Web 2.0

Harnessing the Power of Social Media

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 10:00:00 EST

Transcript of a BriefingsDirect podcast on how businesses need to respond to a marketplace changed by social media mechanisms.

How to Wreck a Good Product in 90 Days or Less

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 10:00:00 EST

The purpose of this article is to tell you how to take a perfectly good (or even a great) product that you’ve potentially spent years and millions of dollars creating - and thoroughly and efficiently ruin it in the shortest amount of time possible. “Why would I want to do that?”, you might ask. Honestly, I don’t know why. But there must be a good reason because I see it happen with shocking regularity.

Klout.com: When Messing with People’s Lives, You’d Better Be Transparent

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 09:03:00 EDT

Netflix's most recent antics infuriated some, amused others and bored most. But one thing about Netflix - Netflix never tried to potentially impact your social and economic life (and not tell you about it). That's not true with Klout. Not familiar with Klout.com? Not all that many people are - I only signed up for it this week, more out of curiosity than anything else after I read an article on it on Engadget - curious about Klout giving away Windows phones that I didn't want anyways.

Netflix Shocker: Confidence Crisis

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 11:45:00 EDT

The last six months have been disastrous for Netflix and Netflix CEO Hastings. The latest surprise - spooking investors with projected losses into next year, and with results for the most recent quarter significantly lower than even bearish analyst expectations. Why are investors fleeing? Simple - they've lost faith in Netflix leadership. Netflix Inc. (NFLX) dropped the most in seven years after the video-rental service said it lost 800,000 U.S. subscribers in the third quarter, more than expected, and predicted more cancellations over a price increase. Netflix plunged 37 percent to $75.28 at 9:39 a.m. New York time, for the biggest intraday decline since October 2004. The stock closed at an all-time high of $298.73 on July 13, according to Bloomberg data. The outlook suggests Netflix has been unable to contain a subscriber revolt over a price increase and aborted plan to force subscribers into separate streaming and DVD services. The company now forecasts losses in 2012 because of costs to offer content in the U.K. and Ireland, and will delay further expansion until profitability is restored.

It's a Game, It's Fun… It's Work?

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 04:00:00 EDT

Be honest. What comes to mind when you picture a gamer? To speak on behalf of many of us, the typical stereotype is of a socially awkward man who never grew up that lives in his parents’ basement whose social interactions are primarily online with other gamers via his handsome avatar. Right? It turns out that we’re wrong. Today's gamers include millions of Americans of all ages and backgrounds. In fact, nearly three-quarters (72%) of all American households play computer or video games (Entertainment Software Association). And the number is skyrocketing thanks to the popularity of games on mobile devices and social networks: Ten years ago there were between 150 million to 200 million gamers. Now, there are over 1 billion gamers globally. (http://www.scribbal.com/2011/08/infographic-the-rise-of-social-gaming/) Why should you care? The reality is that your workforce is likely made up of a bunch of gamers. Your employees are spending their free time and money playing games. What if there was a way for you to tap into this interest AND improve your business? Enter gamification. Gamification is taking what’s fun and addicting about video games and applying it to every day tasks to make them more engaging. With the huge popularity of social games on Facebook and applications such as FourSquare, businesses are also now beginning to experiment with gamification to not only capture the attention of consumers, but to engage and motivate their own employees. The numbers are pointing towards gamification being the next big thing for IT. Gartner predicts that by 2014, more than 70 percent of Global 2000 organizations will have at least one gamified application. What does this look like? There are countless ways that games can be applied to work environments to increase employee engagement, change behavior, and ultimately impact the bottom line. Consider how games could improve project management, programming, employee training, customer service or sales effectiveness. An easy example to visualize is the call center, notorious for focusing employees on performing mundane, repetitive tasks that oftentimes involve an unhappy customer on the other end. There is little camaraderie or collaboration. Creating energy in a call center has always been a challenge. You can give extra incentives for certain key performance indicators, but oftentimes those incentives result in only a temporary upswing in agent motivation and performance. What if we looked at the entire idea of incentives differently? What if the call center became a game and the operators were the players? With the average age of a call center worker being 23, the adoption of new technology and a gaming culture is a natural fit. Here’s how a call center can be gamified:

Enterprise App Stores: What Is It? Who Needs It?

