Like so many millions of people around the world this week, the passing of Steve Jobs and Apple’s call to “Think Different” has us doing exactly that. His ideas improved the world in innumerable ways, and the best way we can honor his brilliance is to build on it in ways that even Steve might not have imagined.
Each of us in the I.T. world has huge potential to improve the day-to-day existence of our co-workers, partners, and customers, if we just take a few minutes to think differently and approach our traditional challenges with a new mind set. Here are just a few ideas on we might invest in our future together. I’d love to hear yours.
“The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next.” -- Abraham Lincoln
Given its technical complexities, it’s understandable that some people have been skeptical about business video adoption over the past few years. But video is now much more than just a technology. Like printing and voice were not so long ago, it’s an irresistible force that is fundamentally changing the way all generations create and experience culture, business, and much of our everyday existence. For example:
Video and computer game time for kids 8-18 has doubled in the past 10 years, and only 4-6% of their time is spent on print media (source: Arstechnica).
In a recent enterprise survey, 57% of respondents are planning or have already implemented some desktop video conferencing, and 44% are planning or have already implemented some IP video for training, demos, and other purposes (source: Forrester Research).
By the end of 2010, almost half of all mobile data traffic was already video, and it’s expected to grow 26 fold from 2010 to 2015 (source: Cisco Visual Networking Index).
Forward-thinking organizations embracing these trends have already come up with some wonderfully innovative new business models built on delivering video everywhere. For instance, the Khan Academy delivers free education via YouTube to millions of people worldwide, and Marriott Marquis hotels are delivering unique new guest experiences for discriminating travelers via Cisco technology.
Here’s a dramatization of delivering video anywhere to enhance education:
“Innovation is the central issue in economic prosperity.” -Michael Porter
There’s been some interesting coverage this week about President Obama’s State of the Union address. And while pundits on all sides debate the ideologies as well as the details, it’s easy to agree on one of his key points – that innovation is the key to getting the economy and the country back on track.
Given the importance of innovation, isn’t it worth taking a fresh look at innovation itself? Many “innovations” such as the Declaration of Independence, the Apollo Space Program, even clever ad campaigns, were all realized by having several smart people in one place to develop ideas together. But now that’s all changed.
