Minimize Regrets And Not Failures
While I ponder on 2012 and plan for 2013, I always keep the regret minimization framework (watch the short video clip above) in back of my mind. Of course luck plays a huge part in people’s success, but we owe it a lot to Jeff Bezos. We probably wouldn’t have seen Amazon.com and we most [...]
Cloud research: Cost matters most and confusion remains
Although cloud computing holds the promise of innovation and business transformation, buyers remain focused on cost and are confused over license models.
BATNA, And Oracle’s $811m Purchase of Eloqua
It may seem strange to see Oracle acquire Eloqua for $811m just a few months after their IPO. But it’s not strange at all. I am 95% sure talks at some level were going on for quite some time, long before the IPO. And 80% sure, a soft offer of less than $500m or [...]
Big Data as Core, Big Data as Context, and Big Data as Buzzword Bingo
It’s neither particularly newsworthy nor insightful to suggest that ‘Big Data’ gets everywhere these days, but two recent items reminded me of the gulf between credible execution of a big data play and the more questionable tacking of the big data meme onto an otherwise useful product. Christmas is coming. Which means skating, and pantomimes [...]
CloudSherpas–$40M in Funding and Another Aquisition
I’ve been following Google Apps and Salesforce reseller since it launched a few years ago – in that time I’ve seen them acquire companies globally and grow into a real force in the space. I’m always a little dubious about how much long term viability there is in a company that makes its money earning [...]
The DARPA Collaboration Experiment and What it Means for Your Organization
In 2009, DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), which is a research arm of the U.S. Department of Defense, put forth an interesting challenge. They were going to place 10 red, anchored, 8 foot tall weather balloons across the United States and have teams compete to see who can identify the location of all ten [...]
Heading into 2013: Thoughts on Ways The Start-Up World is Just So Much Better Now
I came of age in the tech/venture start-up world in the late ’90s. As we go into 2013, I’ve reflected a bit on just how much better things are for founders and entrepreneurs now than they used to be, even just in 2005, when we started EchoSign, let alone the old days of Web 1.0. [...]
Cloud Computing and Distributed Computing, Something is Broken
First off, I’m going to start off with some definitions to clarify things for this conversation. Cloud Computing, in general, has been perverted to mean almost anything available for sale today in technology. It’s rhetorically stupid. But we all still use the term to some degree. Going back to cloud computing at the core, we’re [...]
Objectively Inconsistent
During his recent visit to the office of 37 Signals, Jeff Bezos said, “to be consistently objective, one has to be objectively inconsistent.” I find this perspective very refreshing that is applicable to all things and all disciplines in life beyond just product design. As a product designer you need to have a series of [...]
Drivers for Cloud Adoption–CIO Research
Interesting survey results just released that indicate cost isn’t the highest factor in cloud adoption (yay – at last people are talking more about non-cost impacts of cloud) – Respondents believe compliance requirements, value and competitive advantage are the key drivers for cloud adoption. The survey polled 330 global CIOs
How to Get From 1.0 Launch to Traction in SaaS
Building 1.0 products is tough. Creating something from nothing is hard, a relatively rare skillset. You need tenacity, creativity, amazing developers, a keen understanding of your market both today and 24-36 months out. … But in the end, it’s the easy part. Because if you have a talented enough team, you can building almost anything, [...]
The Valuable Unsung Heroes of Startups
I got a call Sunday from a business colleague while I was sitting in the lounge at LAX waiting for yet another delayed flight. This colleague is a lawyer with whom I work on a deal and have done so for a couple of years. By all accounts I now consider him a friend. He [...]
Siri, You Don’t Say
Google slated Siri. Apple’s Siri and I have never gotten along. I don’t need a personal assistant with a sense of humor. I need a computer assistant that gives me answers. Siri gives enough backlash that it just isn’t fun to use…or usually does it answer my questions. It’s easy to poke at a new [...]
Alfresco–Cloud Content Management with a Hybrid Theme
The cloud content management world is fairly divided between those who believe a public cloud delivery model is the best option for customers (example, Box.com) and those who believe enterprises will only adopt a cloud approach when it is firmly protected within the confines of an enterprise’s own private cloud. The reality is, of course, [...]
Wave Updates UI, Rolls out Broad SMB Financial Portfolio
I’ve been following Wave since its founding back in November 2010. The company has an interesting approach to the traditionally conservative accounting software space – it’s product is provided to the user at no cost who, in return, receive personalized “Business Savings”, or special deals offered by businesses that pay Wave Accounting revenue each time [...]
