People think of technology and its use as constantly improving and expand-
ing. However, this is not necessarily true. Much of new technology has to be
hyped as “products in search of problems to solve.” The electric light bulb was
that way in the 1800s. It took years to for Thomas Edison to convince people
that electric lights were a good idea. Do you realize today that almost one half of
the world’s population has never used an electric light? Getting technology
adopted is often more of a marketing problem than a technical problem.
Technology and, in particular, software have experienced positive trends that
relate to business and business processes. These include the following:
•
Improved price performance and reliability.
You have heard about this for
years. However the changes are now more integrated, occur faster, and have
a greater impact on society and individuals. Look at the sharp rise in tools
that use the Internet for voice communications and faxing.
•
Greater standardization.
With the earlier dominance of several hardware
firms and now with several software firms (one in particular), there is much
more standardization than was previously the case. What does standardiza-
tion mean? It means that you can more easily implement systems and have
less maintenance later.
•
Integration and easier interfaces.
This relates to standards in that the rise
of ODBC, OLE, and ActiveX have all supported simpler interfaces and
integration among systems. Without this there would be a need for much
more custom programming and development to establish and support inter-
faces.
•
Reduced learning curve for professionals to come up to speed.
Yes, current
tools require learning time. However, if you compare today’s tools with the
tools of the past (assembly language, APL, COBOL, etc.), you find that the
new tools are more modular and fully functional. People develop basic
skills and generate useful software more quickly, making them more pro-
ductive and providing a more nourishing environment.
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