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 11:00:00 EDT

With the proliferation of mobile devices being used in the workplace, and the concept of BYOD (Bring Your Own Devices [to work], “the Consumerization of IT” is not just buzz in the marketplace – it is a reality for many corporations, and soon to be mainstream. Needless to say corporate IT is now facing the challenge of controlling the distribution and management of applications being used on mobile devices in the workforce. Most firms currently don’t have in-house mobile development and management teams at their disposal, and as such are turning more and more to Enterprise App Stores (EAS) as a solution. But what is an Enterprise App Store? Simply put: An Enterprise App Store for corporate IT (not to be confused with app stores that sell business apps) allows a company to securely control the licensing, distribution and management of approved applications to end users more effectively. Designed for the new generation of tablet computers, smart devices and cloud computing platforms, the Enterprise App Store is a way to ensure corporate policies and procedures are met while giving employees the user-friendly experience commonly found in consumer style app stores.

Enterprise Search 2.0: How to Unleash Your Data’s Potential

Wed, 04 May 2011 08:15:00 EDT

IDC analysts predict that by 2020 there will be 15 quintillion files in existence. That kind of volume has brought us to a point where we are using a term like “exabyte” (and quintillion!) to describe how much data exists. How much of that data will your organization own and how will you access it? Dispersed across multiple systems, silos, geographies, and regions, data on its own provides no real inherent value. Native search boxes within applications only show a narrow picture of your data contained within that one application – certainly not enough information to make fast, informed business decisions. What about data contained in customer and employee communities? How can you access the valuable information contained in these rapidly growing, knowledge-intensive communities? Let’s face it – data will never be contained; it will continue to proliferate, particularly with the growth in popularity of social networks and communities. Trying to move it into a single knowledgebase or other system of record is a losing battle. Instead, the key to unleashing your data’s potential lies in the ability to access it anywhere, anytime, and across any and all systems.

Mobile Enablement Presents Challenges and Opportunities

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 10:00:00 EDT

The best way to facilitate mobile enablement projects is with focused, goal oriented, up-front planning that doesn’t underestimate the complexity of the process, especially when dealing with traditional data integration techniques. Mobile adoption rates are on the rise and if market reports are any indication, growth rates aren’t slowing down anytime soon. Consumers and employees alike are the driving forces behind mobile adoption spurred by the evolution in mobile device capabilities along with the speed of mobile networks.

Effectively Manage Embedded Solutions Remotely

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 10:12:00 EST

To get through a long day at the office you grab a snack from the vending machine, which never seems to be out of your favorite item thanks to a network connection that sends inventory information and replenishment requests to the vending management company. After work, you call home and ask what to pick up for dinner, making the call using a Bluetooth connection between your cell phone and the communications system in your car. On the way home you stop at the grocery store to grab dinner and rent a DVD from a rental machine. Transactions like these occur every day by people around the world thanks to embedded systems that run inside vending machines, gas pumps, kiosks, price checkers, retail point-of-sale stations and other devices within the retail, hospitality and financial sectors of the market. Embedded Systems can also be found in many household items including utility meters, appliances, security systems, set-top boxes like DVRs, and home electronics. There are even embedded systems in medical devices in hospitals and doctors’ offices and in factories or industrial sectors as part of machine-to-machine (M2M) interfaces such as processing equipment, controllers, sensors and robotics/automation equipment.

Is Web 2.0 Dead or Is It Thriving?

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 11:18:00 EDT

If you listen to Gartner then you will get confused. In 2009, Gartner in their Hype Cycle declared that Web 2.0 is the technology which will have transformational impact on enterprise. However, on 2010, Web 2.0 does not even find a place in the Hype Cycle. Since Gartner is sending confusing signals, we need to look for other signals [...]

Business Agility Depends on DevOps

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 12:42:17 EDT

True business agility is not about doing more application updates faster. True business agility is about doing more application changes faster without sacrificing the application’s performance or service quality. The more experience one has in trying to manage the performance or service quality of constantly changing applications the more it becomes clear that the number of application performance problems depends on increasing collaboration between development and operations.

What Did We Learn at Cloud Expo in New York?

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 05:28:00 EDT

A year ago, most IT execs were looking into the "what" of Cloud Computing, as Cloud Expo speaker Dr. Hal Stern of Oracle noted. "But this year, people are here to talk about 'how.'" as he said during his session in New York. (Hal was so integral to Sun Microsystems for so long, it's odd to write or see the phrase "Dr. Hal Stern of Oracle." It's sort of like saying "Wayne Gretzky of the Los Angeles Kings," although we're not sure how hockey-fan Hal feels about being compared to The Great One.) Cloud Expo in New York did have that "how" feel through and through, in a way that Santa Clara did not. The last-minute rush in Santa Clara reflected an extreme interest in Cloud; everyone showed up at once to see what all the hubbub was about. In New York, they showed up to see how to squeeze performance out of Cloud Computing, how to become more efficient with it, and how to make it secure.

