Vending machine vs. the application store

Forget top-down control, give citizens data and tools and let them self govern.

At a couple of different events (Shakespeare Review and Innovate 2013)I attended recently  the question of how we can generate economic benefit from opening up government data was explored.  It got me thinking about the shift to government as a platform Tim O’Reilly and others have been writing about this for a while, and point the idea is built on a set of principles that are the exact opposite of the way government traditionally works.  These principles include transparency (open standards and data); simplicity (build a simple system and let it evolve); participation (design systems and programmes to be as inclusive as possible) open mindedness (learn from critics); experimentation (including the embrace of failure as the way we ultimately learn to succeed); and visibility (track all participation to be able to learn from data mining about aggregate behaviour). Governments that are able to adopt and act on these principles are going to be able to mobilise enormous economic and social power in the service of addressing problems. There will be governments who are not afraid of their own societies but rather seem to empower their citizens.

As resources for government as a vending machine fall and the speed of change makes government as control tower ever more difficult, government as platform will become ever more attractive. It is the very nature of platforms that it is possible to prescribe or predict how and where citizens will decide to use their newfound powers of participation and innovation.

In my world I’m beginning to see this come to fruition with an appetite for platforms such as the Government G cloud and interest in how the business application stores like AppWave can tap into the social elements of work.

 

Business App Stores - the way forward

Consumerisation of IT is impacting our business and that of our clients. It feels like a seismic shift. Initiatives like 100% mobility and BYOT – Bring Your Own Technology change the way we experience technology. The development of Enterprise Application Stores (EAS) is a new challenge. Business’s move to providing their software applications in a way that is similar to the iPhone App store or Google’s Android market.

Can that help to drive productivity?

I recently was involved in a roundtable discussion with our GIVP winner Embarcadero and Ovum . Enterprise app store are vital in moving organisations to a self service model that reduces complexity. It also helps to avoid delays in getting applications to end users.

Listen to this podcast in your own time but here is what we explored during the discussion. Enterprise app stores are quickly creating productivity and speed-to-value benefits for PC users and IT departments alike.

The debate kicked the tyres on steps businesses can take to build and develop their own enterprise app stores for mainstream use as well as examining what rapid and easy access to self-service apps on PCs and notebook computers through such app stores is doing for businesses.

Mobile devices like smartphones and tablets are very popular and have energised users on one hand. On the other hand, it’s caused IT and business leaders to scramble to adjust to new models of applications delivery.

21 century at home, 1995 at work?

App stores for me are part of the equation going forward. Why? The answers they can bring in ease of use and cost savings are high. Getting there tackles our mismatch between what people experience with their smart technology at home and what they find at work. To quote a good friend: “people come to work in the 21st century when they start work the majority step back to 1995.” Is this you and how long can you go on living in another century?