IT architecture of the future.

IT Architecture is grasping to keep up.

Today, most major enterprises struggle with on of the following IT architectures:

A custom developped core system in a program language no developper below the age of 50 speaks, with a mish-mash of different applications build on that core (from access db scripts written by somebody 10 years ago to interfaces to create interactive websites by an ad agency).
An industry standard ERP system (think SAP) build for massive transactions 10 years ago and tweaked by countless waves of consultants and internal IT gurus based on continuously changing demands from the business.

This leads to a situation where IT gets frustrated by a chaotic and hard to maintain architecture and ’the business’ does not understand why IT never seems to be able to deliver something without taking 2 years. Add the rise of social media and the need for people to collaborate more in their day to day job, pushing business people towards SaaS solution not supported by IT and it is not hard to see that things can get quite heated. IT departments fight with security guidelines to prevent employees to use social collaboration tools. How hard it may be for some, I am convinced we are (sorry for that: we have) evolved to a situation where the user is more in control (CMS allow non-IT profiles already for years to tweak ’technical’ things). Not to mention the overall ‘IT knowledge’ of younger people.

My conviction is that IT architects should refocus on the core of the organisation: The processes that are stable for years, require a great deal of protection and consists of data that can deliver value to all business units (and external stakeholders like customers). Make this data completely error proof and uptodate should be their main concern. The next step would be to create an open layer (this means not without security!) where the business can attach other solutions to. Being in the world we are at, having stable requirements for business applications is impossible, so IT should not ask the business for it.

This open but stable core functionality gives companies the possibilities to quickly deploy SaaS solutions for a need that is imminent now (without having huge setup costs) without compromising the need for core data stability.

Ps: The link with marketeers is obvious: They also find out the hard way that their customers cannot be managed anymore on a coporate transactional way. This realisation only makes it more synical for IT departments who had been warned: Times they are a changing indeed!

Private social networks.

In Belgium, the penetration rate of Twitter is very low compared to Facebook (eg. http://www.socialbakers.com/facebook-statistics/belgium). There can be many explanations as the why to, but I argue here that we Belgians are as a group rather introvert (or at least: less extravert than for example the Dutch), which makes that we are social, but more in our circle. Of course, with social networks, this circle can be relatively big, but the idea stays the same.

The question is, how do you get a grip on your customers when they use social media more every day, but in a private circle? Simple: you don’t. The only option is in bringing them the added value, the experiences, the authenticity, the values and the fun they also expect from their real live friends.

Happy ‘nice to meet you’!

Planning for the future

Planning is important. Some companies however take this to the max and suffer of analysis paralysis.

No argument on the importance of planning when it is about thinking about how things can change in the future. If you fail to do this, you will always be a follower and sooner or later, a vivid and flexible new player will create a product/market combination that appeals more to your market than yours does (or can provide your product more cheap/quick/…).

However, preparing for the future by investing today may be a waste of time.

Just think about a non-business example:

How much mp3 cd-rom’s or with bad movie rips did you collect 10 years ago? Just to be prepared for the moment you want to listen to that one awesome song or have another look at that great movie. And now, 10 years later, you remember that one song, just to realize it will take you 3 hours to find your old cd-rom collection, 3 days to insert all those cd’s in your computer to find that specific song only to realize cd’s are not that time-proof as they promised…

It had took you 3 seconds to find that song on Youtube.

You may be able to predict your needs in the future, but with technology, people, industries,… evolving so fast, by the time you have to meet that specific need, there might be hundred new ways of answering your need.

Just to get your mind rolling…

Late 2011 gift: My free eBook on Internal Communication & Knowledge Management

Curious? Read all about it at the knowledge management section.

Whatever we are used to.

Freedom of choice is overrated. I experienced myself today when taking a cooking pot…

Since my girlfriend and I moved in together, we have a lot of stuff more than double, including al kitchen and cooking stuff. Even with all ‘her’ pots right on top, I just took ‘mine’ that was as big and as good (and even less shiny) as ‘hers’. Without thinking about it. Without judging.

So, what did we learn?

Marketeers should not overrate the cognitive process in a low-involvement market. People just buy something and make up a reason after because they are socially obliged to do so.
Change is not easy. Do not only work on the obvious ‘objections’, but also have a look at the spontaneous ‘old’ behavior that the people do without thing about it as rebellious…

Have a challenging 2011!

Digital marketing: stop trying.

The times when you should ‘do some tests’ with digital marketing are over. I would not be surprised if a lot of old-school marketing managers do think: ‘yeah-yeah, let those young people believe that it will work, we know better’.
But now, also McKinsey is saying so: in an easy readable article, they guide you through four ways to get more value from digital marketing.

“To talk directly to the ones in charge: Companies that make the deep strategic, organizational, and operational shifts required to become effective digital marketers can become more agile, more productive, and accelerate revenue growth.”

Auch!

Click here to read the full article (login required).

A new year, A new agenda/planner/diary, A new design!

After using all kinds of offline and online tools to keep my life (both professional and personal) a little bit less chaotic, I decided it was time to make up my own agenda layout.

Apart from the urge to create something random, the non-fit between the existing agenda-solutions and my specific needs pushed me into it 😉

I found out that I love to have something you can touch. And after my iPod touch falling down to hard and loosing all the information, that ’touch’ part needed to be paper. I love Moleskine agendas, but the thing is: they are too simple.
On the other hand, you have very specific tools like the superb printable CEO series, but they are not really day to day planning tools for everybody.

So I designed a tool that focuses on personal and professional stuff, that lets you be creative and is sociable (build around people). First version for this year, so feel free to check it out, share your idea’s or order it right now!

All info: www.joined.be/blog/agenda

Choice

People like choice.

Or at least, they like the illusion of choice. They like choice not because it makes them happy. As a matter of fact, choice does not only make people unhappy, it is also highly ineffective. Choices involves choosing. And choosing takes time. Time to learn to know the contents of the different options, time to compare the characteristics and make a decision. Forget about time-efficiency.

Choice also makes people unhappy because of the ‘choosing is loosing’ paradigm. Most people are just not good at leaving things behind, let opportunities slip by or just leave a product in the shop.

Then why do we live in world that acts as if choice is a necessity?

Could it be that people just need to rationalize their choice? They can argument why they choose to buy product X in a rational way: By pointing out it is better that product Y (or cheaper, or faster, or more shining or …). By doing this they avoid to have to explain their most recent buy in light of their own needs and behavior. Maybe you just don’t need that product or service…

So maybe it is not that odd that companies create choice in their own product portfolio.

But what if you take that choice away, would customers really miss it?

What do you think?

Targetted communication.

Just a reminder: Targeted communication should be about giving a message that is relevant to every person you communicate with. This does NOT mean that you have to adapt your message to whatever the receiver wants. Only do this when you are still telling the truth.

Do not tell a story about your great after-sales service, flexibility or friendly salespeople to the guy you segmented in the ‘premium buyer’ category if you are in fact a discount seller.

Do what you do best and find the people that want what you do best instead of trying to convince everybody with whatever version of ’the truth’ they want. You end up with schizophrenic customers… Not to mention about the extra work you create for yourself without having actually business results.