Comments on: How social software could dethrone the big guys http://gobigalways.com/stock/ Fri, 22 Aug 2008 02:47:13 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: Evolution or revolution for Enterprise 2.0 vendors? « Nickpoint http://gobigalways.com/stock/#comment-1326 Evolution or revolution for Enterprise 2.0 vendors? « Nickpoint Tue, 27 May 2008 09:44:28 +0000 http://gobigalways.com/?p=209#comment-1326 [...] is the Enterprise market in the mists of revolution where the giants will be overthrown by a new software model as suggest by Sam Lawrence? Of course the answer is complex and difficult to [...] […] is the Enterprise market in the mists of revolution where the giants will be overthrown by a new software model as suggest by Sam Lawrence? Of course the answer is complex and difficult to […]

]]> By: Are you listening to the marketing guys shock messages? « Nickpoint http://gobigalways.com/stock/#comment-1014 Are you listening to the marketing guys shock messages? « Nickpoint Thu, 08 May 2008 10:32:04 +0000 http://gobigalways.com/?p=209#comment-1014 [...] little too far, however marketers have no time for non-existent future facts. This short low budget blog post certainly seems to have got tongues wagging with both IBM and Microsoft employees debating on Sam [...] […] little too far, however marketers have no time for non-existent future facts. This short low budget blog post certainly seems to have got tongues wagging with both IBM and Microsoft employees debating on Sam […]

]]> By: Virginia Backaitis http://gobigalways.com/stock/#comment-993 Virginia Backaitis Tue, 06 May 2008 15:18:34 +0000 http://gobigalways.com/?p=209#comment-993 Sam, Great post. If you think about it, a dozen years ago, Xerox used to own a big chunk of the Document Management world. They even had a Documentum-like product that helped pharmaceutical companies get new drug applications to and through the FDA faster, but somehow they missed the boat. This happened partly because they thought that "document" means paper; partly because Adobe technologies interfered in regulated spaces; partly because they didn't "get" relational databases, how to manage unstructured content....I could go on and on... It's interesting, though, that a company like EMC, which has publicly stated that it prefers JIVE over its own eRoom, doesn't just buy JIVE or a company like JIVE unless social software just isn't part of their business plan. Can a storage company like EMC do without it? Virginia Backaitis Read my ECM blog: www.BrilliantLeap.com/blog Sam,

Great post. If you think about it, a dozen years ago, Xerox used to own a big chunk of the Document Management world. They even had a Documentum-like product that helped pharmaceutical companies get new drug applications to and through the FDA faster, but somehow they missed the boat.

This happened partly because they thought that “document” means paper; partly because Adobe technologies interfered in regulated spaces; partly because they didn’t “get” relational databases, how to manage unstructured content….I could go on and on…

It’s interesting, though, that a company like EMC, which has publicly stated that it prefers JIVE over its own eRoom, doesn’t just buy JIVE or a company like JIVE unless social software just isn’t part of their business plan. Can a storage company like EMC do without it?

Virginia Backaitis
Read my ECM blog: http://www.BrilliantLeap.com/blog

]]> By: vli http://gobigalways.com/stock/#comment-965 vli Mon, 05 May 2008 13:19:26 +0000 http://gobigalways.com/?p=209#comment-965 I agree with you apart from the Canon activities : you forgot to mention that Cannon was already a very big player in the camera market. Canon 'simply' adapted its cameras so that they could use memory cards instead of (Kodak) films. good analogy though; cheers I agree with you apart from the Canon activities : you forgot to mention that Cannon was already a very big player in the camera market. Canon ’simply’ adapted its cameras so that they could use memory cards instead of (Kodak) films.
good analogy though;
cheers

]]> By: Social Enterprise Software discussion buzzing last week | BKM Blog http://gobigalways.com/stock/#comment-948 Social Enterprise Software discussion buzzing last week | BKM Blog Sat, 03 May 2008 22:01:38 +0000 http://gobigalways.com/?p=209#comment-948 [...] Lawrence makes a case here on how social software vendors, including his own Jive Software, and SocialText, Atlassian among [...] […] Lawrence makes a case here on how social software vendors, including his own Jive Software, and SocialText, Atlassian among […]

]]> By: Race to the enterprise collaboration throne… | Oliver Marks http://gobigalways.com/stock/#comment-914 Race to the enterprise collaboration throne… | Oliver Marks Thu, 01 May 2008 19:55:21 +0000 http://gobigalways.com/?p=209#comment-914 [...] fascinating post as usual by Sam Lawrence How social software could dethrone the big guys: The next enterprise software [...] […] fascinating post as usual by Sam Lawrence How social software could dethrone the big guys: The next enterprise software […]

]]> By: Ric http://gobigalways.com/stock/#comment-913 Ric Thu, 01 May 2008 15:18:18 +0000 http://gobigalways.com/?p=209#comment-913 The other thing I think of is that while the big boys look after the day-to-day (and even do a good job of it) processes, this is a hygiene factor nowadays - it's the price of entry to the game. The winners will be those who harness the single largest untapped resource out there - their people. And THAT'S where social software comes in ... not to replace but to augment. The other thing I think of is that while the big boys look after the day-to-day (and even do a good job of it) processes, this is a hygiene factor nowadays - it’s the price of entry to the game. The winners will be those who harness the single largest untapped resource out there - their people. And THAT’S where social software comes in … not to replace but to augment.

