
  11. 6 Ways to Use Curation for B2B Social Media http://zite.to/gESAo9  
  12. Redefining RSS from tech terms to social collaborative behavior terms http://bit.ly/ft9kU5  by @dpontefract 
  13. IBM Says Merge your Email into the Activity Stream  http://ow.ly/4ADGg  
  14. Open the Activity Stream app on the mobile, see what's important to do that day/right now. http://t.co/8OdWi7q  
Easter
  1. Four Lessons From the Resurrection http://t.co/xyaeR57  by @mhmcintyre
  2. The Privacy of Jesus http://wp.me/p1jd28-cU
Gamification
  1. Gaming the Enterprise, Part 1 of 2 http://bit.ly/humHTb  by Dachis's @tomcummings & @vzrjvy
  2. Enterprise gamification http://bit.ly/ilCszu  by @webtechman
  3. The purpose of gamification http://zite.to/eJFUkv  
Infographics
  1. How Are Mac & PC People Different? [INFOGRAPHIC] http://bit.ly/fzwBgv
  2. In the evolution of the mobile operating system, Apple was a late entry. INFOGRAPHIC http://bit.ly/hjUnq5
  3. The 5 Best Free Tools For Making Slick #Infographics (by @ambermac) http://feedly.com/k/hRumnc
  4. The Winners & Losers of Social Networking [INFOGRAPHIC] http://t.co/3o03kUj  http://yfrog.com/gzumxjrj   
iPad
  1. iPad 2 gets glasses-free 3D display using front-facing camera for head tracking: http://aol.it/hUrqbo  
  2. 5 Great iPad Social Networking Apps http://bit.ly/euQ8IL  
  3. Ten innovative, unusual and just plain cool uses for the iPad: http://bit.ly/eWxH6L
  4. News360 iPad App Review http://bit.ly/ezzUA0  new #iPad App gives you photo news in a unique format.
  5. Revenge of the iPad? PC market tanks in first quarter: http://bit.ly/fhrTA8
  6. Why the iPad Appeals to Older Users: They stick to basics http://bit.ly/g1m2KR  
  7. iPad 2 vs. XOOM: sales comparison ugly for Motorola? http://bit.ly/gIvNZf  
  8. Report: No Apple iPad 3 in 2011: http://bit.ly/i1mV7o
  9. iOS 5 For iPad Features And News http://goo.gl/fb/hfpsZ
  10. Ready or Not, iPad, Other Tablets are in the Enterprise http://ht.ly/4F0WP  
  11. Sign of the times: iPad 2 heads to Toys R Us http://pulsene.ws/1kDEp
  12. Essential iPad Apps For Network And System Admins | Your Network Toolkit http://t.co/uUbTTNw
  13. The Best New Apple iPad Productivity Apps http://t.co/XREeJki  
  14. Apple may outshine tablet rivals for years http://usat.ly/gUBhQI
  15. Have an iPad? Get May edition of @wired iPad app free: http://wired.com/app
  16. iPad for Business Round-Up: Tablets Cutting into PC Sales, Doctors Prefer iOS... http://zite.to/fMsLWR
  17. One year after iPad: Is Adobe Flash still relevant? http://zite.to/iNtJ6z
  18. iPad for Business Round-Up http://zite.to/ksyK4r
Job Search
  1. How to Build Momentum in Your Job Search http://pulsene.ws/1ivMh
  2. In transition? Great article about networking from HarvardBiz: http://s.hbr.org/h31Rzw  
Location Based Services
  1. Promote Your Small Business Blog with the ShareThis Plugin http://is.gd/Ct3d3q
  2. Why Location-Based Services Will be the Killer App of the 2012 Elections http://pulsene.ws/1tAs7  
  3. Checking out of LBS http://t.co/ac9sTPF  by @peterkim
  4. Foursquare in the Enterprise? The Two-Year Lag from Web 2.0 to Enterprise 2.0 http://zite.to/krqBaO  
Mobility
  1. First Look @MapOmatic replaces your mobile map and shows where friends are: http://tinyurl.com/5wfktdx  
  2. NYT: Augmented Reality Comes Closer to Reality http://nyti.ms/ikqQIQ
  3. In case you missed it: FDA Issues Rules for Mobile Medical Devices http://bit.ly/f8r8BV
