Despite serious competition from Enterprise collaboration heavy weights, IBM and Microsoft, I'm pleased Google is climbing into the ring. Because what we need is another Social Business fighter. But not just any fighter, one that understands that the consumerization of IT has CIOs on the ropes, and they're taking it on the chin.
As any contender will tell you, great competition only makes you work harder to be better. The results of course, are better products for all of us. Yet Google has faced enterprise competition before and has yet to win a major title. Will this time be different?
Round 1: The Enterprization of Consumers
The big question on everyone's mind is can Google's consumer success be decoded into the Enterprise? Scott Abel, a Content Management Strategist who has written extensively about the enterprise noted, "There's no doubt that Google has the funding, the talent, and all the technology pieces in place to be a serious enterprise provider," but Abel added, "What's not clear is whether they have a believable story."
In other words, even with its billions in the bank, can Google convince the world's CIOs that it's worth trusting Google to handle their most sensitive and valuable possessions – their information. Yes says Google's Vice President of Enterprise, Amit Singh because CIOs are ready for a "fresh start" and that since, "everyone is bringing their own devices to work, only Google can best ensure that employees have access to their information on any device."
Singh believes Google can transform enterprise technology so that it "just works" without the complications of legacy systems. A large part of that involves Google's immense investment in the cloud and cloud infrastructure, telling me: ": I think most Fortune 500 CIOs how powerful the cloud can be for their business. They say, 'Wow, this is fantastic. This allows us more efficiency and infrastructure at scale."
Singh's right of course. At least in the Fortune 500, the cloud is no longer a threat to IT, it's something they're all thinking about strategically.
Round 2: Google: "This time it's different"
When the consumer mindset begins to overwhelm the enterprise, you get a lot of confusion. Which is exactly what Google is attempting to resolve, "Over the last 5-6 years we've figured the answers out. We got companies like BBVA or Costco and others quite comfortable. There's a playbook, there's change management, there's a communication plan. There is change required; there's no question we're prepared," Singh explained.
Google's enterprise strategy comprises of three main pillars: cloud, mobile and social. The first pillar is a strategy to move organizations to the cloud. Singh used Ergon Energy as an example of a company that took all their satellite imagery and rendered it using Google's cloud solution in just a few hours versus what used to be a few weeks using Ergon's network. That way the information gets out to Firefighters almost immediately and in doing so saved them $30 million a year.
The second pillar involves the use of mobile in the enterprise. As iPads and Android devices permeate businesses around the world, Google believes they are best positioned to help organizations take advantage of them. Singh emphasizes that in a recent flurry of large, retail companies visiting Google – mobile is top of mind: "Things that they thought were advantages in the past – supply chains, warehouses, stores – it's not anymore. Speed and access, simplicity, through mobile applications are what's important now. A fundamental transformation's going on."
The last pillar involves the use of social and collaborative technologies. Singh emphasized the blending of social with existing Google technologies like Gmail. "Email is still a huge part of our lives, and we see that continuing. I don't think that's going to change in our lifetime," Singh goes on to explain how this will work, "you'll see a blending of these things where it'll be hard to tell the experience, like when you're in an email thread or when you're on a stream interacting with people. Social and mail will initially have a sort of adjunct, and overtime a blurring relationship."
As for their collaboration strategy, Singh sites the advantages of Google Docs as the, "best editor and group productivity tools for consumers and businesses in the world, and we will continue to make that product a viable alternative and replacement to Microsoft docs."
Round 3: The Judges Weigh In
As with any match between heavyweights, there will be commentators, critics and those judging the competition. Google has both its supporters and cynics. One cynic, Larry Hawes of Principal Dow Brook Advisory Services and Forbes columnist believes Google's short term prospects are challenging, telling me, "While Google currently has social and collaboration services that can be used in enterprises, their origin and legacy as consumer offerings makes CIOs nervous about security and manageability."
Yet even the cynics have respect for Google and won't count them out. Hawes concludes by saying, "However, I would not count Google out in the long run. As the consumerization of enterprise IT and the percentage of the workforce that has grown up using Google services both increase over time, Google should be in a better position to sell into the enterprise."
Scott Abel tends to agree with Hawes's optimistic conclusion, ""In order to be a serious player in the enterprise space," Abel said, "Google will have to convince a lot of people they are a viable option. And, they'll have to fight battles with the existing players in the enterprise space who aren't going to take kindly to Google crossing over into their turf. This ought to be fun to watch from a distance."
But most of us want ringside seats, as it's hard to exaggerate how beneficial this is going to be for all of us. The key question today, though, is this: Does Google have the Enterprise talent to pull this off?
Round 4: The Decision
With Salesforce, IBM, Microsoft and others working hard for control over the Social Enterprise, it's difficult to pick a winner. Perhaps it will be a few winners that emerge, it's tough to tell. Google has a great opportunity if it picks its large battles wisely while partnering with established enterprise software providers to convince CIOs to throw out the incumbents.
But it won't be easy. As we'll see next week, most CIOs aren't prepared for the Social Enterprise.
But I believe Google has demonstrated that it is hypothetically possible to move from a consumer driven model to one that works in the Enterprise. But it is going to require smart ring managers like Singh that understand the way business works. It's going to require a lot of sparring and a few traded punches before Google has a shot at the Enterprise title.
But even now the final outcome is uncertain. Google understands the importance of the Social Enterprise and how it's going to revolutionize the future of business. They are smart to jump in now while everything is in flux.
Which is why they have a real shot at succeeding and odds are they'll be a major contender.
P.S. Watch this Short Video on Amit Singh
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