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

There are some interesting masterclasses on branding, creativity, data/analytics and engagement strategy from some of the world’s leading marketers. There’s also a raft of local and international speakers bound to provide plenty of provocative juice to your 2014 marketing plans. Personally I am looking forward to the Ted Rubin keynote and Aden Forrest’s session on marketing automation.

There is also the “Innovation Zone” – a showcase of marketing and tech vendors, the Innovation Zone Party, breakfasts on big data and international leadership – and my favourite – Grill the Honcho – a chance for up-and-coming young marketers to get in front of CEOs, CMOs and GMs to ask the big career questions.

Let me know if you are going – it’d be great to catch up.

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

@gracebauerpoet @_JoyCastro http://t.co/SNTpLtZMnj & @TellMeMoreNPR #tmmpoetry Poetry Month & @servantofchaos‘s @TwitterPoetry

— BethWellington (@BethWellington) August 3, 2013

This article, published in The Independent, talks about the way Twitter is allowing poets of all shapes and sizes, find new audiences and test out new technology at the same time.

Back in 2007 I setup an account called @TwitterPoetry where you could login and contribute a line to a collaborative poem. The last entry seems to have been 2010 – but perhaps it’s time to be collaboratively creative again. Here is how:

1. Log into the TwitterPoetry account: Use the username TwitterPoetry and password wr1tetwitterpoetry and contribute a line to the growing poem (note there is a 1 in the password).
2. Follow TwitterPoetry: Become a “follower” of TwitterPoetry and see how the poem grows as and when someone else contributes to it.

To see the whole poem, go here.

Let your creative juices flow … I look forward to reading your/our work!

An Overview of IaaS Trends That are Here to Stay

Silicon Valley – August 1, 2013 Constellation Research, Inc. the research and advisory firm focused how disruptive technologies transform business models announced today the publication of "Nine Cloud IaaS Trends for 2014 and Beyond” by Constellation Vice President and Principal Analyst, Holger Mueller. This research report presents 9 distinctive trends in the IaaS market and 8 recommendations for organizations seeking to evaluate and craft their IaaS/cloud strategy.

This report reveals:
• Trend 1 Downward price pressure continues;
• Trend 2 Cloud partnering will go into overdrive;
• Trend 3 Acquisitions will become more frequent;
• Six more trends
• And 8 recommendations for enterprises to evaluate and formulate their cloud / IaaS strategy going forward.

“It’s important for cloud customers not only to understand the fundamental trends in the IaaS market but also to re-evaluate and formulate their IaaS strategy going forward. In this report we offer our customers both trends in the IaaS market and a methodology to formulate the latest cloud strategy,” commented report author, Mueller.

This report fits into Constellation’s business-focused research themes: CoIT & The New C-Suite and Technology Optimization & Innovation.

About Holger Mueller
Holger Mueller is Vice President and Principal Analyst covering Technology Optimization and Future of Work. Holger’s current research focuses on IaaS and PaaS with forays to SaaS, Analytics, BigData, mobile, and HCM.

The Report
Nine Cloud IaaS Trends for 2014 and Beyond can be found here: http://www.constellationr.com/research/nine-cloud-iaas-trends-2014-and-beyond

COORDINATES
Profile: http://www.constellationr.com/users/hmueller
Twitter: @holgermu
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/holgermueller/
Geo: San Diego, CA

Press Contacts:
Contact the Media and Influencers relations team at [email protected] for interviews with analysts.

Sales Contacts:
Contact our sales team at [email protected].

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

I like seeing the way that words, image (and sometimes) music, can set a ball rolling.

And this is precisely why social media is fascinating. Take today for example. I had been thinking recently about my lack of exercise and had been looking for a way to break my own personal deadlock. A random tweet on the subject resulted in a relatively quick outcome – I went from thinking about fitness and a solution like the Nike Fuel Band to the purchase of a Jawbone Up in hours.

How did this happen? Take a look at the Storify below to see.

Now tell me, do you make decisions this way? Are brands listening in? Do you think they care? They should.

You probably read my piece earlier this year where I described where and how to do Social Business in five easy steps; it was called “Social Business is a Snap”.