  4. The 'post-PC era' might be closer than we think http://zite.to/hgjQxc  
  5. Mobile Megatrends 2011 http://bit.ly/eIDyuK  
  6. I'm getting more and more convinced that mobile will be the "tipping point" for #e20 adoption too http://goo.gl/Pcrio
  7. Why we need the mobile, social, intranet... Mind Blowing Mobile Social Media Stats http://goo.gl/Pcrio
  8. Employees Are Using Their Own Devices. Is Your Policy Up-to-Date? http://socl.ly/hhLjdY  
  9. Square’s Payment Service About To Get A Huge Boost From Apple http://t.co/cocsmzY  swipe a Visa on your iPhone
  10. Socialcast Mobile Feature Release – New Android App (beta) and iPhone Updates http://t.co/e2mVT6X
  11. What Will the Smartphone Market Look Like in 2015? http://t.co/rP6eLPT
  12. iPad and iPhone Really Taking Off In Enterprise http://t.co/SgYWpGD
  13. Rumor: White iPhone 4 in June, iPhone 5 in Sept - Bloomberg http://t.co/un2Sozk
  14. Now I just stumbled upon this gem of mobile resources from @ppk http://www.quirksmode.org/mobile/  
Other Stuff (unclassified)
  1. April Fools 2011: The Big List http://tcrn.ch/hfkZ3e
  2. Tech jobs boom like it's 1999 http://usat.ly/eDI5Gs  "Jobs plentiful in Silicon Valley"
  3. Good advice in today's WSJ: http://on.wsj.com/e3oaRI 4 Questions CEO's should be asking about IT
  4. Amazon, Love The Kindle Ads Idea, But The Right Price Is $99 http://bit.ly/fb2nPn
  5. 18 Million WordPress Blogs Compromised In Attack http://rww.to/eU1aLS
  6. the rest of the story to the "Jump The Shark" line, http://www.jumpedtheshark.co.uk/  
  7. Hole in Plane Leads to Emergency Landing, Twitpic Shows Details http://tinyurl.com/3ubjkfq
  8. Had a great briefing on semantic web. Starting to research on http://bit.ly/ehlxzR  & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSHALS
  9. Curiosity piqued Royal Wedding lip readers decipher for the rest of us. http://bit.ly/jbYnKx
  10. Royal wedding highlights: 5min video [Telegraph UK] http://bit.ly/lny5FQ  
Social Business / Social Media
  1. Social business strategies that will take your business from the dark ages to the Renaissance http://bit.ly/9BAcrV
  2. Oh, I could get lost here for hours: http://bit.ly/adHbI5  Google Social Circle
  3. Social Networking Strategies for Finding More Work http://bit.ly/dHyVKI
  4. [blog] social business summit london part 2 http://bit.ly/dXmVbH
  5. The tweets are about to start for #sbs2011 Singapore. Read the London tweet archive for a preview: http://bit.ly/eh6YyD  
  6. Read the tweet transcript from @dachisgroup #sbs2011 Singapore http://bit.ly/eiawsO
  7. Serendipity Happens...insightful preso and post http://bit.ly/eK9pwU  by @anadatagirl
  8. Why There Is No Facebook For The Enterprise http://bit.ly/eQEYV0
  9. Summarizing Social Business in Asia from #sbs2011 http://bit.ly/fsPb3j
  10. From @davegray: I'm open-sourcing all my Connected Company images under a Creative Commons license. Spread the word! http://bit.ly/fu1zji
  11. 18 Social Networking Icons http://j.mp/e3lnuk  
  12.  @CarlGriffith's #SBS2011 summit summary.  http://j.mp/esGiGN  
  13. Social Business Design Cometh http://post.ly/1xsK6
  14. Essential #socbiz stuff http://rww.to/dOiNTJ  
  15. Authentication, representation, communication, personalization, reputation: 5 Pieces of Online Identity http://t.co/JFC2Z10
  16. The flat organization is not a new idea...RWW post on #e20 #socbiz by @klintron http://t.co/nIoCuXR