What's the Best Definition of SOA?

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 23:15:00 EDT

It seems that I am not as flexible as I believed I could be on my thinking regarding SOA. I attempted to categorize various SOA engagements in my SYS-CON article entitled A Classification Scheme for Defining SOA, I believed that I could hide my dissatisfaction with the lack of clarity surrounding SOA by lumping SODA/application development into its own subcategory. I was wrong! When it comes down to it, there's still just too much ambiguity surrounding the term service.

Cloud Computing Unleashes the Potential of SOA - Mezeo Chairman

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:30:00 EDT

The concept of Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) has been around for a long time, and some people believe it has not fulfilled its promise. To the contrary, SOA is well on its way to fulfilling its promise and the rise of cloud computing infrastructure is an important step in this process. In fact, cloud computing is already beginning to unleash the potential of SOA and much more is on the way.

Enterprise Mashups: The New Face of Your SOA

Sun, 11 Jan 2009 17:15:00 EST

Enterprise mashups, one of the hottest Web 2.0 technologies today, could impact your SOA in a very positive way. But are you ready for them? How does an SOA architect prepare for this dynamic technology? Do you know what a mashup is and what value it brings to an enterprise? Can you distinguish between a consumer mashup and an enterprise mashup?

SOA: Preparing for Mashups

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 14:45:00 EDT

It's important to remember that there is a huge resource being created on the Web these days in terms of both services and content. This includes access to SaaS applications (that are better than their enterprise-bound counterparts), service marketplaces, and even mash-able applications that you can mix and match with other Web 2.0 applications / APIs / services or enterprise applications / services to quickly solve business problems.

Mashups Accelerating and SOA Is Along for the Ride

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 11:00:00 EDT

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand that mashups are moving from things that are conceptual and fun, to things that are productive and businesslike. The fact is, developers are leveraging mashups to solve all sorts of business problems these days, and the speed to production and the value of these little applications is compelling.

IBM Empowers Business Users with Customized Web 2.0 Software

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 07:45:00 EDT

IBM announced IBM Mashup Center will be hosted as a free trial on the Web with which non-technical business people can use to experiment and build customized mashups following the success of early corporate adopters Boeing Corporation and Carrefour Group. On schedule for mid-year delivery, the IBM Mashup Center allows business people to create situational applications, or mashups, by remixing information from anywhere to gain business insight and do their jobs smarter and more effectively. Using IBM's mashup technology, even non-technical users will be able to exploit standards and Web-based technology to gain access to myriad information, such as Web sites and feeds, spreadsheets, databases, applications, unstructured text from an email, video, audio and other information on the Web, and make sense of it all in minutes.

Layer 7 Technologies Expands SOA Into Belgian Market

Wed, 28 May 2008 15:30:00 EDT

Layer 7 Technologies announced its go-to-market partnership with Steria Benelux. Steria will act as a channel partner for Layer 7's SOA gateway products in Belgium to offer leading SOA security, governance solutions and support to its current and prospective customers.

SOA World - SOA SDLC: On-Demand

Thu, 22 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT

Spending time with my parents over the holidays got me thinking about the differences between this generation and the previous one. My parents expect to spend a certain amount of time and effort managing certain aspects of their lives. For example, when they drive to an unfamiliar vacation spot, they inquire about directions and even write or plot the route before they head out. Whereas for me, it is a matter of popping out an iPhone or a GPS device, saving time, improving accuracy, and avoiding the mistakes of manually drafting the directions.

Web-Oriented Architecture (WOA) Gains Momentum

Tue, 06 May 2008 14:15:00 EDT

As I've been stating for the past five years: if you want to provide real value to your enterprise, SOA should extend out of the firewall and into the Internet. However, this was not universally accepted by the rank-and-file SOA guys. Generally speaking, most viewed SOA as something that occurred exclusively within the firewall, and extending the reach of their SOA to Internet-based resources was taboo.

The Convergence of Web 2.0 Mashups & SOA

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 11:00:00 EST

Enterprise mashups - the convergence of Web 2.0 mashups and service-oriented architecture (SOA) - can create a world of opportunities for enterprises to come up with internal and customer-facing self-service, composite and 'situational' applications. These applications can be created just-in-time by empowered enterprise business users and by simply combining SOA-enabled information sources and services or SOBAs (service-oriented business application) on the intranet and Internet.

