The Rite To Be Forgotten

Steve Wilson

Former Vice President and Principal Analyst
Constellation Research

Steve Wilson is former VP and Principal Analyst at Constellation Research, leading the business theme Digital Safety and Privacy. His coverage includes digital identity, data protection, data privacy, cryptography, and trust. His advisory services to CIOs, CISOs, CPOs and IT architects include identity product strategy, security practice benchmarking, Privacy by Design (PbD), privacy engineering and Privacy [or Data Protection] Impact Assessments (PIA, DPIA). Coverage Areas: -  Identity management, frameworks & governance-  Digital identity technologies-  Privacy by Design -  Big Data; “Big Privacy”-  Identity & privacy innovation Previous experience: Wilson has worked in ICT innovation, research, development and analysis for over 25 years. With double…...

Read more

This is a repost of my analysis of the Right to be Forgotten. Original post published September 30, 2014. 

The European Court of Justice recently ruled on the so-called "Right to be Forgotten" granting members of the public limited rights to request that search engines like Google suppress links to Personal Information under some circumstances.  The decision has been roundly criticised by technologists, by American libertarians, and even by some privacy advocates.  Objections are raised on various grounds; the one I want to answer here is that search engines should not have to censor "facts" retrieved from the "public domain". 

• "[The European Court of Justice] said that individuals have the right to ask companies operating search engines to remove links with personal information about them -- under certain conditions. This applies when information is inaccurate, for example, or inadequate, irrelevant, outdated or excessive for the purposes of data processing. The Court explicitly ruled that the right to be forgotten is not absolute, but that it will always need to be balanced against other fundamental rights, such as the freedom of expression and the freedom of the media -- which, by the way, are not absolute rights either".

For The New Yorker, Toobin interviewed Kent Walker, Google's general counsel. Walker said Google likes to think of itself as a "card catalogue": "We don't create the information. We make it accessible. A decision like [the ECJ's], which makes us decide what goes inside the card catalogue, forces us into a role we don't want."

But there's a great deal more to search than Walker lets on.

Google certainly does create fresh Personal Information, and in stupendous quantities. Their search engine is the bedrock of a hundred billion dollar business, founded on a mission to "organize the world's information". Google search is an incredible machine, the result of one of the world's biggest ever and ongoing software R&D projects. Few of us now can imagine life without Internet search and instant access to limitless information that would otherwise be utterly invisible. Search really is magic - just as Arthur C. Clarke said any sufficiently advanced technology would be.

On its face therefore, no search result is a passive reproduction of data from a "public domain". Google makes the public domain public.

But while search is free, it is hyper profitable, for the whole point of it is to underpin a gigantic advertising business. The search engine might not create the raw facts and figures in response to our queries, but it covertly creates and collects symbiotic metadata, complicating the picture. Google monitors our search histories, interests, reactions and habits, as well as details of the devices we're using, when and where and even how we are using them, all in order to divine our deep predilections. These insights are then provided in various ways to Google's paying customers (advertisers) and are also fed back into the search engine, to continuously tune it. The things we see courtesy of Google are shaped not only by their page ranking metrics but also by the company's knowledge of our preferences (which it forms by watching us across the whole portfolio of search, Gmail, maps, YouTube, and the Google+ social network). When we search for something, Google tries to predict what we really want to know.

In the modern vernacular, Google hacks the public domain.

The collection and monetization of personal metadata is inextricably linked to the machinery of search. The information Google serves up to us is shaped and transformed to such an extent, in the service of Google's business objectives, that it should be regarded as synthetic and therefore the responsibility of the company. Their search algorithms are famously secret, putting them beyond peer review; nevertheless, there is a whole body of academic work now on the subtle and untoward influences that Google exerts as it filters and shapes the version reality it thinks we need to see.

Some objections to the RTBF ruling see it as censorship, or meddling with the "truth". But what exactly is the state of the truth that Google purportedly serves up? Search results are influenced by many arbitrary factors of Google's choosing; we don't know what those factors are, but they are dictated  by Google's business interests.  So in principle, why is an individual's interests in having some influence over search results any less worthy than Google's? The "right to be forgotten" is an unfortunate misnomer: it is really more of a 'limited right to have search results filtered differently'. 