I put together a deck with that and more information and presented it at Inbound Marketing Summit 2013 yesterday.

Here is the deck in case you want to get a refresher course in the five easy steps to create a social business out of nothing (I feel I should add some “snark” or “irony” tags in here…).

Enjoy, and as always – would love to hear your comments.

Tips for a competitive SuperNova Award application.

Also included in this post, an explanation of the SuperNova Award categories and a sample application may be found below. 

Tips: 

1. Keep it short. Judges will only review each application for 5 minutes. Please try to stay close to the word limitations. 
2. Vendors may enter the awards for their clients. Client contact information must be provided on application.
3. Results v. Metrics - results are a verbal explanation of how your project created a disruption; metrics are numbers that provide evidence of your results. 
4. Be clear and concise. If we're asking why your project is disruptive--tell us why its disruptive! Minimize the amount of digging for the judges.
5. Emphasize before and after implementation results/metrics and disruptivenes
6. "Disruptiveness" may mean creating an internal or external disruption OR using disruptive technology to change business models
7. Remember: In two minutes, readers should be able to ascertain 1. What your project was 2. Why your project was significant 3. The success of your project 4. How disruptive/game changing your project is.
8. All applications should be web ready. Do not include any information that can not be made public. 
9. You may submit for more than one category. 
10. International applicants welcome
     

Categories

• Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Humanity
• Internet of Things - A network of smart objects enables smart services. (examples: sensors, smart ‘things’, device to purchase)
• Data to Decisions - Using data to make informed business decisions. (examples: big data, predictive analytics)
• Digital Marketing Transformation & Sales Effectiveness - Personalized, data-driven digital marketing.
• Future of Work: Social Business - The technologies enabling teams to work together efficiently. (examples: enterprise social networks, collaboration)
• Future of Work: Human Capital Management - Enabling your organization to utilize your workforce as an asset. (examples: talent management)
• Matrix Commerce - Commerce responds to changing realities from the supply chain to the storefront. (examples: digital retail, supply chain, payments, omni-channel retail)
• Next Generation Customer Experience - Customers in the digital age demand seamless service throughout all lifecycle stages and across all channels. (examples: CRM, customer experience)
• New C-Suite
• Digital Safety and Privacy - Strategies to secure sensitive data (examples: digital identity, information security, authentication)
• Technology Optimization - Innovative methods to balance innovation and IT budgets.

Sample SuperNova Awards application. This is just a sample. 

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&nbsp;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.<br>&nbsp; Coverage Areas: Future of Work Tech Optimization &amp; Innovation<br>&nbsp; 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… Read more

I wanted to write this post for a while - and as summer vacations are coming up for me and family as well as fellow readers - I wanted to start a summer series... keeping it with Mark Twain's famous - sorry I wrote you a long letter - I did not have time to write a short one  - this could well backfire - but it's worth a try. Shouldn't take more than 2 minutes to read.

There seems to be a lot of interest around recruiting functionality in the HR enterprise software space these days... So let's understand why that is...

Recruiting is... old

Well, relatively speaking. Apart from payroll and core HR systems - recruiting functionality for most vendors has seen many moons by now. One of the first functionalities to be build for the internet - because it had to run outside of the firewall - it is now showing its age. Time for vendors and new entrants to renovate or relaunch. Anyone still using an ATS?

Recruiting is ... competitive

With Oracle buying Taleo, the recruiting leader is no longer available as a partner for the talent management vendors, who preferred to build other talent management functionality and partner with Taleo. Biggest evidence - with a remediation plan - is Workday.

Recruiting is... where it all starts

Many of the HR enterprise system installations are in a state of challenging status quo. They are aging, they have their quirks, but somehow the workarounds have grown on enterprises. But for those enterprises that want to start new - they can start where all new HR starts - with a new recruit. And with that the promise (of the vendors) and the hope (of the users) - that by starting right - all will end right.

Recruiting is ... socially affected

Everybody knows that somehow social could travolge recruiting. It's kind of intuitively clear - as most hiring happens through someone knowing someone - so something that social networks could help with. See the LinkedIn growth - a de facto HR software company. But no one has really figure this one out.

