CloudSigma and the Perils of Choice
CloudSigma is taking an interesting approach to IaaS but one which I suspect will have limited real world appeal going forwards.
If You Sell Your Company, You’ll Either Feel Like A Used Car Salesman — Or Like Hugo
I was recently having drinks with a friend who had recently received an attractive M&A offer. Attractive enough that one of his investors tried to talk him into it, telling him it would be a way to achieve his vision on a bigger platform. Could be. The thing is, if you sell, then whoever buys [...]
Questions To Ponder: Services World And Integrated Stacks
I have decided to start a new series called “Questions To Ponder” which I will push out on some Fridays. The idea is to take a controversial topic and ask a few relevant questions so that CloudAve readers can ponder about it on their weekend. The first in this series is about the role of [...]
What Makes a Successful Startup Community? Is it Possible to Build One Where You Live?
Recently I wrote a post arguing to make the definition of a Startup more inclusive than that to which Silicon Valley, fueled by Venture Capital return profiles, would sometimes like to attach to the word. Today I’d like to talk about what startup communities outside of Silicon Valley look like, how they emerge and what [...]
The Magic at DreamForce 2012
Dreamforce is an impressive conference, though I have never actually attended one. At least not in person, I always make it a point to watch the posted videos as the show has some truly impressive content. This year there was decidedly less video posted, I think the CMOs that get featured are increasingly restricting their [...]
On the Cloud, and Me on Forbes
While at DreamForce I took the opportunity to sit down with the awesome Sarah Austin to film an interview talking about why I’m so excited about the convergence I’m seeing between a number of different trends – social networking, mobility, ubiquitous connectivity, generational shifts, the internet of things and the
Why if You are a VC You Should be Insanely Rich
Ok – First, I know some folks are going to challenge this math, but I think it’s basically correct. Second, being a VC is hard. Not always 100 hours-a-week hard work, but hard to do well. But — investing in someone else’s hard work is obviously far easier than founding and inventing something yourself. With [...]
The content continuum and why I’m worried about the direction of the online world
At the risk of sounding (even more) like a crotchety old man, I feel like the online world is moving in exactly the wrong direction.I would argue that there is a direct correlation between the amount of effort a creator expends and the quality and valu…
Tucon 2012: Initial Thoughts
I am on my way back from Tucon 2012, Tibco’s annual user conference at Las Vegas. During the event I had a chance to talk with Tibco execs, partners, customers and fellow analysts. I thought I will do a quick post talking about my initial thoughts on what I heard there. Tibco’s rise to fame [...]
RackWare Aims to Power Cloud Mobility
An interesting recent trend I’ve been seeing is that of new vendors differentiating their cloud service through giving customers ultimate flexibility around what they use on their cloud – rather than shoehorning them into a couple of OS options, or a few pre-defined server sizes and specs, these vendors provide
The Cockroach Theory: Why Little Things Matter (even for Apple)
When I was a young investor, I spent a lot of time listening to the wisdom of the old hands around me, like Don Allen and Curt Kittelson. One of the things they taught me was the Cockroach Theory: Stated simply, the Cockroach Theory is “there’s never just one.” Investors apply the theory to stocks, [...]
Setting Up Github for Windows for Powershell CLI Users
Recently I installed the Github for Windows App. It’s a great app, however, I’d rather not use it for the day to day interactions I have with Git. I have a lot of branching, forking and merging to do that just doesn’t happen to well with the app. It’s a great app, but overall I’m [...]
Has Apple Peaked?
You probably think I am out of my mind – well … hm… no comment. But yes I agree it’s close to madness to discuss Apple’s decline right on the heels of a record-breaking iPhone 5 launch and a stock price that despite some correction is still a rocketship. But bear with me for a [...]
The next big thing: WeeData
‘Big Data’ has a problem, and that problem is its name. Dig deep into the big data ecosystem, or spend any time at all talking with its practitioners, and you should quickly start hitting the Vs. Initially Volume, Velocity and Variety, the Vs rapidly bred like rabbits. Now we have a plethora of new V-words, [...]
Professional Social Networking with B2B Social Media
I believe many B2B professionals struggle in their adoption of social media for professional use, because they see it as a marketing platform as opposed to a professional networking tool. However, I think if they really understood the purpose and value of B2B social networking, then they would make the time for it and they would use it well. The is the second post in a series designed to help B2B marketers create better B2B social strategies by thinking in terms of B2B social networking over B2B social media.
