As of late my phone has been ringing displaying telephone numbers from many different area codes, some easily identifiable some others not. My email in-box has also supported a barrage of messages from many different and undoubtedly new vendors, offering their products arguing that those are the best in their class.
Some of those companies which we have had some kind of relationship in the past are coming back with new products, strategies and offerings, sot that we come back to support, offer, comment on, and recommend again.
As in your field, the IT landscape changes constantly, but the constant here is that it changes quickly, sometimes in unforeseen directions that catch us unprepared and makes us realize that the best predictions are those that belong in the short-term realm. Trying to plan for long-term trends in IT is just a dream.
Needless to say, as trusted business advisers, we have to be ever-observant of such changes in wind direction and adjust the sails appropriately. Products, services and technologies that were relevant just half a year ago, are now surpassed or replaced by new incumbents; and sometimes by some that have been there for years, only under the radar. Some have been so good that we only understand the concepts years after those have been crafted and brought to life.
From devices to telecommunication to Internet developments, there are always new and exciting tools our businesses should be taking advantages of.
So, although I have to be patient and polite to the junior salesperson trying to convince me about their products (she’s convinced theirs are the best in the world) simply because I approached their booth, visited their website or tried one of their services; I also have had very good conversations and experiences with senior representatives about how their offerings compare to the competition and such. One thing is certain; the number of new companies, new products and new services is only increasing.
Better to accept that fact and start clearing up the arena to have such competitors face off.
More vendors, more services, more new products. Vote now, and hang on.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Proximity versus Productivity.
It perplexes me that Human Resources decision makers and departmental heads still base their hiring practices only on a few traits, such as years of experience, previous jobs, certifications, and studies in general.
Although not always the case, most SMEs are comprised of local talent that usually commute to work on a daily basis. People in the major cities of North America and Europe are so used to commuting for at least fifteen minutes each way, that they even think it is ‘normal’ to do so. In fact, some even consider themselves lucky not having to spend more than half an hour doing it, as that figure is below the average for most major cities.
With telecommuting and the current remote technologies we utilize now, commuting time averages have decreased for people whose job involves being in front of a computer most of the day. However, there are still many other functions that require physical presence at the work place.
Even if a person travels for only fifteen minutes each way for a year, minus holidays and vacation; such person still wastes 120 hours a year doing nothing.
Better rephrased: such person still spends 120 hours a year wasting resources, polluting, making everybody else spend even more time on the roads and, in brief, being counter-productive.
A 45 minute commute extinguishes 360 hours a year. That’s fifteen full days a year; if we include sleep time in the equation, that’s a whooping twenty two and a half days per year.
Then the well-rested not-stressed productivity factor needs to be taken into account:
Let’s suppose we have two people working in the same department doing very similar work. X is a worker whose qualifications, a combination of experience, education, smarts and all involved and required for the position, gives her a mark of 92. She works with another worker (Y) whose mark is 88.
X commute to work is 30 minutes. Y’s is 15.
Therefore, we can infer that Y is more relaxed than X. Y will also usually be more on time than X. When leaving, Y could very well take an extra 1 to 5 minutes before rushing out the door. For X, the sooner she leaves the better. X also spends more than double the amount of money needed to commute than Y does.
We could measure the productivity gains attained by a more rested worker in terms of emotional intelligence, mind freshness, focus on the tasks, etc. All these without even considering external and disruptive factors in the daily commute such as accidents, power failures, peak-hour fluctuations and such. We can conclude that Y will always be ‘closer’ to the job in every sense. So, let’s give X an 90 mark on proximity and timeliness, while Y receives a 95.
That would make X receive a total mark of 82.8, while Y makes 83.6.
Needless to say, Y will be way more productive than X. Even if the commuting factor is decreased by an extra point in opposite directions (91 for X, 94 for Y), that makes 83.72 vs. 82.72. This would make X be ahead in ideal scenarios (no disruptions in the daily commute), but in real terms both numbers would be even close, with the extra-work benefits from and for Y: less money spent on commuting, less time doing it; polluting way less than X, etc. In brief, lots of resources saved and a fresher element at work.
In terms of community, Y would feel she’s working in and for her community, being a happier person than X, whose day starts having to face the long commute to a place she doesn’t even feel she belongs to…
Get the picture?
So, why do we keep hiring based on non-community and non-proximity factors?
It is true that some key people need to travel more than others, also truth there are some that go to different places all the time, and perhaps have no other option but to do so once or twice per week, but daily?