When people frame RTBF as "rewriting history" they seem to regard Googe's search results as a formal public record. But they're not - they are they means to an end for an advertising business.  Search results represent Google's proprietary assessment of what matters.  And they are relative.  Search results are utterly different from one user to another, and from one month to the next.  Why should this customised stream of corporate consciousness not be subject to reasonable editing so as to balance the rights of people that it happens to include? 

If Google's machinery reveals Personal Information that was hitherto impossible to find, then why shouldn't it at least participate in protecting the interests of the people affected? I don't deny that modern technology and hyper-connectivity creates new challenges for the law, and that traditional notions of privacy may be shifting. But it's not a step-change, and in the meantime, we need to tread carefully. There are as many unintended consequences and problems in the new technology as there are in the established laws. The powerful owners of benefactors of these technologies should accept some responsibility for the privacy impacts. With its talents and resources, Google could rise to the challenge of better managing privacy, instead of pleading that it's not their problem.

Research

The State of Privacy in 2015

Big Privacy Rises to the Challenges of Big Data

Webcast

Critical Big Data and Privacy Trends

Supply chains strive to achieve precise demand shaping – doubled edged sword

pending

Guy Courtin was formerly Vice President and Principal Analyst at Constellation Research covering Matrix Commerce and how the Internet of Things drives the evolution of commerce.  Guy has over 15 years experience in the technology space and specifically in the supply chain space. Most recently he was the Vice President of Research at SCM World. Where he focused on the service providers that empowered supply chains. Prior to SCM World, Guy held numerous senior positions. He was responsible for product marketing at RSi, a retail supply chain solution provider. There managed RSi’s go to market strategy around their leading cloud based supply chain solutions. He also spear headed Progress Software’s supply chain group. Where he was responsible for driving revenue and market share as well…...

Read more

Over the past few weeks I have been meeting with a number of supply chain services companies who are talking about and focusing on developing solutions that will allow users to be laser focused with demand sensing and shaping. This was particularly evident during my meetings at NRF in New York. We also have the likes of eCommerce giant Amazon who have patented technology that claims to be able to put on the truck the product you have yet to order because they know that you will order it! All very interesting and exciting for supply chains – these supply chains strive to eliminate or at least control the lumpiness associated with their demand patterns.

However this begets a question – is this necessarily good? For example. The situation I hear often is what takes place at Starbucks. A regular client walks into their local Starbucks, the barista notices them standing in line and knows their preferred order. The customer reaches the cash register and their usual venti, skinny, vanilla latte is already waiting for them. All they have to do is pay and pick up their piping hot coffee.  Sounds lovely.

They know what you want before you order it!

And for the most part maybe that customer appreciates the convenience, and feeling of being so well known that you are the “mayor” of that Starbucks. But what if that customer does not want that skinny vanilla latte? What if the customer wants a hot chocolate one day? Do they dare deviate from their usual order or do they accept the usual order for the convenience?

The same holds true for grocers such as Stop and Shop or Walmart, who let you order online and pick up in store – and will predict what your basket will look like. So all you need to do is drive to the grocery store and pick up your order. There is no need to think too much. Of course the positive is that there are tremendous time savings for the customer if they do not want to contemplate a new mix of groceries. But what if the consumer wants to try a new cheese or kitchen cleaner? If their order is already compiled for them will they get the opportunity to see what else is available? Or do we not want to give them the opportunity? How do we make sure they have the opportunity to browse?

My point is not that supply chain users and vendors should not stop striving to get too smart and more effective when it comes to demand shaping and sensing. However there must be some balance when it comes to how precise and “effective” the supply chains need and want to be with regards to the customer. Yes, we want to eliminate lumpiness and extract those savings from the supply chain. But retailers and other players in the supply chains need to still keep a balance with being very precise with how they manipulate and predict demand with the opportunity for their customers to deviate from their usual demand. Retailers and other customer focused industries need to determine how precise they want to be with their demand shaping and how much freedom they want to give their customers to roam and wander through options.

