Monthly Archives: February 2015

Is there a difference between a Chief Digital Officer and a Chief Data Officer?

24 Tuesday Feb 2015

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For me, this question is like looking at two different angles of a prism.  Both sides admit that the digital transformation of the enterprise (of ANY size) means that the digital assets of the business require closer attention, and the infrastructure to do business is critical.

But for me, the Chief Digital Officer is more of a focus on the processes of the organisation, and the Chief Data Officer is more of a focus on the precious assets of the business.

I am an information economist by training, so I go back to the Theory of the Firm, in which all elements are contracted relationships — except for the firm’s data.  The data is the critical asset that in context belongs to the firm and its processes, and its usage and management are a key function of how a firm makes money, utilises resources and maximises profit.

Is the organisation looking to leverage its assets in more productive ways?  Or is the organisation trying to streamline how business is done, not only for more marketing automation, but for a richer and deeper relationship with the customer?

Two-sides of the same coin, which is why the terms CMO and CIO have morphed into CDO, for which many do not agree with what it means.

Just my humble opinion.  😉

 

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It is not what, but who the augmented glasses are for….

21 Saturday Feb 2015

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I tried Google Glass in a demo, and realized quickly that it was not for me.  It had nothing to do with what I looked like, but everything to do with how I wanted to use the technology. So I am not in a hurry for Microsoft HoloLens, Sony’s SmartEyeGlass SED-E1 Developer Edition or the revision of Google Glass.

But that is not the real point, IMHO, for augmented glasses as wearable technology. It is for a different audience, and again it is not segmented by age, but  gaming ability / agility.  Because I believe the driver for augmented glasses are the lovers of virtual reality games, who want to make this more of a reality in their IRL world.  The challenge with this is as time moves on (pun in favor of the smart watch), many will start to choose how many wearable devices they put on in the morning.

I just saw a survey on how many devices people use during the day, and how times they switch devices.  Many use up to 6 or more devices, and switch multiple times during the day.   And that is my point — I like to use the proper tool(s) for the activity required. Too many of the wearables are unique to one task, and this is where the glasses will be a bit more serviceable than a fitbit or monitor of some form.  But if I try to avoid normal glass wearing right now, it will take quite an effort to get me on board.  Let’s see how many devices we are willing to wear over time, or will we have a device-free movement?   😉

 

Apple Automotive? Revamping a car….but not a network.

18 Wednesday Feb 2015

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Hold the phone! (pun intended) There is lots of talk about Apple creating its own car, or Apple buying Tesla.   So is Apple in the iCar business now?

When you get down to it, what business is Apple, or Google, or IBM, or many other more traditional ICT companies actually in these days?  Automation?  Technological enablement?  Process change? Distribution evolution? 😉

I was just listening to CNN at lunch, and the commentator made an interesting point about it being the right time to reinvent the car.  The car for many is a personal mode of transport, which a personal form of anything is usually right up Apple’s street.  Watches, data storage, smart clothing — many forms of personal consumption are being remade. The problem currently with cars at present is that they require an infrastructure to sell, support, resell and service.  Someone would really have to make a big investment to redo that world.  So I doubt Apple wants to go that way.

Financing, recalls, etc are not likely to Apple’s kind of thing, so I suspect they will leverage some form of existing infrastructure to remake that world. Apple has created an infrastructure to sell / market its products, which is why I believe the Tesla rumor is interesting, because Apple could then leverage that infrastructure for servicing its iCar.   Because a car in the current infrastructural dynamic requires aftersales service, needs to have a residual value for resale, needs to go through a regular inspection for licensing, etc.

But I believe, based on other rumours, it is more likely that Apple would use the car hire networks to release its car, versus having its own infrastructure or buying into Tesla’s.  Because Apple is not in the business of aftersales service so much, more about initial purchase and consumable add-ons (a la iTunes and mobile apps).  You will likely be able to lease an iCar, or buy and service via Hertz, Avis, etc.

Just my humble opinion as an information economist……