Let’s reset the hiring machine. Local resources preferred.
Productivity + savings. What’s not to like?
Although not always the case, most SMEs are comprised of local talent that usually commute to work on a daily basis. People in the major cities of North America and Europe are so used to commuting for at least fifteen minutes each way, that they even think it is ‘normal’ to do so. In fact, some even consider themselves lucky not having to spend more than half an hour doing it, as that figure is below the average for most major cities.
With telecommuting and the current remote technologies we utilize now, commuting time averages have decreased for people whose job involves being in front of a computer most of the day. However, there are still many other functions that require physical presence at the work place.
Even if a person travels for only fifteen minutes each way for a year, minus holidays and vacation; such person still wastes 120 hours a year doing nothing.
Better rephrased: such person still spends 120 hours a year wasting resources, polluting, making everybody else spend even more time on the roads and, in brief, being counter-productive.
A 45 minute commute extinguishes 360 hours a year. That’s fifteen full days a year; if we include sleep time in the equation, that’s a whooping twenty two and a half days per year.
Then the well-rested not-stressed productivity factor needs to be taken into account:
Let’s suppose we have two people working in the same department doing very similar work. X is a worker whose qualifications, a combination of experience, education, smarts and all involved and required for the position, gives her a mark of 92. She works with another worker (Y) whose mark is 88.
X commute to work is 30 minutes. Y’s is 15.
Therefore, we can infer that Y is more relaxed than X. Y will also usually be more on time than X. When leaving, Y could very well take an extra 1 to 5 minutes before rushing out the door. For X, the sooner she leaves the better. X also spends more than double the amount of money needed to commute than Y does.
We could measure the productivity gains attained by a more rested worker in terms of emotional intelligence, mind freshness, focus on the tasks, etc. All these without even considering external and disruptive factors in the daily commute such as accidents, power failures, peak-hour fluctuations and such. We can conclude that Y will always be ‘closer’ to the job in every sense. So, let’s give X an 90 mark on proximity and timeliness, while Y receives a 95.
That would make X receive a total mark of 82.8, while Y makes 83.6.
Needless to say, Y will be way more productive than X. Even if the commuting factor is decreased by an extra point in opposite directions (91 for X, 94 for Y), that makes 83.72 vs. 82.72. This would make X be ahead in ideal scenarios (no disruptions in the daily commute), but in real terms both numbers would be even close, with the extra-work benefits from and for Y: less money spent on commuting, less time doing it; polluting way less than X, etc. In brief, lots of resources saved and a fresher element at work.
In terms of community, Y would feel she’s working in and for her community, being a happier person than X, whose day starts having to face the long commute to a place she doesn’t even feel she belongs to…
Get the picture?
So, why do we keep hiring based on non-community and non-proximity factors?
It is true that some key people need to travel more than others, also truth there are some that go to different places all the time, and perhaps have no other option but to do so once or twice per week, but daily?
Let’s reset the hiring machine. Local resources preferred.
Productivity + savings. What’s not to like?
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Even more Clouds on the Horizon
On September 10, 2010, I sent a link to Cloudy with a chance of more clouds* http://businerdss.blogspot.com/2010/09/cloudy-with-chance-of-more-clouds.html
This week’s Bloomberg Businessweek’s cover page (March 7 – March 13, 2011 | Businessweek.com) reads “Put your head in the cloud” http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/11_11/b4219052599182.htm
That previous years-old article (Internet years that is) is still valid: if I wanted to edit it to make it more current I would not change a single word.
If anything, I can only add that while lots of IT vendors are trying to scramble and reengineer their products to make them more “Cloud-friendly” the fact is that some don’t have a real strategy or even a good concept of what The Cloud is supposed to be.
Others however, have some great technology we could all benefit from.
Seems like the main deterrents for Cloud adoption are mainly the misunderstanding of subscription-based services instead of the feeling of technology “ownership”; and the perception that we will incur an expense instead of an investment when we port our systems to the The Cloud.
Both scenarios can be easily understood by simply applying due diligence, start reading about these trends. In any business and trendy magazine the concept is explained in plain language, and key indicators such as the “Projected market for cloud computing in 2014 is USD$149b, Gartner” bring attention to how big Cloud Computing is and will be.
Even consumers and SoHos are adopting the Cloud, some in a faster pace than companies. They start with the easy to understand services such as on-line data backup, and then when they see the advantages they start switching email, accounting packages, and CRM systems to the cloud too.
