The Future of Your Career is Online...

This post on Library crunch made it into my "Blog this" folder back in February, and I'm finally doing some spring cleaning.

Michael Casey links to some ideas from Richard Macmanus and a whitepaper by Rod Boothby.  The basic premise is that the next round of MBA graduates (I'll be able to count myself in that group in August '06) know how to work differently.  From my perspective, he's right.  My coursework has been completed exclusively through the University of Maryland University College's online classroom.  Almost half of my assignments are collaborative, and another quarter require online conference interaction.  We email, we teleconference, we chat.  We know how to self organize, chose task leaders, and get things done.  And I've never met any of my teammates in person.  Sometimes we have to work around time zone differences to accommodate teammates who are living or traveling across the world.  And all this is just the mechanics.  Thomas Friedman's The World is Flat was required reading this semester.  We're coming out reading to fight in a global marketplace, connecting by a myriad of communications links forming a web around us...

But even with all that, we're behind the curve.  As the next decade passes, we have the email generation, the IM generation, the livejournal, generation, the myspace generation, and the second life generation, all entering the workforce.  Then a subset of them will get MBA's, or mature into management roles.  These folks are going to fundamentally change the dynamics of business.  Robert Scoble touches on this in his recent Moonshot post.  The handshake is out, the business trip, phone calls and voicemail are going to fade away.  Coming out of high school, many students will have more collaborative skills then most businessmen of decades past. 

Thursday, April 27, 2006 11:03:56 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)      Comments [0]  Business | Internet | Technology

Yawn.... Google and Sun are Cooperating.

The big announcement from today was nothing but fluff, in my humble opinion.  Basically, Google and sun are going to play nice, and the end result is that user's downloads of various Google and Sun products are going to be bloated by bundling.

This doesn't mean that Microsoft has nothing to worry about.  In the long view, if these companies really do learn to play nice together, it could spell trouble for the folks in Redmond.  Google appears to be sporadically rolling out free WiFi.  Sun's CEO Scott McNealy has previously stated that he believed that computers in the future will be free.  When you bring Sun's and Google's various strengths and capabilities together, it could be a pretty daunting scene for MSFT (the company and the stock).  Google is buying up bandwidth and grid computing capabilities, and rolling out a WiFi last-mile.  Sun has some interesting technology with their Sunray thin clients.  Imagine that instead of paying a service fee (or software licenses), and buying hardware, you just sign-up and receive a smartcard in the mail.  You can use the smartcard anywhere there's a compatible Google/Sunray client.  You plug it in and instantly, you have all of your email, all of your documents, and all of your authorized programs.  The Google/Sun alliance may even throw in a free Wifi laptop to make it easier for customers to hook in.

Are Sun and Google going to provide this service out of the goodness of their hearts?  Of course not.  In a future post, I'll look at the business case for such a project.  Stay tuned!

 

Wednesday, October 05, 2005 5:55:03 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)      Comments [0]  Consumer | Google | Microsoft | Technology

Google Office? Google/Sun Announcement Today

A while back, I asked the question "What if Google decided to release an office productivity suite?", and some folks are speculating that just such an announcement will be made today.  While that's certainly a possibility, I'm going to put my money on some sort of combined Google / Sunray thin-client solution, possibly with Sun's OpenOffice as an included productivity tool. 

Tuesday, October 04, 2005 5:09:09 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)      Comments [0]  Google | Technology

Digital Convergence

I've been reading a lot about the next version of Windows Mobile, and It's gotten me thinking about what our digital lives are going to be like over the next few years. 

In the past, there have been unique categories of devices.  I believe that we're moving toward a continuum.  Already we've seen that the line between a tablet and a notebook is getting very thin.  The Micro-tablet mock-up shown by Bill Gates at WinHEC shows that the line between Handhelds and Tablets is going to get very thin as well.

If tablet technology takes off, then you may have users calling for ink, and moving forward, touchscreens in the desktop environment.  If people get used to interacting with their data in certain ways, then they'll want those ways to be available wherever they connect with their data.

It's going to be an interesting five or ten years, as the hardware manufacturers tear down the hurdles of power, miniaturization, and integration, and we come to a time where the form factor is a matter of design & function, versus engineering limitations.

Wednesday, May 11, 2005 4:13:59 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)      Comments [0]  Mobiles | Tablet | Technology

A New Media Model
An entire industry has sprung up to fill a gap between the the current content producers, their archaic distribution models, and the way consumers want to use content with modern technology.

What would happen if a major network decided that they were going to cut out the middle-men, and go straight to the consumer. I'm thinking WB, TBS, FOX, or maybe even Mark Cuban's HDNet.

