Three Ways Cloud Computing Can Learn from Palm
Remember the Palm personal digital products? Ask a teenager nowadays, and she might wonder if you’re talking about antibacterial soap. But back in the late 1990s to early 2000s, the PalmPilot and Treo were ubiquitous. Fast-forward to 2019, and both are museum pieces. What happened? Palm’s meteoric rise and cataclysmic fall illustrate a cautionary tale of what can happen when one of the world’s most respected technology brands pursues innovation at the expense of customer experience. Of course, the phenomenon arises not only in the gadget wars but in other highly competitive industries as well, including enterprise software. When innovation loses sight of the customer, a brand can risk all its hard-earned success.
Cloud-based networks spark innovation on a scale few other technologies have ever produced. Yet the limitless opportunities they make possible can tempt even the most focused, disciplined organizations to stray on occasion, not unlike Palm, from their core mission. As digital platforms reshape global commerce and accelerate speed to market, businesses can ill-afford untimely distractions. So how can business leaders ensure that cloud-based innovation extends their competitive advantage rather than dilutes it through activities that may fall afield of the essential value proposition their customers rely on?
To align innovation and customer value, an organization must invest in activities bound together by stability, quality and predictability — all while prioritizing the ongoing feedback of its key stakeholders.
To achieve this trifecta businesses must first place their trust in a cloud-based network — whether to collaborate with suppliers, sell to customers, process financial transactions, or perform any number of other mission-critical operations. Thus, stability is a tremendous responsibility on the part of the software companies that develop and maintain these digital networks. After all, implicit in the promise of cloud technology is that it’s always on, always connected, always scalable, and always secure. So researching a provider’s track record is crucial for ensuring continuity.
As chief product officer for a leading global software company, I know first-hand that innovation must always reinforce stability. Therefore, quality requires that innovation never come at the expense of a platform’s primary functionality. When a digital network rolls out new or ancillary capabilities, do they operate as part of a seamless whole? Or are they disconnected from the rest of the user experience? Unless new features fit snugly alongside existing ones, the whole can fall short of the sum of its parts. Just ask Palm.
How predictable is a digital network? How reliable is its underlying platform? Implementing emerging technologies and adopting innovation without threatening stability or quality can lead to predictable revenues and pattern-recognition of interconnected Big Data, which can ultimately help businesses run more efficiently and intelligently.
In exploring cloud-based solutions, be sure to insist on these three key attributes! They instill confidence beyond software as well. Consider the world’s most successful companies, which listens attentively to customers, bounce back from rare miscues, and consistently deliver value. That is the recipe for leadership in any industry.
Speaking of listening to customers, I hope you’ll join me for the business commerce event of the year, SAP Ariba Live, in Austin, Texas, from April 1-3. I look forward to sharing what’s ahead for our platform and our industry. See you there…