SaaS leading to Enterprise 2.0

The next step into the future of enterprise is obtaining the tools and software to lead us there. At Reinventing Enterprise summit last week in Boston, Andrew McAfee, Michael Idinopulos and Rob Koplowitz came together to discuss the future of the industry. The persistent topic of the panel was will new software support the new Enterprise 2.0, or can we enhance the software we currently use to most effectively run out businesses on an efficient 2.0 level?

According to Dion Hinchcliffe’s blog, there were three main conclusions brought out of the panel on the topic of the utilization of the new Enterprise 2.0. First off, the wrong tools are being used. We are used to the tools we have been using for years, and neglecting the new and better tools that are now available. Habit is holding us back. Is this all that uncommon? I think that corporations need to introduce these applications in a way that most employees are familiar with. Once they are given a familiar platform, they can then use the skills they already know from the programs and enhance them with the new tools that Enterprise 2.0 can present to them.

Second, a worry is about the misuse of the applications. The solution at the panel was that misuse can be easier to identify and rectify if it is posted and sent through a platform such as a blog. Frankly, there has always been abuse in the workplace of any situation. People take sick days when they are not sick, so why wouldn’t they misuse the web? But for the most part, all of the things that go on in the new business related Web 2.0 application online can be monitored. Unlike conversations around the office, everything posted on the wiki is traceable, so misuse can be recognized and a specific person is identified.

Third, all information could turn into wikis. They could in turn be searched by the company can and everyone could contribute to the discussion prompted by this open platform that encourages comments. The few people that would abuse the system do not outweigh the benefit of everyone else’s knowledge pooled into one place, not to mention the value that it would bring to the company.

So can we use our current applications to entertain the Web 2.0 platform? Hinchcliffe thinks that Google Documents is one of the best Web 2.0 documents because of everything that it can offer. Currently, it is free application open to everyone for use. Why not take advantage of this free web 2.0 software and prepare for future opportunities. It also allows for us to familiarize ourselves with the concept of Web 2.0. In the future, everything we know now will upgrade into a platform that can support the use of Enterprise 2.0 applications. So will your organization be one of the first to start learning so that you can be ahead of the game when it is essential to use these platforms?