Research Preview: 9 Cloud Trends Every CxO Needs to Know in 2015

Holger Mueller

Vice President and Principal Analyst
Constellation Research

Holger Mueller is VP and Principal Analyst for Constellation Research for the fundamental enablers of the cloud, IaaS, PaaS and next generation Applications, with forays up the tech stack into BigData and Analytics, HR Tech, and sometimes SaaS. Holger provides strategy and counsel to key clients, including Chief Information Officers, Chief Technology Officers, Chief Product Officers, Chief HR Officers, investment analysts, venture capitalists, sell-side firms, and technology buyers.  Coverage Areas: Future of Work Tech Optimization & Innovation  Background: Before joining Constellation Research, Mueller was VP of Products for NorthgateArinso, a KKR company. There, he led the transformation of products to the cloud and laid the foundation for new Business Process as a…...

Read more

In the digital age, the cloud has transitioned from the responsibility of the CIO to the responsibility of the entire C-suite. Cloud computing has morphed from a simple utility into a running a set applications which is utilized by all functions within a business. Consequently, all CxOs should be aware of major trends in cloud technology. I’ve identified nine of these cloud trends in my latest piece of research, “Nine Cloud Trends Every CxO Needs to Know in 2015”. This report provides a comprehensive first look at these key trends and allows CxOs to familiarize themselves with them and then drive to first actions and conclusions for their respective enterprise. The success of every department depends on the CxO’s fluency of the apps and underlying cloud technology that, both, power and are produced by organizations in the digital age. 

Cloud adoption will fundamentally transform IT organizations. Locations, jobs, positions, skills and the self-understanding of IT’s role in the 21st century are dramatically changing. The next decade will see more changes for IT than the function has seen since its inception in the 1950’s. Read my lips: proficiency in the basic elements of the cloud will be a requirement for all CxO roles in the next ten years. Embrace the cloud or face disruption.

This shift is happening already. Most vendors have transitioned to a platform zone, which has allowed them to create middleware platforms. The consequence is that Platform as a Service (PaaS) will disappear even more as a market category in 2015. CxOs need to be aware of the benefits, but also the lock-ins, that come with using cloud as a middleware platform. At the same time, OpenStack will lose its unity as the participating vendors see more economic benefits for themselves by differentiating beyond the compatibility layer. And beyond OpenStack, there is an overall need for cloud vendors to specialize in order to differentiate from the market leader.

Despite the success of the public cloud, most enterprises will still have hybrid deployments as the predominant form of cloud adoption. At the same time, growing legal and statutory requirements will make the location of data centers a key criteria for enterprises selecting cloud vendors. But enterprises will also realize that for the next-generation application demands, there is no alternative to cloud adoption. The nature and demands of next-generation applications force the adoption of cloud, as cloud qualities are key for the benefits that enterprises want to garner from these applications.
 

Prepare yourself for a productive conversation about the future of the cloud in your organization. The table of contents and a snapshot of my report is available for download.

IoT; Solution Architecture; Network Integration Groups and Fog Computing

Andy Mulholland

Vice President and Principal Analyst, Constellation Research
Constellation Research

Andy Mulholland is Vice President and Principal Analyst focusing on cloud business models. Formerly the Global Chief Technology Officer for the Capgemini Group from 2001 to 2011, Mulholland successfully led the organization through a period of mass disruption. Mulholland brings this experience to Constellation’s clients seeking to understand how Digital Business models will be built and deployed in conjunction with existing IT systems. Coverage Areas Consumerization of IT & The New C-Suite: BYOD, Internet of Things, IoT, technology and business use Previous experience: Mulholland co authored four major books that chronicled the change and its impact on Enterprises starting in 2006 with the well-recognised book ‘Mashup Corporations’ with Chris Thomas of Intel. This was followed in…...

Read more

Your Enterprise has had amazing productivity improvements in its manufacturing operations for a low investment by adding Sensing to critical points in the flow process.  The sensors are spread across the entire internal material and process flow from warehouse to inspection in an Intranet of Things. Logically the next move is to use the Internet of Things externally to add the same capabilities to the flow of materials from its suppliers. But how do you scale up for this, and does it affect your existing IoT investment?

Research report now available: The Foundational Elements for the Internet of Things (IoT)

If you have been following this series of Blogs On IoT then you will have realized that this is not quite a straightforward issue of doing the same thing on a larger scale. You will also recognize that the underlining of Intranet of Things versus Internet of Things is a very deliberate way of drawing attention to the difference. See blog; ‘From the Intranet of Things to the Internet of Everything – Introducing the required solution architecture’ which describes the Network centric infrastructure of ‘Fog Computing’ required to connect and support a whole world of Internet connected sensor technology.

