I devoted a couple of chapters to the powerful trend of “consumerization of enterprise tech” in my last book. Of course, these days you cannot go to any enterprise tech event without the mandatory iPad or Android device or Facebook or other social or gamification interface prominent on the stage.
What is fascinating in my next book research is how much I am learning in reverse - how sophisticated the enterprise processes are behind well-run consumer technology companies.
I have heard the expression “XXXX out-Delled Dell” several times. It’s about taking Dell’s efficiency much talked about a decade ago to new heights.
Retail operations that are the envy of many retailers who have existed for decades prior. The imaginative industrial design that is showing up in the rich range of product form/factors we are being exposed to. The convergence of physical and digital supply chains as orders are coordinated with telco order management processes. Logistics innovations such as “postal injections” that are respected by even hard core supply chain professionals. Granular visibility into warranty and contract manufacturing processes. Data centers that support trillions of sub-second web interaction. The change management behind frequent site updates which are mostly invisible to hundreds of million of users. The hear-tearing demand forecasting processes when new product categories are being launched every few months – with little to no history to rely on . The ecosystem management sophistication when you are talking hundreds of thousands of applications and billions of downloads.
So, I hope we see a change. I would love to see enterprise vendors not just wave iPads at their events.
I would like them to also talk about how they helped in coordination of the iPad or PlayBook global supply chain and helped amazon or HP with their constantly evolving logistics and helped in the demand forecasting for the Kinect or Galaxy launch and how their data centers or those of their outsourcing partners are going to be as efficient as those of Google or Facebook.
Yes, peel the onion back into all that “boring” stuff that makes consumer tech so compelling.
