TECHNOLOGY FOR CHANGE

Five Smarter Technologies to Watch: Consumer-to-Business Edition

Eric Lundquist | Date: 04-13-10 | Comments

These five current smarter consumer technologies will change business technologies.

Amazon was not only justifiably famous for figuring out a new way to sell books (and later, ebooks). It also made a profound change in how companies view and manage their inventory. If Amazon could e-mail you the status of your book shipment, why couldn't all those millions you invested in inventory control systems in the business-to-business (B2B) world let you know the status of your orders and inventory? Amazon (the consumer product) had a big effect on the B2B world. Below are five current smarter consumer technologies that will change business technologies.

1. The App Store. Apple�s iPhone arm was early to recognize that applications could be developed and sold like soda from a vending machine. Business application development has always been a black art where money pours in one side and an occasional application pops out the other end. No more. Witness the Google Business App store or the Salesforce.com app store. Business applications will be vended, quickly evaluated and deployed if they work�or tossed away if they fail.

2. Smart (Business) Phones. Smartphones are not just for kids to watch YouTube videos and chat incessantly. Smartphones will soon appear that have 1GHz processors, high-resolution displays and 4G connectivity. When your phone packs more power and better connectivity than your desktop at work, you know the business world is in for a change.

3. Safe Clouds. Cloud computing does not have to be just for Facebook or whichever social network vehicle is the darling of the moment. But issues around cloud computing and security have IT managers nervous about jumping into the cloud. However, the same consumer security issues that Google is addressing and payment issues that the credit card companies are addressing on the consumer side will pave the way for safe corporate cloud deployment. Companies such as Akamai are developing security systems that put security, encryption and token-based identification in a distributed environment rather than in one big database that serves as a target for cyber bad guys.

4. Mobile Enterprise. Mobility and location-based applications are not just for new social network apps to find out which bar your friends are frequenting. The ability to mobilize your workforce will allow them to service customers, close sales and find new prospects. The next big jump in business productivity will happen as companies abandon their employees-in-a-cubicle concept and get mobile.

5. 4G for All. The deployment of high-speed, wireless, 4G networks may first find a home with consumers, but the bigger impact will be in business. Streaming HD video will allow true video conferencing and big file transfer, and make business mobility a reality.