Where Are RIA Technologies Headed in 2008?

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 02:45:00 EST

I am always being told off by i-technologists for quoting Picasso as having said that computers are useless. But I still love his reasoning: 'Because they can only give you answers.' Picasso, like AJAXWorld Magazine, liked questions. So we thought we would share with you what some of the world's leading rich Internet application pioneers are thinking may be the next questions that we need to see answered. From that, readers can themselves infer: where is AJAX headed next?

Bye Bye Traditional Webmastering, Hello "Web Manager 2.0"

Sun, 07 Oct 2007 15:00:00 EDT

A new breed of web manager is emerging to link content management more closely to website visitor satisfaction. The new web manager may operate under several professional guises: 'customer advocate,' 'information guru,' or 'metator,' to name just a few. They need to employ a very different set of soft skills than traditional webmastering, and many enterprises are struggling with the personnel challenges of this transition.

Get a Boost of Flex this Monday in New York City

Sun, 08 Jul 2007 09:00:00 EDT

Can afford to take just one day off, get out of your cubicle and see what other people up to these days? Is J2EE still in favor? What's this ESB is about? Have you even heard of using Flex as a Web front end of your Java applications? Do not miss an event in NYC this Monday, that is created for people who think that they are way too busy to take several days off and spend them in the class. Just take one day off and attend the Real-World Java event. The discounted rate for this event is $395. To get this discount, enter the coupon code ?JUGgold' while registering

SYS-CON Launches "Web 2.0 Journal" – World's First Magazine Devoted Exclusively to Web 2.0

Wed, 01 Mar 2006 17:45:00 EST

We have a long way to go before the next generation of the Web truly arrives. Years and years. As commentator Shel Israel has said: 'Web 2.0 isn't dead. It's just barely being born.' In line with its commitment to keep developers, IT managers, and vendors alike ahead of the i-Technology curve, SYS-CON Media has just unveiled its latest new magazine and website: Web 2.0 Journal (www.web2.sys-con.com).

Microsoft's Live Labs Launches: Think Tank/Incubator for the "Web 2.0" Era

Mon, 30 Jan 2006 12:15:00 EST

Last week, Microsoft marshaled its vast resources and influence to launch a full-blown think tank and incubator for the disruptive and increasingly pervasive technologies and products of the Web 2.0 age: it's called Live Labs. Dion Hinchcliffe was fortunate to be in invited attendance at Microsoft's terrific Search Champs conference last week and had a front row seat to listen to Dr. Gary Flake as he explained the innovative vision for this new and extensive research organization.

Dion Hinchliffe's SOA Blog: How Can We Best Make "The Writeable Web" A Responsible Place?

Mon, 23 Jan 2006 08:45:00 EST

Controlling anarchy on the writetable Web might be as simple asking that folks flash their Identity 2.0 credential right before they change something on the Internet. This ensures their personal identity is attached to the change. And creating a verifiable chain of evidence might be all it takes for people to act more responsibily. Wiki vandalism, comment flaming, and other forms of anonymous mischief on the writeable Web may be eliminated forever when you know that your ID will be attached to it in perpetuity, affecting your hireability, possible suitability for public office, and more, forever.

Large Scale B2B via Web Services

Thu, 26 May 2005 12:00:00 EDT

Over the past few years Web services have grown from a conceptual draft based on the ideal of cross-platform programmatic interoperability to a formal specification and a vision of grand-scale distributed system architectures. Today we are putting that vision to work and designing systems with service-oriented architectures that are critical to our businesses. Amazon.com has been one of the forerunners in the adoption and promotion of Web services. Consistently striving to remain on the forefront of technology, Amazon has thoroughly embraced Web services - so much so in fact, that you can tie some serious revenue numbers directly to the external use of Amazon's Web services.

Business Transaction Protocol: Transactions for a New Age

Mon, 21 Oct 2002 00:00:00 EDT

Use of atomic transactions is a well-known technique for guaranteeing consistency in the presence of failures. The ACID properties of atomic transactions (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability) ensure that even in complex business applications consistency of state is preserved.

The Business Transaction Protocol: Transactions for a New Age

Mon, 23 Sep 2002 00:00:00 EDT

Atomic transactions are a well-known technique for guaranteeing consistency in the presence of failures. The ACID properties of atomic transactions ensure that, even in complex business applications, consistency of state is preserved.