Recruiting could be... different

One interesting approach to recruiting is the former Mr. Ted's Jerome Ternynck's Smartrecuiters. Make the software free - and pay in case of positive business outcome - a successful hire. Could change the whole market from license based pricing to outcome based pricing.

MyPOV

It willl be interesting to see who will take the crown for best in class recruiting functionality. Plenty of conventional approaches to it out there (think e.g. Oracle and SAP), plenty of fresh starts (think e.g.Workday and Ceridian), plenty of promising starts (think e.g. Cornerstone), plenty of re-thinking (see e.g. Lumesse), plenty of change game potential (think e.g. Smartrecruiters) and plenty of wildcards (e.g. LinkedIn or even with a little bit of fantasy... Facebook anyone?).

Exciting times ahead!

P.S. 2 minutes? Hope not much more - but hope for some more think time. Feel free to comment.

The Fast Food Giant Used Social Analytics to Bolster Customer Engagement and Execute the Brand's Most Successful Product Launch

This is the first in a series of posts highlighting the winners of the 2012 SuperNova Awards for innovators in disrutptive technology.

Doritos Locos Tacos: unless you were living under a rock last year the buzz surrounding the crunchy Taco Bell taco with a Dorito shell was inescapable. Taco Bell's biggest product launch to date, the company employed numerous inventive marketing campaigns to spread the word about this product --flying a taco truck into Anchorage Alaska and giving Tacos away during the 2012 World Series to name a few. Taco Bell sold 200 million Doritos Locos Tacos in the first six months, and registered a 13% increase in profits during the launch quarter.

For the successful launch of the Doritos Locos Taco, Lynn Hemans, Director of Industry and Competitive Insights, won a SuperNova Award. What realy caught the SuperNova Award Judges' eyes was Hemans' utilization of Twitter and social analytics to connect with customers, turn them into evangelists, and generate enough pre-launch buzz to make Doritos Locos Tacos the most successful Taco Bell product launch to date.

Disrupting the Facebook Standard

Taco Bell's social media data revealed 80%-90% of Taco Bell-related conversations occurred on Twitter. At a time when many brands focused their social media efforts on Facebook, Hemans blazed a trail and concentrated Doritos Locos Tacos' online product launch initiatives on Twitter. Using Netbase's social analytics technology, Hemans was able to glean insight from Twitter that not only allowed the Taco Bell PR and digital teams to resolve a supply problem early-on, but enabled them to reach their audience and use Twitter to approach the launch from a disruptive angle. Taco Bell conducted "tweet offs", giving winners the ability to bring Doritos Locos Tacos to their towns before the nationwide launch. They also featured customer tweets in commercials, connecting social media with more traditional forms of advertisement to bolster customer engagement.

We recognize Lynn Hemans for following the analytics and making the bold move to concentrate the brand's efforts on Twitter when the industry standard was Facebook. Clever use of social media, analytics, and marketing techniques turned casual tweeters into brand evangelists and boosted the brand's net sentiment over the course of the launch. 200 million tacos sold in six months and a 13% increase in profits during the Doritos Locos Tacos launch quarter speak for themselves.

Read Lynn Hemans' SuperNova Award winning application here: http://www.constellationr.com/content/lynn-hemans-taco-bell-supernova-award-winner-2012

Apply for a SuperNova Award

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&nbsp;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.<br>&nbsp; Coverage Areas: Future of Work Tech Optimization &amp; Innovation<br>&nbsp; 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… Read more

This post was overdue by now - but today's (July 24th 2013) events triggered it into existence, as I wanted to write a post on the OpenStack dynamics as we see them unfolding in the coming quarters since a long time. Cloudscaling's Randy Bias' unbiased (pun intended) open letter to the OpenStack community was just the spark that was needed.

OpenStack turns 3

With all these babies turning toddlers - we have plenty of 2 and 3 year olds around now. Time to take stock. And specifically for OpenStack - the toddler had a growth spurt of massive proportions in his 3rd year with IBM and HP joining the party. 

For a real world toddler that would be like being given an Olympic size swimming pool and half a Disneyland as personal play area. Maybe exaggerated - but if you consider the resources and scale that IBM and HP brought the OpenStack 2 year old - the analogy may not seem so grandiose after all. And I am not mentioning what the joining of RedHat and VMWare would mean for the 2 something year old.