Is your company already planning to jump on this wagon? What are your thoughts about the so many changes in such a short period of time? With regards to cost vs. benefit? How easy it is to grasp the Cloud concept?
Better get your umbrella now.
* http://businerdss.blogspot.com/2010/09/cloudy-with-chance-of-more-clouds.html
This week’s Bloomberg Businessweek’s cover page (March 7 – March 13, 2011 | Businessweek.com) reads “Put your head in the cloud” http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/11_11/b4219052599182.htm
That previous years-old article (Internet years that is) is still valid: if I wanted to edit it to make it more current I would not change a single word.
If anything, I can only add that while lots of IT vendors are trying to scramble and reengineer their products to make them more “Cloud-friendly” the fact is that some don’t have a real strategy or even a good concept of what The Cloud is supposed to be.
Others however, have some great technology we could all benefit from.
Seems like the main deterrents for Cloud adoption are mainly the misunderstanding of subscription-based services instead of the feeling of technology “ownership”; and the perception that we will incur an expense instead of an investment when we port our systems to the The Cloud.
Both scenarios can be easily understood by simply applying due diligence, start reading about these trends. In any business and trendy magazine the concept is explained in plain language, and key indicators such as the “Projected market for cloud computing in 2014 is USD$149b, Gartner” bring attention to how big Cloud Computing is and will be.
Even consumers and SoHos are adopting the Cloud, some in a faster pace than companies. They start with the easy to understand services such as on-line data backup, and then when they see the advantages they start switching email, accounting packages, and CRM systems to the cloud too.
Is your company already planning to jump on this wagon? What are your thoughts about the so many changes in such a short period of time? With regards to cost vs. benefit? How easy it is to grasp the Cloud concept?
Better get your umbrella now.
* http://businerdss.blogspot.com/2010/09/cloudy-with-chance-of-more-clouds.html
Friday, December 31, 2010
My wish for the New Year is also my resolution.
You might not believe me, especially if you know me well or have been in touch with me recently, however:
In the New Year I do not wish you lots of success, neither health. I do not wish you happy moments or many of those. I do not wish you get more money than what you’ve received, neither good luck.
My wish is different this time.
I wish you share yourself; not with me only, but with everybody else: I’m sure if you are reading this message you already have and have had way more of any of those items listed in the last paragraph. So, please share. I’m not asking you to sell your car and donate the proceeds to a charitable organization, neither that you open your house to everybody in need of shelter or food.
My wish is that you lend a helping hand to those around you: a family member, a co-worker, a classmate, even a stranger. Not in the sense that you start sharing personal data or possessions with a complete unknown person, but rather that you help the old lady cross the busy street, or patiently wait for her to get to the curb. That you ask someone if everything is alright if their face shows a desire to share a situation or frustration. That you help carry the heavy bags a mother is struggling to get across the parking lot while also pushing a stroller. That you help your peer finish his or her job if you already did and have some spare time. That instead of plopping down on the couch at the end of your day you go ask your daughter/sister/son/brother if they needs help with the homework…
Simply put, that you lend a hand, a shoulder, a high-five, a nod, anything positive to those that could benefit from your sharing. All these actions should be accompanied by a smile, of course.
So, my wish for you this New Year is simply that: share yourself. I am making it my own wish, my hope, and my resolution.
My only second wish is that you are with me on this voyage.
Happy New Year!
In the New Year I do not wish you lots of success, neither health. I do not wish you happy moments or many of those. I do not wish you get more money than what you’ve received, neither good luck.
My wish is different this time.
I wish you share yourself; not with me only, but with everybody else: I’m sure if you are reading this message you already have and have had way more of any of those items listed in the last paragraph. So, please share. I’m not asking you to sell your car and donate the proceeds to a charitable organization, neither that you open your house to everybody in need of shelter or food.
My wish is that you lend a helping hand to those around you: a family member, a co-worker, a classmate, even a stranger. Not in the sense that you start sharing personal data or possessions with a complete unknown person, but rather that you help the old lady cross the busy street, or patiently wait for her to get to the curb. That you ask someone if everything is alright if their face shows a desire to share a situation or frustration. That you help carry the heavy bags a mother is struggling to get across the parking lot while also pushing a stroller. That you help your peer finish his or her job if you already did and have some spare time. That instead of plopping down on the couch at the end of your day you go ask your daughter/sister/son/brother if they needs help with the homework…
Simply put, that you lend a hand, a shoulder, a high-five, a nod, anything positive to those that could benefit from your sharing. All these actions should be accompanied by a smile, of course.