  17. "The 2.0 Adoption Council - Asia Pacific Briefing" May 10, Webinar http://t.co/UCg1iji
  18. #sbs2011 reminder... there is a list of Summit presenter's Twitter accounts here http://t.co/XXyzfYT  
  19. Why social business is different - Reusing stored collaboration http://zd.net/h5DDZ4  by @dhinchcliffe
  20. Google: Larry Page Ties Employee Bonuses To Social Strategy http://zite.to/fdKIdR
Sunday Series
  1. Sunday Series: "God Has Dwelt Well with Me" Click 4/10 message: http://bit.ly/9qjoaN  Or direct to mp3: http://bit.ly/kvYDTh  by @DavidGuzik
  2. Sunday Series: "Blessed Is The Man..." Click the 02/13 message: http://bit.ly/agsqhz  or direct to mp3: http://bit.ly/dNP2rV
  3. Sunday Series: "Living the Normal Christian Life" Click the 4/3 message: http://bit.ly/fAmPt4  or direct to mp3: http://bit.ly/f3Xgdh
  4. Sunday Series: "Why Easter Matters" Click the Easter 2002 message: http://bit.ly/hQLCmq  Or direct to mp3: http://bit.ly/hQMy9l
  5. Sunday Series: "Come Join the Dance" Click the 3/13 message: http://bit.ly/hwJfHh  Or direct to mp3: http://bit.ly/ecOHEU
Tablets
  1. Admob: 43% of owners spend more time on their tablet than PC http://j.mp/dNlV00  http://yfrog.com/h2508rej
  2. Tablet computers as seen from 1994 - http://rossdawsonblog.com/weblog/archives/2011/04/tablet-computers-as-seen-from-1994.html  
  3. Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet with Honeycomb and an optional stylus to hit this summer | http://t.co/9q7rqQZ  
Tracking Your iPhone Location
  1. Reading how to visualize your own iPhone tracking data. Requires OS X. http://bit.ly/hHYJyi  http://yfrog.com/h65nwnxj
  2. Disabling location services won’t stop your iPhone from tracking your location http://dlvr.it/PdV3G
  3. Here is the Windows version of iPhone Tracker. It works for me: http://huseyint.com/iPhoneTrackerWin/
  4. Wall Street Journal take on the iPhone tracking issue: http://on.wsj.com/ePwOW1
  5. Steve Jobs: Apple has "never transmitted" precise iPhone location to itself (WSJ) http://on.wsj.com/kTvzVL  "Will testify before Congress"
  6. iPhone keeps record of everywhere you go http://t.co/i86jlg6  
  7. Stalk Yourself: Use R to Analyze Your iPhone Location Data http://t.co/iRSSYh3
  8. 3 Major Issues with the Latest iPhone Tracking “Discovery” http://t.co/YiNOX8f
Twitter
  1. OK, so this give's some insight on the shuttering of tweet archiving services: http://bit.ly/f0n5ki  Twitter to make $$$ on APIs
  2. Could Twitter Get “MySpaced”? http://bit.ly/f58Sao  
  3. Netherlands passes Japan as most Twitter-active country in the world: http://bit.ly/hR6GNW  
  4. 10 ways nonprofits should use Twitter http://bit.ly/kTbj3r
  5. What Are Twitter Chats and Why Should You Care? http://bit.ly/llit8a
  6. Have you seen Fizz? http://fizz.bloom.io/  It visualizes tweets in a way.
  7. For Geeks—How to Capture Tweets in Real-time with Twitter's Streaming API http://oreil.ly/hLhBEt
  8. Twitter Announces Fire Hose Marketplace: Up to 10k Keyword Filters for 30 Cents! by @marshallk http://t.co/0AJYRzA
  9. London 2012 Olympics: it will be a Twitter Olympics – Telegraph Blogs http://t.co/Dxm2tSY 
  10. TechCrunch report on Twitter vs. UberMedia battle brewing http://tcrn.ch/hA5tji  http://yfrog.com/gyjdshdj
  11. Now I'm beginning to understand. I found my answers from Mr. Google http://www.thechasescene.com/the-usguys/