I have spent my life watching technology develop. I grew up with a computer. My career came online at the same time the web did. I have spent it working in IT, health care, advertising, web development, and media. This blog is a place to express my perspective on technology and its role in business today.
I believe in Information Technology, not the IT Department.
To me, that means finding the tools and services that get the job done, instead of creating a job that needs doing. By shifting the focus to the tools that are available, and away from the hardware that runs them, companies can greatly reduce IT costs. This fundamental change in how you approach technology means letting someone else worry about the infrastructure, while you worry about what really matters.
The point is, you don’t need a team of IT people to make it work. I’ve built my own business and helped others get started with minimal investment. It’s time to stop worrying about the sites and servers, and get back to making a business the best it can be.
I believe that free is a very good price.
Open source software is paving the way for businesses to free themselves from the shackles of never ending licensing fees. Freely available software packages like Firefox, Ubuntu and OpenOffice are just as good (and sometimes better) than their pay competitors.
A lot of companies only scratch the surface of the advanced features the major commercial products offer. So why are they paying for them? If all you need to do is edit documents, create spreadsheets, browse the web and answer email there’s no reason for you to pay for the software to do it.
In addition to applications that are installed on computers, there are several web-based applications that can transform the way that a team manages and shares information. Some of the best tools on the web are open source projects that can be set up in a day or two and require very little maintenance.
I believe in enhancing business infrastructure through web-based applications.
Web-based applications and collaboration tools have become important for organizations that are trying to maintain their competitive advantage. Data and applications need to be shared and linked in order to realize financial and operational agility. Different systems that can’t share their data effectively create information bottlenecks.
In the past, systems were built for a single purpose, and for a single set of users. Companies today need to integrate tools and processes into larger systems with multiple applications. Businesses need to manage data and processes by integrating open source applications that offer greater flexibility in their use and customization.
They can do that with a variety of applications, services and APIs to create functional tools that address specific client needs. It’s possible to create applications that take advantage of existing resources to create better processes, and are flexible enough to work with Salesforce, Google, Coghead, Etelos, Facebook, or any other platform.
I believe experts in data centers should manage the hardware.
Business applications are moving online. Before too long, we’ll all be able to do most of our work in a browser. That means a whole new office, as our ability to do business anytime and anywhere becomes a reality.
Changes in not just how we work, but where we work will help drive down the cost of doing business. Enhanced communications and online infrastructure provides access to the information you need, when you need it. Without a complicated and expensive servers to maintain, and data protected and available online, businesses are able to focus on innovation in their own field.
I believe it's already happening.
