How To Respond To The Next Big Thing

A Methodical Approach to Separating Technology Help and Hype

With all the the projects and maintenance required just to keep the lights on, what do you do when the "next big thing" offers the opportunity to improve your IT service, and improve your business?

I suggest read, research and review, but move both cautiously and methodically.

The "next-big-thing" has been a marketing buzzword phrase bantered about for decades from software vendors, technology upstarts, PR flacks, industry analysts, technology media and IT executives. While the term is overused to garner headlines and attention, there certainly are IT releases and technology trends which significantly improve services, reduce costs and empower early adopters to leapfrog their competitors. Classic examples of disruptive technologies which offer the potential to achieve competitive advantages to those who capitalize on them include Linux, virtualization, software as a service (SaaS), cloud computing, open source software solutions, mobile computing, social media apps, social CRM tools, and even green IT. The challenge then, is to filter away the marketing propaganda and find the balance between leading edge solutions which deliver tangible, sustained benefits, and the bleeding edge solutions which produce challenged and over-budget IT projects, and a loss of IT credibility.

Each of the dizzying array of technology headline releases purports to change the IT landscape as we know it, and in fact some of them have been doing just that. Linux is pervasive from mobile computing to the largest of enterprise infrastructures. Software as a service has ballooned, literally changed the consumption of software to a service and seems to be morphing into its next iteration of cloud computing. Server virtualization has dove-tailed the green IT movement and delivered methods and IT practices used to dramatically improve hardware efficiency and reduce both costs and carbon emissions in data centers around world.

Other technology announcements appear less clear - and almost as though they are a solution looking for a problem.

Second Life, you may recall, was released among much fanfare in 2006 as a 3-D virtual community to communicate and collaborate online with others. It was initially quite popular, with big brands such as IBM investing millions of dollars and dozens of teams to create intricate Second Life communities where they could "communicate" with their customers and expand their brands into Second Life communities.

Recently, though, the fan fare seems to have faded. IT journalist Robert Scoble blogged that Second Life might be entering its own "second life". "Remember, that's that virtual world that got a ton of hype back in 2005/2006," Scoble recalled. "It was on the cover of trade magazines. On CNN and other TV outlets. It looked like it was going to be THE new thing of the decade. What happened?"

Though it came on to the technology and social media scenes with with unbound enthusiasm, it ended up being an expensive and time consuming distraction for some companies and it lost its aura of cool with the media over time, Scoble says.

To regain the momentum, Second Life introduced a new browser that the company hopes will make it easier for users to immerse themselves in Second Life again. "What's exciting about Second Life isn't the platform itself, it's what users are doing with it," Scoble writes. "Second Life citizens don't just have to see paintings. They can enter and experience them. Some users are more practical and use the space for classes or conferences."

While many companies have embraced Second Life, promotions still suggest that the company is pushing a solution without a corresponding business problem. During and following a global recessionary period, companies are under-staffed and the remaining staff are overworked. Who has the excess time to implement a second life - when the first life is more than a full time job? Today, even with Second Life's new browser experience, I remain unconvinced that this is either the next big thing or a tool to enhance business competitiveness.

Perhaps applying newly announced solutions against existing business problems is like a natural filter for hyped IT – if it can be helpful to today's problems or capitalize on tomorrow's opportunities, then you can find the time and energy to look into it. If it looks like fluff, then let the unemployed, technology media and industry pundits check it out.

However, hindsight is 20/20 and sometimes jumping right in is the smart thing to do, as in testing the waters of social media communications to see how it feels and works - and how it improves communications and relationships with prospects and customers.

The introduction of Linux as a secure, stable and less expensive operating system passes the litmus test for solving problems, and has been one of the next big things in IT. However, sometimes things aren't so clear. Social media and social CRM (Customer Relationship Management) could have been dismissed early, however, upon further review, it becomes more clear that your customers are using social networks, so if you desire to increase your communication with them, you'll be advantaged to adopt social media tools and practices. I do believe social media is not for every business or business person, but can be an ideal way for many businesses to get ahead of their competitors.

With Second Life, I always had doubts. I didn't get it. I didn't see the rationale to get on just because lots of other people might get on first or at all. I came across as more of a pansy scheme than a legitimate business tool. Why would I want to sit in front of a computer screen and "communicate" using virtual avatars or animated people to talk with other virtual animated people when I could just pick up the phone or use other channels?

As an IT pro, there's only so much time in your work day. There's only so much available budget to get the job done. Practical efficiency includes making choices among the many IT priorities. The next big things will continue to hit the market, however, common sense and systemic reviews will continue to separate hype from help.