]]> By: Sensible Marketing Guy in Los Angeles http://gobigalways.com/stock/#comment-909 Sensible Marketing Guy in Los Angeles Thu, 01 May 2008 05:44:04 +0000 http://gobigalways.com/?p=209#comment-909 Large software vendors are slow to innovate and invest in "niche products" when they can just acquire a small, more nimble company later down the road who has aleady done the work and proven it out. Case in point, in 2003 I worked for a small Georgia Tech startup that developed software for mobile & wireless application sync and push email. The company struggled. The product was ahead of the technology infrastructure to support it, as there were no "3G" networks. We took on a lot of venture capital, went through lay-offs but continued to soldier along. Over time the company gained traction with early adopter clients in Europe (where wireless infrastructure was more advanced). Finally the floodgates opened when Verizon Wireless upgraded most of their network and started white labeling our product. A few months later that company, Intellisync, was acquired by Nokia for $450 Million. My point? Companies like Intellisync and Jive Software (and the forward thinking people behind them) are what drive innovation, not the SAP's and Oracle's of the world. Dethrone the big guys? I doubt it given the nature of enterprise software. However, you can't help but wonder when you see how upstart FaceBook is dethroning (a very well-funded) MySpace. Sam may just have a valid argument. Large software vendors are slow to innovate and invest in “niche products” when they can just acquire a small, more nimble company later down the road who has aleady done the work and proven it out.

Case in point, in 2003 I worked for a small Georgia Tech startup that developed software for mobile & wireless application sync and push email. The company struggled. The product was ahead of the technology infrastructure to support it, as there were no “3G” networks. We took on a lot of venture capital, went through lay-offs but continued to soldier along. Over time the company gained traction with early adopter clients in Europe (where wireless infrastructure was more advanced). Finally the floodgates opened when Verizon Wireless upgraded most of their network and started white labeling our product. A few months later that company, Intellisync, was acquired by Nokia for $450 Million.

My point? Companies like Intellisync and Jive Software (and the forward thinking people behind them) are what drive innovation, not the SAP’s and Oracle’s of the world. Dethrone the big guys? I doubt it given the nature of enterprise software. However, you can’t help but wonder when you see how upstart FaceBook is dethroning (a very well-funded) MySpace. Sam may just have a valid argument.

]]> By: Irregular Enterprise mobile edition http://gobigalways.com/stock/#comment-908 Irregular Enterprise mobile edition Thu, 01 May 2008 04:43:54 +0000 http://gobigalways.com/?p=209#comment-908 [...] fundamentally disagreeing with Sam Lawrence. He’s a smart guy with a great marketing head. But on this post he’s over-reaching in my opinion. His basic argument says this: The big IT vendors aren’t taking social software [...] […] fundamentally disagreeing with Sam Lawrence. He’s a smart guy with a great marketing head. But on this post he’s over-reaching in my opinion. His basic argument says this: The big IT vendors aren’t taking social software […]

]]> By: sam http://gobigalways.com/stock/#comment-892 sam Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:57:01 +0000 http://gobigalways.com/?p=209#comment-892 @Zoli I'm sure there's a bajillion flaws in my analogy. It's really just represents what happens when you miss the boat. Note I didn't say anything about replacing SAP or Oracle. And I get that quantitative data and artifacts still need a home and a way to be managed. But as much as any of that needs to be socialized and part of the flow of business, social software will have an impact. Boring processes will be reshaped in social software. Quantitative resource planning will need to be actively discussed vs sit in a drawer. Repeatable processes can get better but there's no place to evaluate them. Regardless, I'm saying that social software will have a massive impact on the big guys. Most will be too slow to get it. They'll all still be around but the dynamics will change. @Zoli I’m sure there’s a bajillion flaws in my analogy. It’s really just represents what happens when you miss the boat.

Note I didn’t say anything about replacing SAP or Oracle. And I get that quantitative data and artifacts still need a home and a way to be managed. But as much as any of that needs to be socialized and part of the flow of business, social software will have an impact. Boring processes will be reshaped in social software. Quantitative resource planning will need to be actively discussed vs sit in a drawer. Repeatable processes can get better but there’s no place to evaluate them.

Regardless, I’m saying that social software will have a massive impact on the big guys. Most will be too slow to get it. They’ll all still be around but the dynamics will change.

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