The Challenge of making connections to the ‘right’ sensors probably with multiple ‘owners’; that can supply the ‘right’ data; at the ‘right’ time; to the ‘right’ receiving Service; which in turn can evoke the ‘right’ responses to the data is indeed complex! To solve this the technology companies are introducing new, radical products with capabilities that build upon the experience of Cloud, Mobility, etc. as well as the experiences gained with global scale Internet based Web Services.

The previous blog, defining ‘Intranet v Internet’ networked Devices, showed how Networking is extending to provide new capabilities supporting activities moving to a huge number of small devices connected around the ‘edge’. As opposed to traditional networking where traffic flows move to centralized points such as Data Centers. In this blog the topic is how the ‘flow’ of data is created and managed through Network Integration of groups of sensors and responding services into virtual networks complete with virtual firewalls. As with many complex architectural solutions a very simple Use Case will help in clarifying the issues to address and the resulting solution.

The diagram below illustrates a manufacturing enterprise with a representation of an external ecosystem of suppliers, logistics and the road network. Initially the enterprise applied Sensors to various aspects of its internal manufacturing operations increasing the amount of live real time data available to make optimized dynamic operational decisions in the light of much increased information. The improvements possible for this first phase of IoT deployment are usually considerable, (see blog on Harley Davidson success story using the Intranet of Things internally).

Naturally such excellent returns from small investments encourage extension externally to add data from the longer gestation periods and operational complications for suppliers and logistics. In other words a move from internal Intranet connected Sensors to external Internet connected Sensors relying on Networking to provide the connectivity and functionality required.

There are many more factors externally that can affect an optimized plan for a manufacturing operation than the more limited numbers of internal factors more directly under the enterprise control. Ultimately all Digital Business comes down to the ability to sense and respond in an optimal manner to external factors. Successful engagement with, and use of, the data from the Internet of Things is a prerequisite of a successful Digital Business!

In the diagram sensors are positioned on every element, some such as the road traffic reporting sensors are clearly publically accessed, whilst others such as those on an individual truck belonging to the Logistics Company are private. ‘Network Integration’ is required to identify, and integrate, a group of sensing Devices into a virtual network to communicate the consolidation of data to one, or more, selected authorized receiving point(s). The receiving point(s) are then responsible for the choice, and orchestration, of Services, or transactional Applications, that will provide a Business valuable response.

Though all Internet of Things devices share a common physical connection the network has to provide an advanced set of Services, which identify, and integrate, the required Devices into a series of secure virtual networks. Each virtual network contains the sensors that together provide the complete data set relating to a particular activity. In turn the Network Integrated Group must also included one, or more, designated receiving points.

Network Integration Groups will be a mixture of predetermined, fixed groupings, and dynamic on demand groupings responding to a authenticated data request from a designated receiving point. In IoT, the Fog Computing technology model requires Networking to play a substantial and active role, even more so than in the Cloud Computing technology model.

A simple use case based on the diagram above helps to explain; At the top right is Acme Manufacturing who are operating a dynamic production plan as part of their flexibility to respond agilely to Digital Business market opportunities. Starting from the bottom right is a flow of suppliers including Beta Components; and Road Runners one of several Logistics operators that together make up the extended value chain that Acme Manufacturing is dependent upon. Clearly the unmonitored external operational conditions exceed the number of internal operational points that IoT is now monitoring so successfully.

Acme Manufacturing has an outline production plan for the day based on an online call off for certain parts to Beta Components together with a time for delivery. Road Runners Logistics also gets a copy of the online documentation to use with public road sensors and traffic reporting in making their decision as to the best route/journey time. This enables them to inform Beta Components of their collection time and Acme Manufacturing of the planned deliver fulfillment details.

This online electronic call off interaction between the three companies provides the details of each company’s private sensors that will be monitoring the entire fulfillment together with the authentication to for access. Acme Manufacturing can now requests the Network Integration Group Services function to integrate the identified sensors into a virtual group that will collate and report all the data relevant to the Call Off to the Acme Manufacturing receiving point.

