Archive for the ‘Technology’ Category
Getting Innovative Products to Market….Fast!
All successful leaders know that innovation is one of the key foundations of business growth. However, as companies grow, their structures and processes very often evolve in ways that actually impede innovation.
That’s why Simon Brightman, Director, Product Management at the highly-regarded loyalty leader Points.com, is so very passionate about implementing practices that nurture fast, accurate and game-changing innovation.
In BusinessCast episode #209, Simon answers the four questions that leaders of companies, at all stages of development, struggle to answer:
- What makes a really innovative product?
- What makes companies successful at creating innovative and timely products?
- What do innovative companies do that is truly unique?
- How can companies structure themselves to enable innovation?
In addition to providing some very practical advice, Simon talks about how LinkedIn and ING DIRECT have consistently been able to develop exciting, timely products that are enthusiastically embraced by their target markets.
Listen to our discussion with Simon and get the inside scoop on a process that will help ensure that your business is structured for innovation and on-going success.
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Finding the Silver Lining in Cloud Computing
(Note: The following story was first published on the Financial Post — April 27, 2011)
Every year, businesses are spending more resources on information technology to ensure their companies run smoothly. Industry analysts forecast that hardware and software spending will continue to grow annually at a rate of 10% to 20% over the next several years. While these fixed expenses are critical to establish and maintain a strong infrastructure, they take resources away from what businesses should be doing: developing innovative products and finding compelling ways to get them quickly to market.
The good news is that business leaders can now sustain a robust information technology without having to sacrifice innovations that help them stay competitive. The solution that businesses across North America are turning to is “cloud computing” — which is a way for businesses to take advantage of storage and virtual services, saving money on infrastructure and support. Cloud computing combines three distinct elements: it is delivered via the Internet, it is pay-per-use and it is self-service. The recognition that cloud computing is a valuable solution to business leaders can be seen in a new study. In March of this year, Microsoft found that 40% of Canadian businesses, with up to 250 employees, will invest in cloud computing over the next three years.
The considerable business advantages of being able to shift fixed costs to variable costs, which is a core aspect of cloud computing, is felt even more strongly in larger companies. According to Gus Harsfai, President of Ceryx (www.Ceryx.com), one of Canada’s most recognized leaders in providing cloud control for large enterprises, “Companies can realize the financial and operational benefits of leveraging the cloud very quickly.” He recommends that to do so, “Start with a ‘Cloud Coach’. That is, use a trusted and impartial hardware or software advisor that truly understands your business, how it is going to evolve over the next three to five years and relevant cloud service options.”
Cloud computing provides such strong financial and business benefits that companies are quickly overcoming the confusion that occurs when new technologies enter the market. As a result, cloud computing has emerged as the cornerstone of smart computing.
To help Canadian business leaders harness the power of cloud computing, Brian Shepard, founder and CEO of Tenzing Managed I.T. Services, recently sat down with the hosts of the the BusinessCast. Mr. Shepard shared the story behind the growth of Tenzing which provides cloud hosting services to help businesses achieve their goals.
Management? It’s Not What You Think!
Whether you’re new to managing a business or are an old hand at using management tools, practices and literature, there is no doubt that you’ve been touched one way or another by the writings and insights of management/leadership guru, Dr. Henry Mintzberg. For over 40 years, Mintzberg has been the Canadian business thought-leader.
With 15 internationally acclaimed inventive and practical business books to his credit, Dr. Mintzberg has added a new title to his repertoire — and, it just may make him a household name on the scale of Malcolm Gladwell (The Tipping Point), Jim Collins (Good to Great) and Tom Peters (In Search of Excellence). The new book, entitled, “Management? It’s Not What You Think!” is written for today’s busy manager/leader — in that its structure, content and language reads more like a series of provocative and insightful blog articles than a lengthy academic tome.
For BusinessCast #170, Robert and I sat down with Henry Mintzberg to talk about his new co-authored book, some of his previous best selling books, and to get his insights into today’s most critical management/leadership issues. We were surprised with his take on some of the challenges central to the success of all managers/leaders…and we suspect you will be too.
Listen to BusinessCast #170 and find out what the Nation’s business thought-leader has up his sleeve.
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Entrepreneur Bear Traps
As your business grows, have you ever hoped, perhaps secretly, for some way to avoid those costly and time-consuming pitfalls that are a natural, but painful, part of your inevitable success? Well as it turns out, entrepreneurs just like you often confide in Robert and me a desperate need for practical ways to steer clear of common business hazards.
That’s why for BusinessCast #162, we sat down with Rick Spence to uncover today’s most common “entrepreneur bear traps” — those traps that snare even the most thoughtful, innovative, well-funded and profitable businesses.
Rick shares our passion for helping entrepreneurs achieve professional and personal success. For over 20 years, he has shared his observations and insights in many of North America’s most widely-read online and offline business publications. Together with Rick, we identify and tackle today’s “entrepreneur bear traps” in business strategy, marketing, operations, financing and human resources.
Listen to BusinessCast #162 and avoid some entrepreneur bear traps before they catch you off-guard.
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Social Media Metrics
Social Media — it continues to be a hot topic because of its implications for how every entrepreneur approaches and leads their business. That’s why over the last few months we’ve been bringing the insights of many of the world’s experts in the field of social media to the BusinessCast (see below, “A Selection of BusinessCast Episodes Tackling Social Media”).
And, that’s why in BusinessCast #160, Robert and I sat down with the father of web metrics, Jim Sterne. For over a decade, Jim has been helping business leaders across the world better understand the complexities (and myths) of online measurement strategies, tactics and tools. Jim, who also is the entrepreneur behind the world-renowned Emetric Summits, has just authored a straight-forward book that is essential for business leaders/managers: “Social Media Metrics: How to Measure and Optimize Your Marketing Investment“.
A Selection of BusinessCast Episodes Tackling Social Media
In episode #145 Fotobabble – A Social Media Innovation – we get the inside scoop from the mind behind what could be the next big social media business.
In episode #143 The Mitch Joel Interview – international author, successful entrepreneur and new media expert shares the secrets of his success and how to leverage social media.
In episode #136 Social Media – Part 5 – the co-founders of Biz Launch discuss findings from a study on how Canadian growth companies are using social media tools and technologies.
In episode #130 Choosing the Right Social Medial Tools – social media guru Michael Seaton shares with us the social media essentials for all entrepreneurs.
In episode #101 Leveraging the Groundswell – Going Social – Robert and I talk with Charlene Li, co-author of Groundswell – – the book that has become the social media strategy bible — about how business leaders/managers can effectively leverage social media.
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