Here's how it works.

1. Take every show you run on your network, including the commercials, and digitize them to a variety of bitrates and formats (WMA, MOV, Etc.).

2. Host an RSS feed for each show, allowing users to subscribe (using Doppler or similar programs) to different feeds for each show. Publish each show to the feed concurrent with it airing by traditional means.

3. Talk to your advertisers. Remind them that your goal here is to put their commercials in front of as many eyes as possible, at the lowest cost you can manage. Since this new model eliminates many layers, you should be able to distribute content this way at a lower cost. If bandwidth is a concern, utilize bittorent or other peer-to-peer technology.

4. Develop metrics that allow you to quantify "circulation" of your shows, instead of focusing on numbers of viewers. Maybe talk to Arbitron or Neilson about developing some sort of authoritative advertiser-friendly metrics for electronic media distribution.

5. Aggressively pursue anyone who tries to chop commercials and redistribute content. Use technological measures to discourage this, and lawyers to enforce it. Gradually move away from disruptive advertising, and focus more on product placements, and content relevent advertising.

6. Consider offering unique RSS feeds with different advertising for different demographics. In general, people would rather have ads that are relevent. Give them control and they would choose to view more relevant ads. Use this to sell the advertising.

Would this work?
Thursday, April 07, 2005 5:28:00 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)      Comments [0]  Technology | Media

Contactless Visa SmartCards on the Horizon
CNET is reporting that Visa, Mastercard, and American Express are all experimenting with using contactless smartcards to make shopping easier for consumers.

Here's an idea for Visa: How about working together with Microsoft and some hardware OEMs to make your new smartcards work as secure logins for Windows PCs & Servers? With the reader in-place, you could also allow users to use the contactless cards for e-shopping (note: make sure that commerce sites can't spoof a login screen to get your payment info, maybe require two swipes separated by 5 seconds to authorize an internet transaction).

If that's not enough, talk to Ford, GM, Toyota, etc, and get them to let me use my Visa card to unlock and start my car.

Maybe even talk to the folks at Weiserlock and get them to build a Powerbolt model with a reader built in.

Lastly, don't make it a "card", make it a fob. Or offer to build it into my phone, or let me wear it as a ring or bracelet.

The way I see it, this is a win-win-win. Consumers get easier identity management for shopping, computing, and even operating thier cars. Visa gets more consumers using thier product instead of cash or other means. Microsoft gets to partner with some big names in the financial and auto industry, and gets to build something better than passwords into Windows, which leads to better security. Everyone gets cheaper smartcard technology when their is a higher production volume.
Friday, February 25, 2005 6:19:00 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)      Comments [0]  Consumer | Technology

Microsoft Monitor Tackles TCO
Joe Wilcox from Microsoft Monitordisects the in's and out's of TCO studies, and explains why they really don't mean much.
Friday, February 18, 2005 7:48:00 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)      Comments [0]  Technology | Business

Windows Server, Home Edition, Continued
I was pleased to see that my post about a proposed Windows Server, Home Edition, generated a fair amount of discussion accross the blogosphere.

Charlie Kindel provided support in this post.

Meandering-Blog had this post.

Chris Gonyea weighed in with this post.

Bill Lazar even likened my post to a Product Requirements Document.

And I received a mention and a link on Scoble's main blog, in this post.

Most of the public discussion seemed to support the idea, with some detractors pointing out the unrealistic price point (I agree somewhat, but I still think that <$500 is the best target price.)

Other's focused on my inclusion of MCE technology as a failing. My point #6, "Media Server – Take everything that Media Center does, and include it." was probably a bit too broad. If you want digital video recording and time shifting, and a cool on-screen interface, then you should probably have a dedicated MCE PC. The home server should simply play nice with MCE, and serve as a media hub. Trying to include "everything" from MCE is unrealistic, and would drive the price up unecessarily.

I was a little disappointed that some of the other details went unmentioned: The idea that this would be derived from the Small Business Server code-base, the Remote-Backup subscription service, and the "Home Edition" licensing scheme. Each of these is a can of worms waiting to be spilled!

Thanks to everyone that weighed in on the dialogue!
Tuesday, February 01, 2005 5:48:20 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)      Comments [0]  Consumer | Microsoft | Technology | Quattro

Windows Server, Home Edition

Some of the most common computer headaches I have heard lately deal with the problem of using multiple PC’s in the home. Many folks now have more than one desktop PC, or a desktop and a laptop in their home. Unless you prescribe to the “one PC per person” idea, the problem is compounded by the location of individual’s data and settings.