Each call off, on each and every Supplier, will result in defining a new and different Network Integration Group requirement to create a unique group of ioT Devices. And, of course there will, in time, for any given Enterprise, operating as a connected dynamic Digital Business hundreds, even thousands of these virtual Network Integration Groups live at once, each connected to fulfill a specific business actions requirements.

Together the IoT Devices in a given Network Integration Group will be able to supply a cohesive and complete data set as a full information flow required to invoke dynamic Business responses to changing conditions being monitored. In the Use Case of Acme Manufacturing the dynamic reporting of how the delivery of the critical parts to match planned production is progressing. At the same time that Acme Manufacturing are managing their call offs and aligned IoT data flows, so will Beta Components being doing the same with their suppliers, as will many other Enterprises.

The delivery of the finished retail product from Acme will be tracked in much the same way by citizen customers who may want to use other Sensing sources to decide on when and where they might take delivery. This in turn introduces the term the Internet of Everything as at a mass Smart City level devices such as Wearable Watches may participate in Network Integration Groups.

Enterprises are coming to terms with using a mix of Public and Private, even Hybrid, Cloud Computing to support their internal IT transactional systems. Externally supporting massive numbers of shared Devices in the dynamic interactional Internet of Things by Fog Computing lifts the level of understanding and use of capabilities to a new level!

Fog Computing could be said to be the next stage in the Technology Industry long path towards the term ‘The Network is the Computer’, first expressed by Sun in respect of its TCP/IP based Unix Workstations in the mid eighties. The term has been resurrected with each new wave of Technology ever since, whether Client-Server enterprise applications, or Internet based web servers! It is clear is that the network infrastructure, or ‘Fabric’, and Networking as a set of services, are again required to take a further range of critical of tasks. A series of recent announcements from Cisco, both in terms of strategic direction, and of products sets, relate to the introduction such capabilities.

This blog has outlined the role of ‘Network Integration’ in the Internet of Things with its enabling architecture of Fog Computing. For most adopters of IoT sensing this is not an immediate issue, as excellent financial returns, indeed usually better by a significant factor than the returns on most IT projects today, can be delivered over the existing enterprise closed Networks. However, too many promising technology pilots and initial schemes fail to deliver long term success due to a lack of understanding of the development direction the industry is taking so it is important to recognize the direction of IOT.

Understanding exactly what the Internet of Things does makes it clear that the successful use of IoT and IoE are critical success factors for Enterprises in Digital Business models.

The next blog in this series on the Internet of Things, IoT, will move to describe Data flows, Industrial to Information Technology data models and their integration, leading to invoking of Services Orchestration. It is also recommended to read the Digital Business series of Blogs published on alternative weeks to the IoT blogs on the Constellation Research web site to understand core business functions in a true Digital Business together with the technology requirements, deployments and alignments required.

Research report now available: The Foundational Elements for the Internet of Things (IoT)

Market Move – Vector Capital takes Saba Software Private

Holger Mueller

Vice President and Principal Analyst
Constellation Research

Holger Mueller is VP and Principal Analyst for Constellation Research for the fundamental enablers of the cloud, IaaS, PaaS and next generation Applications, with forays up the tech stack into BigData and Analytics, HR Tech, and sometimes SaaS. Holger provides strategy and counsel to key clients, including Chief Information Officers, Chief Technology Officers, Chief Product Officers, Chief HR Officers, investment analysts, venture capitalists, sell-side firms, and technology buyers.  Coverage Areas: Future of Work Tech Optimization & Innovation  Background: Before joining Constellation Research, Mueller was VP of Products for NorthgateArinso, a KKR company. There, he led the transformation of products to the cloud and laid the foundation for new Business Process as a…...

Read more

Today we learned that Saba Software (Saba) is being taken private by San Francisco headquartered Vector Capital (Vector). The deal is valued at 400M US$ (see here) - setting the Saba stock price at 9 US$, pretty close to where it was trading over the counter (SABA was de-listed in 2013).

REDWOOD SHORES, CA and SAN FRANCISCO, CA. – February 10, 2015 –Saba (OTC Pink: SABA), a global leader in cloud-based intelligent talent management solutions, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with affiliates of Vector Capital (“Vector”) under which an affiliate of Vector will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Saba common stock for $9.00 per share in an all cash offer.

