How Fast Should We Be Moving With Process / Product Development?

In reading an the latest issue of Inc. magazine there is an article about Aaron Levie (CEO of Box – a cloud storage company). Aaron Levie is Inc’s 2013 Entrepreneur of the Year. In the beginning of this writing there is a quote that should be taken seriously:

“The research company Gartner predicts that by 2015, at least 60 percent of information workers will be accessing their content on mobile devices.”

Gartner is, a well thought of, solid tech analytical organization, so my question: When do we begin to develop for 2015? Now? Or do we wait to see if what Gartner predicts becomes a reality and then we go into crisis mode? What will our competition be doing in the next 15 months (actually we are only 13 months away).

Major question: How fast were you able to make the last major change in your MO or better, use of technolgy?

Prior to the quote above there is a reference to Aaron Levie saying something to the effect that the hard drive is dead and the PC “is on life support”. Hmm…. I can verify that in my own micro world and I am not the person to whom the writer is necessarily speaking.

This writing is so much more than what is happening today in the real world of technology and storage. It wants you to look at decisions made and people willing to understand changes for what they are;  Power to the people.  It would like you to think about what you are doing and what is going to be for the future.

There are clips about those that did not accept the tablet changes, who wanted to wait and see, and who are still trying to do as little as possible to give Apple credit for being ahead of the game. Google, with Android, was quicker to jump than others. Within the Android arena there are companies like Samsung making great headway.

I like to ask questions. Did you see BYOD happening? Do you see it now? On what scale? Are you aware what your employees, your B2B employees are using? What are your clients employees allowed to BYOD? Are you building for them?

In the last year alone I see more people in a MacDonald’s or Starbucks with tablets and phone’s (of all makes and models) accessing email, the Internet, and data of their own. I watch frequently as individuals or groups attend online meetings on these tablets while outside of their office. On these devices are apps for Box, Dropbox, iCloud, and perhaps Amazon. There are others.

Yesterday my friend Franz Dill posted on his blog, The Eponymous Pickle, “iPad Business at The Proctor & Gamble Company. In that article there is a link to an Apple iPad in Business profile page which has some interesting video’s. It may not be the number of companies represented but it does matter the number of people within those companies that have gone tablet and in this case with the iPad.

If you read this blog you know that I believe that the consumer will drive the Enterprise both inside and out. Do not build for Apple, Google, or Microsoft. Build for the people who use your products and services. The day’s of saying “To view this website correctly you must be using Internet Explorer” are over.

The Inc. magazine article can also be found online. “Don’t Bet Against Aaron Levie” and perhaps you should read it. 1) to read about Aaron Levie and Box, and 2) to grasp the accelerating speed of acceptance of new technology.

Note: You can also subscribe on your iPad or Android tablet to Inc. magazine.