So here’s what I propose: Windows Server, Home Edition

This would be a scaled back and customized version of Windows Small Business Server, running on specialized hardware, and it would simplify home networking to the point where everyone could enjoy the benefits of modern network management.

Form Factor: It should look like a consumer electronics device, and be at home in an A/V stand.

Storage: 200+ GB Hard Drive, Optional RAID 1, DVD Burner

Interfaces: USB, IR, Composite Video & Audio, DVI, Ethernet, Wireless 802.11A/B/G, Bluetooth, Front Panel Touchscreen LCD, Dual Smartcard Readers. Modem.

This conglomeration of hardware would be sold by OEM’s bundled with Windows Server, Home Edition, similar to how Media Center PC’s and Windows Storage Server are sold today.

So, what would this strange beast do? How would it make your life better?

1. Email Collection & Backup – There would be a customized implementation of Exchange running on the server. It would collect mail for all of the users and make it accessible locally. If you have 4 different email accounts, this server will make them all available in one place. Hotmail, POP3, etc. Give me options to leave mail on the server, maybe even have a “keep remote mailbox size under xx MB” setting, especially useful for Hotmail accounts. Include licensing for the latest version Outlook for all clients.

2. Profile Management – We’ll call this Roaming Profiles for Dummies. Basically, anytime a new machine is joined to the network, you’ll be given the option of selecting which profiles you want synchronized with this machine. Each user in the household will have their own profile, which will include their settings, favorites, and all of their documents. The documents will be implemented with remote storage. Recently used documents will be available on the local hard disk. Other documents will have to be retrieved on-the-fly from the server.

3. Domain user management & group policy – Ok, you’d have to get the marketing geeks to come up with some home-user friendly names for these functions, but basically it would allow you to set up new profiles, and manage computer use based on group policy. Example: Kid’s can’t login after 8:00PM, No Internet access on Saturday, etc.

4. Simple Backup – I want to leave a blank DVD in the DVD burner, and always have current backups. If I forget to put a DVD in, or if the DVD is full, I’ll be prompted for a new DVD. If I get a new Home Edition Server, I should be able to restore from the DVDs by loading them in reverse order until the system tells me that it is restored. The backups should include all profile data, documents & settings. For interactive restores, let me do point-in-time restores on individual profiles or on specific files. I shouldn’t have to understand the differences between incremental & full backups. It should be easy. Limit the number of clicks, the number of disks required, and walk the user through every step.

5. Remote Backup – This would be a premium subscription service. It would basically take the idea of the backup, and send the files to a server hosted by a commercial company. MSN could run a service, but make the API open, and let other providers get in the game too. You could differentiate on features, and available space. Some providers might offer a simple backup-restore function with a 1-week history and 2GB data space. Others might also allow secure remote access to files & email stored in the profiles.

6. Media Server – Take everything that Media Center does, and include it.

7. Home Automation – Have an option to include a home automation interface.

8. ISA Server, Home Edition – Provide firewall functionality and allow parents to develop specific rules on internet content. Also allows easy sharing of broadband or dialup.

9. Microsoft Update Services – One-click enable of automatic updates for all PC’s that are part of the network. Saves bandwidth and ensures all PC’s are up-to-date.

10. Software Licensing – Offer “Home Edition” licenses of all of your popular software. Price it at about 150% of a single retail license, and allow all of the computers on the home network to access the software. Include games. Include Desktop Operating Systems. Encourage your partners to do this as well. The license will be tied to the Home Edition Server, and any machine that connects should be able to auto-install and use the software. If you remove a computer from the network for more than 30 days, the right to use the software expires. Place a realistic limit on the home edition licenses, perhaps 5 machines. Provide free extenstions for larger families.

11. The Kicker - Make it cost less than $500, hardware, software, everything, $500. Cut corners on RAM, CPU, Video. Make it cheap. Talk to the XBOX hardware guys. Plan to make money on the subscription backup service, and the increased sales that stem from the fact that it’s now easier and less painful to have multiple PC’s in the home.

Could Microsoft pull this off? Would they? Would this make your computing life easier? Comment or trackback with your opinions!

Updated: The Conversation continues...

Updated Again (6/16/2005): Looks like this may actually come to pass.  Microsoft Watch's Mary Jo Foley reports on some comments from Bob Muglia.  When asked about the possibility of a server product for the home, he replied: "We are always looking for new opportunities where server technology can be leveraged, and the home definitely represents an exciting new area that we are looking at along with many others. Much of the great storage, replication, and management technology would be great in a home.  We have seen many people install Small Business Servers at home, which really works quite well."   Sweet...

Monday, January 17, 2005 6:14:59 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)      Comments [0]  Consumer | Microsoft | Quattro | Technology