MyPOV – Nice way to stick in the new software category that Saba is trying to shape – ‘intelligent talent management’, with a lot of use of analytics. A good positioning and we took a first look at the new Compensation Management product back at HR Tech in Amsterdam in fall of 2014.

“Over the course of Saba’s comprehensive review, the Board of Directors and our advisors evaluated a wide range of strategic alternatives, and engaged with a number of parties. We are pleased to have reached this agreement with Vector, which provides significant cash value for our shareholders. Our Board unanimously believes that this is the best outcome for Saba, our shareholders, customers, partners and employees,” said Bill Russell, Saba’s Non-Executive Chairman.

MyPOV – Let’s hope this is the best outcome for Saba, which has been trouble for (too) long by not being able to release earning statements. Vector actually helped Saba with a credit line in the past (see here), so this acquisition may be a consequence of that credit action. If a good or bad next move – only time will tell and we may never know. Vector has a good track record getting troubled vendors back on track, I remember once famously hyped Niku (ultimately sold to CA) as a good example.

“Over the last 17 years, Saba has delivered a growing set of innovative intelligent talent management solutions, which are in use today by more than 2,200 global market leaders and innovators,” said Shawn Farshchi, President and CEO of Saba. “Vector has been a great partner to Saba since 2013. We are thrilled to continue the relationship, and take advantage of the support and resources of Vector and their partner network to strategically invest in expanding our product portfolio, further our customer success programs, and continue to the next stage of the company’s growth and market leadership.”

MyPOV – The way how Farshchi puts it, it looks like Vector might invest more into Saba. And that investment is certainly needed, as the vendor is building a new product suite and needs to compete with both Talent Management and overall HCM suite vendors with deep pockets.

“Vector, along with some of the world’s premiere financial institutions and investors, are excited to help Saba move beyond its financial restatement process and put the focus squarely on the Company’s innovative cloud talent management platform and its blue chip customer base,” said David Fishman, Managing Director and Head of the Private Equity Team at Vector Capital.

Andy Fishman, Managing Director at Vector Capital, said, “We are excited to partner with the management team and the dedicated and talented group of employees at Saba. We look forward to them becoming part of the Vector family.”

MyPOV – Interesting to find two quotes from Vector in the press release. Goldman Sachs veteran David Fishman is certainly the ‘software guy’ at Vector – with exposure to almost all its software related portfolio. Maybe both Vector divisions – Private Equity and Vector Capital help to fund the deal. Or Vector Capital gave Saba the credit, and now it is Private Equity to step up. Though the credit was relatively small (25M US$) compared to the current transaction value.

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and the approval of Saba shareholders, and is expected to close in the coming months. The transaction is not subject to any financing conditions. Saba senior management is expected to remain in Redwood Shores. [...]

MyPOV – Good to add that the senior management will stay in the campus in Redwood Shores – which promises personnel stability.

Implications, Implications

So let’s look at the implications of this transaction for the constituents.

Implications for Saba Customers

The hope would be that this transaction ends concerns about the viability of Saba. It will be back to Vector and Saba to make sure that roadmaps and viability from a corporate and financial perspective are given and communicated. Customers should actively reach out to Saba to get re-assurances on both roadmap items, global build-out and continuing operations. Saba and Vector should expect these inquiries and be ready to address them, ideally even proactively.

Assuming this will all pass well, this transaction is good news for Saba customers. Saba was previously cut out from raising capital, it now has the privacy of private equity to restructure, get books in order and grow product and global presence.

In the long run customers should not forget that Vector is a private equity firm and will not hold Saba ‘forever’ – so looking at the customary exit for PE firms in 5 or 7 years of holding Saba will be an important aspect for future contract negotiations.

Implications for Saba

We can only hope that this will put the vendor on solid footing, good investment and return to the strength and good reputation that Saba once had in the Learning and Talent Management space. As we wrote earlier, Learning is not winning the Talent Management Wars or the HCM Wars – so it is key for Saba to actively expand its portfolio. Like all Talent Management vendors it will need to decide if it needs to create a HR Core system – or not. The new (true) analytic (more here) angle of the latest product version is promising, but needs customer traction and adoption.