So, my wish for you this New Year is simply that: share yourself. I am making it my own wish, my hope, and my resolution.
My only second wish is that you are with me on this voyage.
Happy New Year!
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Facebook, text message, phone call, email, YouTube… what’s your pleasure?
A day after Christmas I met with some friends I hadn’t seen for years. After catching up on everything that has happened to us (and by us) in such a long time, one of them asked me what field of study I had chosen at university.
It has been a while since the last time I heard that question. The fields I work on now have apparently no connection to those origins, and the lateral and postgraduate studies seem to somehow leave those titles in the background.
Then it sparked again: the many years I and my fellow classmates, coworkers, competitors, etcetera have been producing the many ways we communicate nowadays.
See, putting aside the many courses on business, societal studies, personal growth and anything else nonrelated to technology; I am a telecommunications and an electronics engineer, have taken many courses on computing and similar technologies, and have worked for at least a quarter of a century on telecommunication and computer networks.
Throughout that time I’ve met so many technicians, programmers, consultants, designers, engineers, and so many other IT related people that listing their names would require a whole book. And that’s only me: I can’t imagine the millions of people around the world that have made and continue to make possible the most amazing type of technology ever created. It is a kind of magic.
From Edison, to Franklin to Marconi, through Berners-Lee to Gates to Jobs, through Brin and Page, Yang and Filo, and Zuckerberg… the list is long and keeps growing…
All these amazing new ways to communicate: book flights, close sales, win contracts, find information and friends, enjoy scenes of what’s going on a different part of the world, watch commercials from other countries, etcetera, and etcetera. None of it would be possible without the creativity, dedication, hard work, smarts and long hours put by the myriad of people around these “networks”.
Did you just receive a picture of your newborn granddaughter on EM? Called your family 8,000 Km away via Skype? Quickly finished your homework through research via Google and Wikipedia? Finally found and purchased that gadget on eBay or that rare book on Amazon? Recently found an old friend on FB?
All good, isn’t it?
It isn’t good. It is AMAZING!
So, the next time you see those telecommunications-company vans going on the highway, the pulling-cable technicians you dismiss as nonexistent, the nerdy looking programmers you think know nothing except computers, the engineers that have trouble explaining the IT terms in simple language, or the consultants that seem to charge more than what their advice is worth; please take a look at your laptop, Blackberry, iPad or any gadget you choose and use for communicating; and acknowledge each and every one of those wonderful people.
You don’t need to kneel and kiss their feet. A simple “hi” or “thank you” will do.
Engineering… what a ride. What a magic an amazing ride.
It has been a while since the last time I heard that question. The fields I work on now have apparently no connection to those origins, and the lateral and postgraduate studies seem to somehow leave those titles in the background.
Then it sparked again: the many years I and my fellow classmates, coworkers, competitors, etcetera have been producing the many ways we communicate nowadays.
See, putting aside the many courses on business, societal studies, personal growth and anything else nonrelated to technology; I am a telecommunications and an electronics engineer, have taken many courses on computing and similar technologies, and have worked for at least a quarter of a century on telecommunication and computer networks.
Throughout that time I’ve met so many technicians, programmers, consultants, designers, engineers, and so many other IT related people that listing their names would require a whole book. And that’s only me: I can’t imagine the millions of people around the world that have made and continue to make possible the most amazing type of technology ever created. It is a kind of magic.
From Edison, to Franklin to Marconi, through Berners-Lee to Gates to Jobs, through Brin and Page, Yang and Filo, and Zuckerberg… the list is long and keeps growing…
All these amazing new ways to communicate: book flights, close sales, win contracts, find information and friends, enjoy scenes of what’s going on a different part of the world, watch commercials from other countries, etcetera, and etcetera. None of it would be possible without the creativity, dedication, hard work, smarts and long hours put by the myriad of people around these “networks”.
Did you just receive a picture of your newborn granddaughter on EM? Called your family 8,000 Km away via Skype? Quickly finished your homework through research via Google and Wikipedia? Finally found and purchased that gadget on eBay or that rare book on Amazon? Recently found an old friend on FB?
All good, isn’t it?
It isn’t good. It is AMAZING!
So, the next time you see those telecommunications-company vans going on the highway, the pulling-cable technicians you dismiss as nonexistent, the nerdy looking programmers you think know nothing except computers, the engineers that have trouble explaining the IT terms in simple language, or the consultants that seem to charge more than what their advice is worth; please take a look at your laptop, Blackberry, iPad or any gadget you choose and use for communicating; and acknowledge each and every one of those wonderful people.
