ReadWriteWeb has posted an article discussing a recently released Forrester Research report. The pull quote that found its way into the RWW article was that 63% of 260 IT professionals polled believe that web 2.0 technologies will have a positive impact on business this year. I’d normally fact check the quote, but at $279 for the report, I think this time I will just take RWW at their word.
I understand, all too well, that this trend is not without some amount of pain for the corporate IT professional. Earlier this year, according to the article, Forrester predicted that businesses would be timidly dipping their toes into the arena in 2008. Knowing how businesses make technology decisions, this lukewarm reception to the web 2.0 crowd from corporate IT does not in any way surprise me. As control of sensitive data leaks out the glass facade from every department into the systems of 3rd party, unaffiliated companies, you can glimpse the deck chairs of the Titanic getting a newly marshaled arrangement from IT. Business IT folk have little enough time to create internal applications and services to compete with the Jones down the street. Now the poor devils have to somehow stay lock-step with the Googles, Yahoos, Microsofts, Facebooks, and Salesforces of the world?
But I can get an integrated map with all my clients locations and directions, their favorite local restaurants, courtside tickets for their favorite sports team online, flowers delivered on the CEO’s birthday with a signed card from our company and more if I use their online CRM. Plus it never goes down, is readable from my blackberry and its free!
I do believe where consumers lead, businesses will inevitably follow. It is a current upon which companies can try to resist, but rarely succeed and surely never come out better for it. Looking around a customer’s office, I can see the tendrils of evidence left by the trend. Gmail has replaced some VIP email accounts who want the web interface features Google offers. Some sales groups are trying out Salesforce and others have SugarCRM. Social Network providers are being talked to about adding their services to the client’s corporate websites. Internally, Directors are looking at web 2.0 communication companies to provide secure discussion forums.
As an online business consultant, my recommendation is for companies to embrace and extend the 2.0 technologies without risking too much. Do pilot tests of some mashup technologies with your existing apps. Talk to the web 2.0 CEOs about their security options, many times they are looking for exactly that partner to help them better their business offering. Let the web 2.0 company do 80% of the heavy lifting in a partnership. As long as your investment is small and your exposure is limited, don’t be afraid to be the first on the block to try a new approach.