Implications for Saba Competitors

It looks like nobody wanted to buy Saba. Its strong Learning would have been a fit for Workday, could have complemented both Oracle and SAP. Would have helped Infor. Maybe ADP. Added a lot of customers for Ceridian and Ultimate, but probably was too expensive for them. If Saba ever explored this and why it did not happen - we will probably never know. Assuming Vector will invest into Saba, they (and the Talent Management vendors like Cornerstone, Lumesse, Skillsoft SumTotal, TechnoMedia etc. will see a more formidable competitor. The targeting of Saba customers may come to an end soon.

MyPOV

I hope this turns a less fit vendor into a good market participant and competitor. Talent Management has for a long time overpromised and under delivered. It is time for Round 2 – using the next generation capabilities of (true) analytics, BigData and cloud. That analytics matter for talent management, starting in recruiting is widely accepted not only by the traditional vendors but a bustling startup scene. Looking forward to have one stronger vendor in the market – good luck to Saba customers, employees and the vendor overall. Good to see the Saba story has not ended (yet).

----------

Data is Eating Marketing: Digital, Social and Mobile in 2015

Gavin Heaton

Founder
Disruptors Co

Gavin is the Founder of Disruptors Co, one of Australia’s leading independent strategy and innovation companies. Gavin advises firms on strategy, marketing, product development and innovation. He is also a member of the Orbits program, the influencer network of award winning analyst and advisory firm, Constellation Research. Gavin advises boards and leadership on innovation strategy, marketing, data-driven product development and corporate venturing. Gavin is on the board of Vibewire, a youth-led social enterprise based in Sydney, Australia and on the Technology Advisory Group for Good2Give – the workplace giving platform. ...

Read more

Data. It’s out there. And there is plenty of it. We create data with every status update, photo shared or website viewed. Each search we make is being monitored, sorted, indexed and analysed. Every purchase we make is being correlated, cross-matched and fed into supply chain systems. And every phone call we make is being logged, kept, passed on for “security purposes”.

There are so many kinds of data that it is hard to keep up with it all. There is the data that we know about – the digital items we intentionally create. There are digital items that are published – like books, websites and so on. There is email which creates its own little fiefdom of data.

There is also the data about data – metadata – which describes the data that we create. Take, for example, a simple Tweet. It is restricted to 140 characters. That is the “data” part. But the metadata attached to EACH and EVERY tweet includes information like:

• Your location at the time of tweeting (ie latitude and longitude)
• The device you used to send the tweet (eg phone, PC etc)
• The time of your tweet
• The unique ID of the tweet.

But wait, there’s more. From the Twitter API, you can also find out a whole lot more, including:

• Link details contained within the tweet
• Hashtags used
• Mini-profiles of anyone that you mention in your tweet
• Direct link information to any photos shared in your tweet

There will also be information related to:

• You
• Your bio / profile
• Your avatar, banner and Twitter home page
• Your location
• Your last tweet.

There is more. But the point really is not about Twitter. It is the fact that a seemingly innocuous act is generating far more data than you might assume. The same metadata rules apply to other social networks. It could be Facebook. Or LinkedIn. It applies to every website you visit, each transaction you make. Every cake you bake. Every night you stay (you see where I am going, right?)

For marketers, this data abundance is brilliant, but also a distraction. We could, quite possibly, spend all our time looking at data and not talking to customers. Would this be a bad thing? I’d like to think so.

The question we must ask ourselves is “who is eating whom?”.

In the meantime, for those who must have the latest stats – We Are Social, Singapore’s massive compendium is just what you need. Binge away.

The State of Customer Success Management in 2015

Vice President and Principal Analyst, Constellation Research
Constellation Research

Role: Vice President and Principal Analyst focusing on the IOT of Customer Experience and how the cloud is driving more flexible, agile, and robust customer service and customer experiences. In-app or in device customer service is the future. Coverage Areas: Next Generation Customer, Digital Marketing Transformation Bio: As a Vice President and Principal Analyst at Constellation Research, Inc, Petouhoff works with Fortune 100 and 500’s Senior Leadership teams to create strategic customer experience (marketing, sales and service) solutions which engage customers, build brands and grow businesses. Combining her experience as a former Forrester software analyst, PWC systems integrator and change management consultant, Petouhoff leads executive workshops to discuss to not only…...

