Web 2.x Blog

I have come across an interesting news post about enterprise innovation at ITWorld. MarketCircle’s CEO is advising Apple not to target their innovation towards the enterprise, but rather target SMEs. The argument being that enterprises do not embrace innovation as well as the SME market segment does.

Innovation in itself comes in two different flavor. There’s innovation in the product that one consumer uses everyday, and innovation in enriching business processes that large enterprise uses. Apple’s innovation concentrated a lot on consumer products (such as their Mac and iPhones), while traditionally enterprises have been concentrating on innovation in enhancing business processes (things like Business Process Management/SOA springs to mind) to cut costs to improve profitability.

While the CEO is right in saying that Apple should target SMEs (since they are always operating on a lower budget, and thus need to find innovative ways to make their bucks), I believe Apple has set themselves up for penetrating the corporate market well. Key consumer technologies like the iPhone has great potential for penetrating into a corporate worker’s jacket to replace the good old blackberries.

Companies like Tibco are already embracing the next wave of internet technologies (such as RIAs). With the enterprises moving towards the Web/Enterprise 2.0 prism and adapting to consumer technologies (such as RSS, corporate blogs), Apple’s tentative interest in enticing the corporate world may work. The “WOW” factor is still there with Apple’s devices.

The sheer “ease-of-use” factor is far enough to entice the corporate consumer who is surrounded by the complex corporate environment. It can turn-around what seems like a mundane job by providing an easier, fun and productive alternative to “getting the job done”.

I fully embrace Apple’s interest in trying to penetrate into the corporate world. With technologies becoming more integrated/mainstream, this presents no problem at all in the near future.

Tags: Apple, innovation