I don’t have multiple personalities. I may operate in
seemingly different worlds at times: marketing executive, hockey fan, avid
jogger, but that doesn’t mean I need or want very different experiences when
accessing content. In fact, I would argue the opposite. If I’m accessing
content on my iPad while at the airport, I want to see the content as it would
appear on my laptop at work. I want to find what I need quickly so I’m not
wasting time and money on a potentially fee-based WiFi connection.
A cross-platform approach would give me a nearly ubiquitous
experience no matter where I am or what device I’m using. I don’t stop caring
about work just because I’m not in the office. I want to quickly get in and out
of my content so I can get back to what’s in front of me. Thus, a fast,
familiar view is preferred.
Companies that want to offer different user experiences
depending on the device are going in the opposite direction from users’ natural
desire. It’s a technology developer’s mistake not to think of rule #1 for user
experience – make it intuitive. What’s more intuitive than what I’m already
experiencing on other platforms?
User experience is king, queen and the rest of the regal
family. It’s also key to end-user adoption and loyalty.
While cloud computing continues to be widely discussed, its
cousin virtualization continues to be strong and growing as well. According to
a 2012 Kaspersky Lab survey:
69%
of US companies are in the process of implementing or have implemented server
virtualization
46%
plan to implement a virtual desktop infrastructure
51%
plan data storage virtualization
Although these are strong numbers,
virtualization as we know it today is just the latest step in the evolutionary
march.
While some people believe their needs to be a
cloud versus virtualization decision, others are arguing that virtualization is
cloud. VMware makes this argument and to a degree its correct.
Virtualization is at least private cloud and in some cases, could be more. In fact, a strong
argument can be made that virtualization has fueled infrastructure cloud
adoption.
Many new developments are already here and
their adoption is growing like a snowball rolling down a mountain. Three trends
– Security, Cross-platform availability,
BYOD - are quickly switching from nice-to-haves to must-haves.
Let’s face it. Although security is always on the requirement
list for any technology, there are assumed limitations that have been accepted
as “the best we can do.” This will not do. Security must be baked into all
virtualization or cloud-based offerings. We can’t continue to expect enterprise
companies to purchase their security from yet another company. Layering another
technology on top of what is already being used is a clunky solution that
should be temporary. Every new technology MUST sufficiently address security.
Originally, the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)
trend was addressed when senior management wanted the freedom to use whatever
device they chose or when the engineering and creative teams might be on
different systems than the rest of the company. Today, BYOD is a must for a
global, mobile workforce. When implemented well, it addresses the need for
superior and flexible security, support, collaboration and cross-platform
usage.
Speaking of cross-platform, 2013 is the year it
becomes a must-have. Business users are running out of patience with
applications that don’t operate on multiple platforms or have vastly different
experiences depending on the platform.
If as marketing budgets seem to suggest, 2013 is the year mobile marketing
takes off, it must also be the year cross-platform become ubiquitous. Although
there’s still confusion in some organizations if apps and mobile are the same
thing, as the mobile experience becomes more tailored and apps become more
sophisticated, it’ll become more clear how these differ.
Tools and applications that don’t operate
cross-platform will begin to see declining new sales and limited adoption. Soon
after, they’ll be on the list of soon-to-be-obsolete technologies. It isn’t
enough to roll out tools for one platform and then a second or third a month
down the road. The patience we’ve had for startups’ development roadmaps is
waning. When it's an established company that's saying the "it's on the roadmap" line, it's even more unforgivable.
Forget about what will be developed in 2013 or
2014. What’s exciting are the adoption rates that will push enterprises and
businesses overall to a new way of operating.