Read more

This report is about The State of Customer Success Management in 2015. Constellation’s research team delivers its inaugural series on the state of the state. The state of the state research explores the impact of digital transformation, next generation customer experience and matrix commerce from a systems perspective considering the political, economical, societal, technological, environmental, and legislative point of view. This research report explores a key area – Customer Success Management (CSM).

Analyst Event Best Practices - A year in review

Holger Mueller

Vice President and Principal Analyst
Constellation Research

Holger Mueller is VP and Principal Analyst for Constellation Research for the fundamental enablers of the cloud, IaaS, PaaS and next generation Applications, with forays up the tech stack into BigData and Analytics, HR Tech, and sometimes SaaS. Holger provides strategy and counsel to key clients, including Chief Information Officers, Chief Technology Officers, Chief Product Officers, Chief HR Officers, investment analysts, venture capitalists, sell-side firms, and technology buyers.  Coverage Areas: Future of Work Tech Optimization & Innovation  Background: Before joining Constellation Research, Mueller was VP of Products for NorthgateArinso, a KKR company. There, he led the transformation of products to the cloud and laid the foundation for new Business Process as a…...

Read more

As an analyst you attend a lot of events every year, user conferences and analyst briefings being the most prominent event types. So looking at the year in review – let me comment on some Dos and Don’ts and as well offer some suggestions for 2015.

Research Preview: Digital Transformation Services Take Center Stage For 2015

R "Ray" Wang

Principal Analyst and Founder
Constellation Research

R “Ray” Wang is the CEO of Silicon Valley-based Constellation Research Inc. He co-hosts DisrupTV, a weekly enterprise tech and leadership webcast that averages 50,000 views per episode and blogs at www.raywang.org. His ground-breaking best-selling book on digital transformation, Disrupting Digital Business, was published by Harvard Business Review Press in 2015. Ray's new book about Digital Giants and the future of business, titled, Everybody Wants to Rule The World was released in July 2021. Wang is well-quoted and frequently interviewed by media outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, Fox Business, CNBC, Yahoo Finance, Cheddar, and Bloomberg. Short Bio R “Ray” Wang (pronounced WAHNG) is the Founder, Chairman, and Principal Analyst of Silicon Valley-based Constellation Research Inc. He…...

Read more

Constellation State Of The State Report: Digital Transformation Services Take Center Stage For 2015

The latest Constellation Research state of enterprise technology report, Digital Transformation Services Take Center Stage for 2015, explores the impact of digital transformation on the services front. As so many different pieces of the digital transformation space come together, Constellation believes that the Digital Transformation Services category is set to explode in 2015, and we forecast it to surpass $100.7B in 2020.

Since the Digital Transformation Services have been poorly defined and often confused, in this state of the state report, Constellation defines the space, provides a high level overview of the seven key pillars, and notes various provider categories.

  Digital Transformation Services Take Center Stage for 2015  

At the core, this report is about a big shift that has occurred with customers.  When it comes to Digital Transformation Services, most customers seek turn-key solutions and no longer have time for extensive vendor selection efforts.  In fact, customers now prefer close knit partnerships between service providers and technology vendors versus an objective arm’s length relationship.

On the other hand, the pace of change coupled with customer desire for quick results will lead service providers to develop the last mile solutions, and technology vendors to partner with service providers to guarantee a successful outcome.  Constellation believes that this shift in digital transformation services will initiate the blurring of product and services for years to come. As with the core digital transformation market, neither technology vendors nor service providers will be selling products or services. In fact, they too will be delivering on outcomes and experiences.

This report sets the premise for Constellation’s forthcoming reports on the Digital Transformation Services category; and offers insights into five of Constellation’s business research themes — Data to Decisions, Digital Marketing, Matrix Commerce, Next generation customer experience, and Technology Optimization and Innovation.

Your POV.

Ready for digital disruption by starting with mobile?  Add your comments to the blog or reach me via email: R (at) ConstellationR (dot) com or R (at) SoftwareInsider (dot) org.

Resources

The post Research Preview: Digital Transformation Services Take Center Stage For 2015 appeared first on A Software Insider's Point of View.