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20 July 2010
Before I get into the best way to survive as a software company, I need to take you back, back, back....
Back in the Web Stone Age (1993), I took an interesting class called, "Understanding Telecommunications Technologies for Non-Engineers".
I remember being fascinated by the overview of our journey from telegraph to fiber optics. The promises of fiber optics, video-on-demand, interactive gaming and more had my inner geek giggling with glee.
However, it was not to last.
You see, by that time (again, 1993) most of the telecommunication giants had converted their networks to fiber optics cables. All of their networks that is except for one critical part; the most expensive part to convert. The part that ran from the pole at your curb to your home.
I sat there at the end of the presentation contemplating what the presenter had dubbed the "Curb to the Home" obstacle. Yes, my dreams of running home that day (or someday within the next few years) to order up some movies and frag some friends in the ether was dying a painful death, but it was more than that. There was a feeling of frustration that the groundwork was all laid and ready and there was just this little bitty thing holding us back; one link that needed to be overcome.
It was a powerful lesson which I have applied to many things in the course of my working life by asking the question: What 'Curb to the Home" obstacle will I encounter when implementing a plan? What small thing will cost the most while also being the most critical? By identifying that issue as far ahead as possible, I find that I have the time to attack and solve it in a more affordable way.
The "Curb to the Home" issue does not have to be a technical one. It can be a marketing challenge, a financial obstacle or even the resistance to an idea.
For a software company that sells online software, it's business buy-in to the benefits of cloud computing.
The "Curb to the Home" Obstacle for an Online Software Company
What are the benefits of cloud computing? Take a look at my page, "Advantages of Leveraging Online Software, Tools and Sites" to find out. Go ahead, I'll wait here...
Back? Great! On with the post...
Now I am not saying that all businesses are unaware of the benefits of cloud computing, but even if they are, many are busy trying to run their business and, unless they are presented compelling reasons to change, they will not pay attention to the cloud computing world.
Meanwhile, in the cloud computing world, it's relatively inexpensive and straightforward today for a software company to build an application and put it out online. New ones pop-up everyday and many, if not most, are not half bad at what they do. Sadly, just as quickly, many of them disappear.
Why? Because many a software company spends so much time, money and energy on getting the word out about what their software does and how much better it is than all the rest and not enough time, money and energy getting the word out why cloud computing rocks!
And that's the place to start.
The Big Picture is the Key to Survival
If you look carefully at any online software company that has been around for a while, you will note that many of the individuals within that software company are big voices in the cloud computing world. They write blog posts and books about the benefits on online software and why companies need to migrate into the cloud.
When they sell their product, it is always within the context of the bigger picture. Their message is that cloud computing is the answer and their software company is a subset of that answer.
They sell the benefits of cloud computing and reap the rewards from businesses who have been shown the way.
I'm not saying that online software companies need to hire a ghostwriter to pen a book; nor do they need to schedule their folks on huge speaking tours (though neither of those steps would hurt..lol). However, online software vendors need to be involved in the cloud computing community. They cannot be "just" cloud vendors; they must also be cloud advocates.
Only by selling the cloud will you sell your software.