What started as little less than 30k lines of code with the Nova compute project (from parent NASA) and the Swift storage platform (from parent Rackspace) has now ballooned into a 600k lines of code 3 year old, that also dabbles in dashboarding (Horizon), image storage (Glance), identity (Keystone), networking (Quantum), block storage (Cinder) and many more activities.
 

Open Letter

Cloudscaling CTO and co-founder Randy Bias stirred things up with his open letter to the OpenStack community. There he states that practically AWS has won the battle for innovation in the cloud - out executing the OpenStack conglomerate and that it's time to honor this reality. Basically OpenStack should focus on integrating the on premise data centers with public cloud offerings, bowing to the Amazon APIs. Bias adds how APIs got somewhat hijacked by Rackspace in the early OpenStack life years - so the OpenStack community should not treat APIs too much as holy cows.

And while Bias is certainly right on the Rackspace influence, we think he underestimates the unwillingness of the big boys in the OpenStack community to let AWS get away as the winner. IBM, HP, RedHat etc all did not join OpenStack to declare AWS as the public cloud standard (and winner) but to form a broad alliance against the GAMO (Google, AWS, Microsoft and Oracle) vendors. And in their mind - they haven't even started to compete - it takes enterprises like IBM and HP months to get resources shifted, allocated and productive. For them 12-24 months are necessary to even see what speed the 3 year old can develop - being put on an enriched diet, more exercise, more teacher, enrichment etc (ok, the analogy gets quirky here).
 

The OpenStack Core Dilemma

The key takeaway from Bias letter is that the core problem of OpenStack are the close to their heart interests of each of their members. While Bias blames Rackspace correctly, we should not let him get away, that an embrace of AWS (and GCE, which he mentions, too) - would certainly help Cloudscaling to monetize some strategic investments. And the same is valid for IBM, HP, RedHat, VMWare, AT&T, Cisco etc - all of them have their own interest, strategy and path for differentiation - and as they hope - domination of the cloud going forward. 

The interesting question for the observer is - how long will the OpenStack community play nice with each other - and when will the gloves come of? This is very hard to predict at this point, but we think that the easy life for the 3 year old will continue for 1-2 years - as the rich uncles and aunts (IBM, HP etc) - just get serious to invest in the 3 year old. They will play nice for some time  and then may get into a fight for the elementary school the 5 year old should join for kindergarten.

And likewise - should any major player in the OpenStack community see the chance to step up to the GAMO players - we do not think they will hesitate for a second. But they would have to make sure they can pull it off and break free from the rest of the pack - as they risk to loose cherished inter-operability that they have been promising and selling to their customers.

This reminds me of the situation of an escape group in cycling (yes maybe too much Tour de France recently) - this group needs to work together to keep the peleton at bay (here the GAMO vendors) - but if any of the riders in the group thinks he can win - he will go for it and all cooperation is so passe.

It all plays into AWS hands

With all uncertainty that can be created in the OpenStack community for now and the near future - it all plays in AWS hands - and to a certain point in the rest of the GAMO players - as they offer a clear path and roadmap to the future. And it's this reliability and track record that enterprises ultimately make the foundation for their cloud investments. 

And while e .g. IBM and HP have significant trust credit in the market and with their customers, they still need to earn their trust specific to the cloud - something they are lacking in comparison to the GAMO players. So it will be interesting to see how the adults in the Openstack community will be able to keep the hot headed members in check - for their mutual benefit.
 

MyPOV

The noise levels in the OpenStack community are up... and the potential cracks form this noise will only make the core argument of Bias' letter - the AWS leadership - a stronger one. But the desire of the large contributors to OpenStack to create a counter balance to AWS is and will remain very high for the foreseeable future. 

It will be interesting to see if those enterprises (the IBM, HP, Cisco, AT&T etc) will be able to gloss over these noise levels and get the OpenStack community to not only deliver but also become so competitive towards AWS and the other GAMOs, that they can take market share from them. Exciting times ahead.  

P.S. And for those who are wondering - quo vadis - latin for where are you heading / going?