The sound of inevitability for ITSM software.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012 at 11:51AM I’m long in the tooth, old, over the hill, jaded, foul and pretty much ego driven. That being said, let me just stick a fork in this very tired debate on twitter.
Go back, yes, please go back two years and listen to any of the ITSM Weekly Podcasts. I have been calling for the “Headless” ITSM tool for two years. Not because I want to be futuristic, I do that naturally with no effort.
I call for this because, well, do you know who I am?!
My work history in case you have forgotten.
In 1992 I used a system that was connected to an AS400 after university. We all had dumb terminals.
Terminals changed the way we worked, we had keyboards, amber screens and the tab key was king.
In 1993 we moved to PC’s with terminal emulators running DOS and got our first native DOS programs.
DOS changed the way we worked, drop down menus, function keys and copy/paste!
In 1995 we moved to our first windows programs. This was a major shift for both developers and knowledge workers.
The mouse changed how we interacted with the screen and those systems, the mouse, it seems changed everything.
Many naysayers at that time said, we will never loose mainframes or DOS programs, they were too entrenched, true, and we still have these systems in 2012.
In 1997 we started networking our PC’s and we got our first client server software. The software of this generation changed the way everything worked in our office. We had file shares; UNC paths and networking changed the way we interacted with all tools and data.
In 2001 we installed IIS 4.0 and had our first web app running on it. I remember being shocked at how unstable it was and how this was silly. Why would I ever use something that lacked any of the functionality of a REAL piece of software running on my servers.
In 2005 I ran into Salesforce, the web functionality was amazing and I was introduced to SaaS.
The way we interacted with software changed dramatically, licensing, use cases, and functionality. The immature web client grew up and became main stream. The need for a “save” button was taken away.
Now if you were lucky enough to live through this period of time, you can clearly see a trend here or you are close to retirement.
Knowledge workers adopt and ADAPT to the new tools that free them.
{Repeated for industry analysts, marketing and leadership.}
Knowledge workers ADOPT AND ADAPT to the NEW TOOLS THAT FREE THEM
In 2007 Facebook put a different user interface in my view but definitely not a serious enterprise tool.
In 2008 someone put a smart phone in my hand. It was cute, but definitely not a “platform” or a serious tool.
In 2009 I started noticing that everyone I worked with was staring that their hands all day and only sat down at a computer to do “real work”.
The concept of creation vs. consumption devices took root in the lexicon of the enterprise.
Device centric software functionality, is a CORE requirement in 2012, see 1992-2005 directly above please.
2010 brought the iPad to many boardrooms and by 2011 conferences were full of them.
Mobility is NOT touch-enabled software. Mobility is touch, PLUS sensors, gestures, cloud backed and augmented camera, voice and location.
An app that is just a reproduction of your desktop client will work as well as it did when you tried it on the web in 2002, adding touch makes you a marketing professional, not an EMPOWERED knowledge worker.
I encourage everyone in my small industry to spend hours arguing the evolution of technology; it makes for a good laugh.
I encourage industry analysts to write whitepapers talking about how mobile and social will never truly have an enterprise adoption.
The wrinkled, liver spotted hands of the old knowledge worker now in management helps slow this movement down and gives us something to complain about.
In the end, the sound of inevitability of a mobile social ONLY future is what you SHOULD be focusing on.
As for me, I’m moved on to bio-tech systems for storing data and transactions in the new cloud, our DNA.
People, you are in IT, for the love of GOD act like it.
Reader Comments (3)
An entire generation of worker is entering the workforce with no knowledge or care of the events you describe above. While those of us who have lived through them feel we have "Evolved", these workers don't have to evolve and have no care for how hard evolution was. They carry no scars or fear that we do from living through the "Birth Events" of these evolutions. For them, what we see as the beginning of the future is simply the present rapidly decaying into the past. They will see their own "Evolutions" and be shaped by their own experiences, but for now they have no fear of pushing forward and bending tech to their will as a true enabler. I look forward to the havoc they will wreak.
As for the post, I am beginning to wonder at what price sentience comes. Others in history and legend have had to sacrifice greatly for a glimpse of the future, where you seem to stare at it daily. Perhaps the priests of Delphi were not as in charge of the Oracles as they believed. Leash control works both ways.
Keep cranking out amazing insight, although the future is a behemoth, your portrayal of the importance of it is like astro-glide for the mind, this shit just goes in smooth (and it kind of feels good after a minute too).
Shane
Oh no you didn't! AstroGlide FTW!
Now that I know your secret to sliding into the right new trend and technologies is due in part to your overindulgent use of AstroGlide, I was just curious if you have ever adopted the "wrong" trend or embraced/endorsed a technology that left you standing outside the gentleman's club rather than inside smoking Cuban cigars with the high rollers.