Enterprise 2.0 Conference
The conference agenda is really interesting. I will be on a panel on June 14th - here is the link. It is IBM-centric but I expect a broader discussion on leveraging on-demand collaboration solutions within the Enterprise.

Recorded Future
Interesting article on allthingsd regarding a cool search technology that lays out future events on a Time-line. Cool idea.

Have setup a few alerts. Let us see how it works.

Just realized that I have not posted for over a month and a half ... need to try and post more frequently!

Match-making at the Call Center
Infoword reports that IBM and Assurant Solutions will match Call Center reps with callers using real time analytics. Very clever, especially, if it is well executed!

SAAS is now mainstream
I was first introduced to SAAS (then ASP) when I joined Brassring (now Kenexa) in 2000. We were convinced that it was how Enterprise Software will be delivered in the future. Salesforce.com was leading the way. However, most ASPs grew much slower than anybody anticipated. Profitability was elusive and hard to attain.

I believe and Infoworld just validated that SAAS finally arrived in 2009. There is robust growth and one can find multiple feature rich products in most every functional area. My team integrated many new SAAS products with our PeopleSoft ERP last year. A small business starting does not need a single piece of on-premise application software.

Cool version of Wired Mag on the iPad
I think that the iPad will be big for magazines:
http://blogs.adobe.com/digitalpublishing/2010/02/adobe_wired.html

I really like the interactive Ads. I think they move the user engagement and experience forward.

Cloud Computing

Here is how I defined Cloud Computing in a survey I was filling earlier today:

IT Applications or Infrastructure delivered as a utility from a shared environment. The key attribute of Cloud Computing is that it provides and option to easily and rapidly (not essentially in real-time) provision and de-provision resources based on demand. Cloud Computing completely abstracts IT Infrastructure and application management from a user.

Comments?

(My wife took this picture of the street in the front of our house during the mega-storm last week)

CIO focus in 2010 - Light-weight Services
I agree with the results of the Gartner study reviewed in this Infoworld article. Small, very focused projects are getting prioritized. Our 2010 roadmap is filled with smaller projects.

According to the Gartner survey, the top 10 technology priorities for 2010 are (our top 5 are in bold):

1. virtualization
2. cloud computing
3. "Web 2.0" collaborative technologies
4. networking and VoIP
5. analytics and business intelligence
6. mobile
7. data and document storage and management
8. services and service-oriented architecture
9. security technologies
10. IT management

They do not explicitly mention it, but we have seen an uptick in the adoption of SAAS products that can be deployed quickly. We are more focused on SAAS over SOA.

CES 2010
I really enjoyed my trip to CES after 2 years.

What I loved:

• 3D Plasma TVs from Panasonic; 6.9 mm thin LED TV from LG (I did not manage to check-out Sony's 3D TVs)
• 3D movies (clip from How to train a Dragon from Dreamworks)
• real-time 3D movie editing on Intel platforms
• Project Natal (coverage on cnet) at Microsoft (human body as game controller)
• Nokia's approach to impacting the lives of the poorest while building a very successful global company (Project Progress with lonely planet has some excellent stories and videos)

What I Liked:

• Netbook from Nokia
• Netbook from Sony
• Blackberry Presenter
• Flo TV from Qualcomm
  
• New Intel processors
• Ford's approach towards building automobile technology

So What?

• Microsoft Windows 7 and Zune HD
• Intel Appup
• CE companies have suddenly turned green
• PCs and TVs will seamlessly inter-connect and that is useful

Big Disappointments:

• No Apple, Google, Dell, HP, etc.
  
• Lack of tablet PCs
• eReaders
• Lack of Mobile Software Companies at CES
• Power outage before the first keynote

Cool Geek Toys

• Parrot AR.Drone controlled by an iPhone
• Cool Robots from Japan (mainly toys)

I also tweeted from the conference.

Senator Mark Warner @ TiE-DC
Attended the Annual Gala of TiE-DC (re-named from The Indus Entrepreneur to The International Entrepreneur). Senator Mark Warner delivered the Keynote. His message to entrepreneurs, focus on: Energy, Education and Equity (over debt).

Here are a few pics and coverage of the event on Bisnow.

Vivek & Aneesh
Fed CIO and CTO talked about the open government directive during a web-cast this morning:



The web drives Transparency. Transparency in a Democracy is very empowering!