Review: Open Source Strategies for the Enterprise

Open Source Strategies for the Enterprise by Simon Phipps has two running themes, Classification of communities around open source projects and criticism of Open Core business model. Keeping the theme, title is little misleading even though Phipps has covered the themes in very apt manner.

Phipps also touches copyright and patent issues w.r.t. open source but if not in depth. I am certainly looking for a comprehensive book on issues shrouding open source like abandoned projects, an open source project becoming closed due to variety of reasons, forking of projects due to various reasons, support of open source usage in enterprise environment, etc.

Collaboration tools in Enterprise

1. Email: Microsoft Exchange, Lotus Domino, etc.

2. Calendaring: Microsoft Exchange, Lotus Domino, etc.

3. Messenger: MSN, Same Time, WebEx Connect, etc.

4. Collaboration Portal: Sharepoint, wiki, WebCenter, etc.

5. Social Network: Yammer, Jive, Chatter, Tibbr, etc.

6. Web Conference: WebEx, DimDim, Connect Now, GoTo Meeting. etc

Do we have user facing tool (desktop and/or mobile versions) where all collaboration features can be incorporated in one?

Can Thunderbird take plunge and provide unified interface?  

Change in American Society and Business

Just look at the few popular web sites in US:

1. Gumroad: Sell what you make

2. Udemy: Sell your teaching skills

3. eCampus: Buy, sell rent used text books

4. giftcardgranny: Buy and sell gift/discount cards

5. plasticjungle: Buy and sell gift/discount cards

6. Gazelle: Buy and Sell your used electronics

7. Trade2save: Buy and sell or trade your used gadgets

8. Codecademy: Buy and sell programming courses

9. Skill Barter: Trade your skills

10. Cross road trading: Buy and sell used cloths

11. My Clozet: Buy and sell used cloths and accessories

12. Once Upon a Child: Buy and sell used baby stuff

13. Swap baby goods: Swap baby stuff

Few more

1. Amazon: Huge listing of used material

2. ebay: Heavens to buy and sell used material

3. craigslist: Do I have to say anything.

Now drive through in any middle class residential area on a weekend (TODAY)

You will find lot of garage sales and hardly any item left on the side walk labeled as free. Lot of persons are scouting garage sale venues.

Now recall your drive through in any middle class residential area on a weekend (Few years back)

Few Garage sales and few persons scouting for them. Plenty of material on sideways labeled as Free.

Continuous reduction in US house hold income (http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/story/2012-06-11/wealth-shrank-in-recession-fed-says/55528036/1, http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/18/usa-economy-wealth-idUSL1E8HI8I120120618, http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/wealth).

My hunch:

People are monetizing or trading goods on unprecedented scale for used material. Why? Because, somewhere they are realizing that wastage in not good, reuse it (hopefully recycle after that). Economy is deteriorating and it is also good for resources. Fear of un-stability and not so secure future are instilling in societal mindset.

What are your observation (supported by data) and/or hunch???

So, the business opportunities:

1. Consumer to consumer
2. No frill services
3. Used material trading
4. Localization of services rendering and consumption
5. Skill building/improvement which can bring in extra money
6. Transaction cost reduction services

Amazon’s Digital Strategy - India

Recently there is lot of noise about Amazon’s arrival (not yet arrived but…) in India. Lot of bloggers are talking about success or failure of Amazon in India. But before talking about success or failure let us put some facts in black and white.

1. Bandwidth availability in India is pathetic

2. Most of the internet access is via mobile devices and most of the mobile devices are feature phone.

3. Kindle need tweak to support Indian fonts.

4. Major publishers have Indian edition of books which are printed on inferior paper and generally 20- 40% cheaper than US & Europe rate

5. Multi brand retail by International companies in India has challenge till new guidelines come by

6. Piracy in rampant

7. Price sensitivity of Indian market

8. Regulatory flip flop

9. Availability of stripped down tablets

10. Huge market for quality goods (not costly)

Now the question is how to factor all these variables in winning strategy:

1. Make Kindle, Indian font happy

2. Tolerance to piracy (look at Microsoft)

3. Little bit more advertisements are OK but reduce price for Kindle and content

4. Make kindle app available to stripped down tablets and Indian smart phones (may be pre-installed).

5. Instead of full download of book, some sort of small chunk download (not streaming)

6. Explore physical delivery of digital media (may be via flash drive)

7. Introduce India specific prices for Kindle and content

8. Allow US/Europe kindle to India switch (take care of huge travelling Indians – thanks to IT service industry)

9. Reduced pricing to students ( look at how British introduced tea to Indian customers)

10. Make content available at servers of Telco to reduce latency

11. Work with Telcos/ISPs to work with Kindle friendly tariff plans

12. Keep politicians and bureaucrats in good humor