You don’t need to kneel and kiss their feet. A simple “hi” or “thank you” will do.
Engineering… what a ride. What a magic an amazing ride.
What!? Sucha long time? Really?
Well... I guess I am back to writing a little bit then.
Sorry for the long pause.
Sorry for the long pause.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Data volume and variety
At a meeting with one of our main clients’ referral the topic of data security shifted to the amounts of data at their disposal, therefore being very agile when it comes to obtaining reports, statistics and such. One of the main decision makers was pointing to the fact that they had close to 100 GB of data “perfectly safe” thanks to the systems and technologies acquired as of recent.
At one point during the discussion I asked what tools they were using for validating the wholeness of such data, making sure there were no duplicates, which interfaces they used to match diverse types of data and their respective packages to talk to each other, how they obtained updated statistics from such data, and a few other questions.
I started projecting the following:
“What if your data were not as c mpl te as y u t ink it is?”
“How do you make sure some of it do you make sure some of it is not duplicates is not duplicates?”
And so on…
Turns out the diverse types of data they posses are not standardized and most programs used have no way to communicate to each other. So, some information stored in database A is duplicated in database B; while some of such data is duplicated inside the same database. There is no policy or tool that guarantees the data is retrievable from backup and even from its original repository. And there is not Business Intelligence package or procedure to gather information from all these places to have instant reports on the financial health of the business or any other operation or department.
In other words, this is another instance of what we refer to as data rich, insight poor.
It was obvious that the IRR on all these expenses (not investments in this case) was of a negative value, an infinite amount, but in terms of time.
The main issue?
Business-type decision makers pointing to the IT-type ones as “not getting it.”
IT-type decision makers pointing to the Business-type ones as “not learning it.”
What is the catalyst for Marrying IT with Biz?
Training.
The least we can do is sit down the biz people for a day listening to IT: not about the technology insights or anything in terms of Terabytes, Gigahertz or Operating Systems; but rather on the reasons why a particular technology is better than the “inexpensive” or “popular” or “affordable” ones; and how those integrate –or not- with the rest of the existing applications.
And then sit down the IT people for a day listening to Biz: not about the budget projections or anything in terms of Marketing, Cost Containment or JIT Inventory; but rather on the reasons why a particular process is better than the “easy” or “accepted” or “cool” ones; and how those incorporate –or not- with the rest of the existing departments.
Once IT gets it and Biz learns it, all that data in your possession will be better able to provide information; its sole reason to exist.
Ready for the meeting?
At one point during the discussion I asked what tools they were using for validating the wholeness of such data, making sure there were no duplicates, which interfaces they used to match diverse types of data and their respective packages to talk to each other, how they obtained updated statistics from such data, and a few other questions.
I started projecting the following:
“What if your data were not as c mpl te as y u t ink it is?”
“How do you make sure some of it do you make sure some of it is not duplicates is not duplicates?”
And so on…
Turns out the diverse types of data they posses are not standardized and most programs used have no way to communicate to each other. So, some information stored in database A is duplicated in database B; while some of such data is duplicated inside the same database. There is no policy or tool that guarantees the data is retrievable from backup and even from its original repository. And there is not Business Intelligence package or procedure to gather information from all these places to have instant reports on the financial health of the business or any other operation or department.
In other words, this is another instance of what we refer to as data rich, insight poor.
It was obvious that the IRR on all these expenses (not investments in this case) was of a negative value, an infinite amount, but in terms of time.
The main issue?
Business-type decision makers pointing to the IT-type ones as “not getting it.”
IT-type decision makers pointing to the Business-type ones as “not learning it.”
What is the catalyst for Marrying IT with Biz?
Training.
The least we can do is sit down the biz people for a day listening to IT: not about the technology insights or anything in terms of Terabytes, Gigahertz or Operating Systems; but rather on the reasons why a particular technology is better than the “inexpensive” or “popular” or “affordable” ones; and how those integrate –or not- with the rest of the existing applications.
And then sit down the IT people for a day listening to Biz: not about the budget projections or anything in terms of Marketing, Cost Containment or JIT Inventory; but rather on the reasons why a particular process is better than the “easy” or “accepted” or “cool” ones; and how those incorporate –or not- with the rest of the existing departments.
Once IT gets it and Biz learns it, all that data in your possession will be better able to provide information; its sole reason to exist.
Ready for the meeting?
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