Newsletters Welcome, Guest Log In | Register

Business of Tech

Alignment, staffing and culture are often more critical than software and apps

About this Blogger RSS

Subscribe

Sign up now and get the best business technology insights direct to your inbox.

  • Daily Edge
  • CTO Edge Update
  • Business Tools & Templates
  • Aligning IT & Business Goals
  • Maximizing IT Investments

2

How Google Wave Extends Enterprise Software Capability

Posted by Ann All Nov 4, 2009 1:01:01 PM

I've submitted a request for a Google Wave invite but haven't yet received one. (I'd beg, but I think Google might find that undignified. If not, then pleeeeaaase send me an invite.) Based on the demo, however,Google Wave strikes me as being like IM on steroids. Even as I wrote it last week, I expected folks to take me to task for an overly simplistic analysis.

 

While no one has (at least not yet), it certainly seems more simplistic now that I've read Evolved Technologist CTO Dan Woods' thoughts in his JargonSpy column in Forbes. Woods believes Google Wave's flexibility could threaten traditional software as we know it. He writes:

 

The threat to enterprise software is that almost everything that enterprise software can do with a central server and a rigid database could be done using Google Wave. But the flexible collaboration of Google Wave is out of reach for the current generation of enterprise software. In addition, the flexibility and configuration of the data structures offered by Google Wave would make modern SaaS software seem restrictive.

 

Whereas software-as-a-service trumps traditional enterprise software by allowing "regular" users to add fields in many SaaS applications, Wave further extends this kind of flexibility. Information from enterprise systems can be transferred into Wave, where users can add fields all they want, sharing with others as they see fit. The resulting information can then be transferred back into operational systems.

 

Further, Google Wave uses "plumbing that helps balance computing that is best performed on the client with computing that is best performed on servers." Depending on the application, computing can occur either on central servers or on distributed servers running on clients, facilitating what Woods calls an "elegant distribution of data and programming."

 

Woods discusses the Gravity application created by SAP, which I mentioned in my earlier posts on Wave and which allows people to collaborate on creating and modeling business processes. Says Harald Nehring, senior director, BPM Solution Marketing at SAP:

 

With the Gravity project, we are trying to see how far we can push the limits of true collaborative process design that ultimately links back into operational systems. Design collaboration on a platform like Google Wave, combined with a community as experienced as SAP's business process experts, can help dramatically speed up business process innovation going forward.

 

SAP wasn't able to provide the kind of collaboration facilitated by Wave using only its own technology, notes Woods. Yet Gravity demonstrates what software vendors should provide for their customers: a solid core of functionality that can be extended as needed by integrating other functions.

 

Another interesting example of an enterprise application utilizing Google Wave is one created by Salesforce.com. Screen shots of the app on silicon.com show how a customer inquiry moves from self-service mode to a chat robot to a human being, who can unobtrusively seek assistance from other humans if necessary. The collaboration facilitated by Wave is supposed to make the whole process seamless to the customer. If the issue isn't resolved, the customer and agent can communicate later via the same Wave. All of the information from the conversation is transferred back into the Salesforce.com system, where it can be used for analysis.

Add a comment Leave a comment on this blog post.
Nov 6, 2009 8:43 AM Guest raju  says:

try this site for google wave extentions,robots,gadgets and news

 

http://forumsgoogle.com/

Nov 7, 2009 8:40 AM user1622716 user1622716    says:

Want an invite to wave leave address to refer to.

Software Forum: Information On Demand Virtual Experience

This interactive virtual forum presents leading IT experts providing the insights you need to turn your information into a strategic driver for innovation, business optimization and competitive differentiation.

Performance Under Pressure: The State of Enterprise Web Application Quality and Availability

This research study finds that Web application issues are an all-too-common problem and examines these Web-based enterprise application issues from two perspectives: that of an online customer and that of a site manager.

Data Management Solutions

Data management and storage solutions, tips and best practices to improve the scalability, reliability, and accessability of your data.

Data Warehousing for Business Intelligence

Comprehensive storage solutions for better data access and retrieval, leading to better-informed business decisions.

Tablet PCs

Powerful and portable computing capacity for today's high-speed, fluid business environment.

Data Loss Protection

Data-loss prevention tactics, technologies and best practices to protect your sensitive and valuable company data.

Windows 7 Upgrade Project Kit

Moving to Windows 7? The Windows 7 Upgrade Project Kit is the ideal support tool for managing all phases of an organizational upgrade to Windows 7. The tools and templates in this kit will help you develop a strategy and map out the implementation tactics which link your Windows 7 deployment to your company's bottom line.

Learn more >

Social Media Policies Toolkit

Define the rules at your company for the proper use of social media platforms such as Blogs, Twitter, Facebook and Youtube. Ensure your users are spending their time productively and company resources are being used for the business.

Learn more >