Technology Revolution: The Future of Now

Like their grown-up counterparts, college newspapers are in trouble, says campusmediagroup.wordpress.com. "It's now conventional wisdom that newspapers are dying, and the only debate left is when, not if...Are you with a college newspaper...? What have you been doing to stay relevant and prevent your eulogy from being written?" SAP VP Dan Mahowald has the answer. "The newspaper is not dead. Higher education revives it by adapting it to the new mobile reality. Here's proof. Kathy Gates, University of Mississippi CIO, recently launched the Official Ole Miss App iPad Edition, in partnership with Bill Tallent's Mercury Intermedia. Ms. Gates notes, "Recent mobility surveys and an environmental scan show that mobility is here to stay and has great promise in higher education." Pour a cup and join us for College News: Going, going, mobile! p.s. Is the cloud a game-changer for your business? Catch "In The Cloud with Game-Changers", Thursdays at 1 PM Pacific on the Business Channel.

Through the magic of remote radio production, SAP Radio producer / host Bonnie D. Graham interviewed more two dozen attendees at SAP's Sapphire Now 2012 for this special edition of "Coffee Break with Game-Changers". Hear noted influencers plus SAP partners, customers and experts answer the big question: "How is SAP changing the game for your company, clients and/or market?" And see guests posing with the official Game-Changers mug [photos courtesy of Malcolm Kimberlin] at: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.386711571370747.80326.170459749662598&type=1#!/media/set/?set=a.386711571370747.80326.170459749662598&type=1. Have you heard "In the Cloud with Game-Changers" yet? Listen live here on the Business Channel, Thursdays at 1 PM Pacific / 4 PM Eastern.

On April 4, we explored whether business intelligence, aka "BI", is an oxymoron or a way to make companies genuinely smarter. Today our experts take a deeper dive into why even the best technical intelligence isn't really "smart" without a solid strategy. Jason Rose sees it this way: "Technology is an enabler. Having a strategy sets your roadmap for success." Brian Sommer takes a mathematical approach. "There are four kinds of BI strategies I see: none, outdated, accidental and purposeful. And, three of those are no good." Josh Greenbaum challenges the notion that BI can be the Holy Grail for business. "The quest for that one true number – be it a sales forecast, demand signal, or other estimation – is a fool's errand." Pour a cup and join us for Part 2: How Smart Is BI Without A Strategy? p.s. What can the cloud do for your business? Catch "In The Cloud with Game-Changers", Thursdays at 1 PM Pacific on the Business Channel.

Put on your consumer hat for a minute. Does your personal favorite customer service horror story end with how easily the offending company could have made your experience a dream, instead of a nightmare? Now put on your business hat. If you've heard such a tale of woe about your own company, do you know why? SAP's Anthony Leaper believes it's about the people you hire. "Are they emotionally attached to your brand and to the customer impression you want to leave behind?" Author Becky Carroll observes, "Customer service needs an extreme makeover. It's time to stop viewing customer service as a 'cost of doing business' and start viewing it as a key to ensuring business growth from existing customers." Customer strategist Esteban Kolsky adds, "Becoming a beloved brand, the goal for most companies in the past 10-15 years, is no longer an objective; becoming a retained brand is." Pour a cup and join us for food for thought on Great Customer Service: Is Your Call Center Missing the Obvious?

We're spoiled! We're so accustomed to getting real-time/right-time personal and business information via mobile devices and apps that we now expect similar responsiveness from the public sector. Could game-changing mobility be the answer to speeding-up the so-called slow-turning wheels of government? Yes! And government leaders are poised to make it happen. At the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Federal CIO Steven VanRoekel named 2012 as "the year of mobile government." And IDC Government Insights predicts that in 2012, mobility will become the number one IT governance issue in government. But the U.S. GSA's Gwynne Kostin notes, "The biggest hurdle in mobile gov now is that we are hampered by what we already know. We think in terms of websites and pages and the way we currently deliver services, and ask, 'How do we mobilize that?' Pour a cup and join us for food for thought on "Mobile Government? Yes! Trends and Realities".

Wow! You've got an amazing idea for the game-changing new product of the century. But no money to bring it to market. What to do? Start by begging for seed money from your FFF circle (family, friends and fools). If that fails, cast your hopes heavenward for an angel investor with start-up capital. Or, if you're dreaming big, find a venture capitalist with millions to invest in your potentially high-growth idea. Sound simple? Not so much. Your road ahead is paved with decision trees and gotcha traps. "Picking the right investor is one of the most crucial decisions for an entrepreneur. If you thought getting married is a commitment, try raising money," cautions SAP Ventures' Gaurav Tewari. Sand Hill's MR Rangaswami, a long-time angel, offers an election year analogy. "CEOs of startups and politicians have one thing in common – they are perennially raising money!" Pour a cup and join us for food for thought on the Sweet and Sour of Investing: Do's and don'ts of making the deal.

Pop quiz: Business intelligence aka "BI". (A) Alphabet soup? (B) Oxymoron? (C) Secret weapon that instantly makes your company smarter? Answer: C, but it's not that simple, says analyst Josh Greenbaum. "Business users don't understand data, and data geeks don't understand business. BI software has traditionally been among the top forms of shelfware in the enterprise. Most data warehouses are sanitary landfills." Asuret's Michael Krigsman adds, "Without a sense of focus and direction, BI and analytics become yet another source of useful data and clutter. In the end, vendors and users must work together to find ways of using data efficiently and in the service of concrete business purposes." And BI expert Jason Rose says, "Technology is an enabler. Having a strategy sets your roadmap for success. Executive sponsorship and partnering with the business…yeah yeah, we've all heard that before, but it's still critical and true!" Pour a cup and join us for How Smart Is BI Without A Strategy?

The mobile world isn't coming; it's already here. It's a fact of business your company has to deal with, and a serious game you'd better play to win. That means getting the right information in the right format to the right people at the right time and place. According to communications researcher Maribel Lopez, "Businesses face a dynamic landscape where both customer and employee demands are changing…There are three market shifts that are driving this change – Mobile, Social and Cloud." Communications strategist Bob Evans expands on this. "Here's a lovely contraction-y acronym-y thing: MoCoSoLo. That's Mobile, Collaboration, Social, and Localization. Forget the dumb term but think hard about understanding all of the implications that those forces will bring to bear on mobile behavior, mobile expectations, mobile experiences, and mobile commerce." Pour a cup and get the real scoop from our panel of experts on Mobility Goes to the Mall, the Hotel, the Airport...

"Demanding, vocal, impatient, and always right." If this describes your customers, are you tempted to just give up and find new ones? Don't do it, cautions Becky Carroll, author of The Hidden Power of Your Customers. "The popularity of social media and ubiquitous mobile phones have created the perfect storm for customer service - and companies need to get it right or suffer the very public consequences." How to win this challenge? According to Forrester's Megan Burns, "Enjoyable experiences are the first step to creating emotional connections with customers." And for Vision 33's Carl B. Lewis, it comes down to one key factor: "Like it or not, good business is still personal." For a reality check on how to keep 'em coming back for more, tune in as these experts are joined by Teradata's Alan Chow, Freshbooks' Saul Colt, and Virtual Graffiti's Hillel Sackstein for case studies from the customer's perspective. Pour a cup and join us for Love Thy Customer: What have you done for them lately?

Utilities. We only think about them when we flip a switch and the power doesn't come on – right? But utilities are businesses that must play to win in a competitive global arena with infrastructure, government, supply, economic and customer challenges. Ovum's Stuart Ravens warns, "Business and technology pressures are combining to create a virtuous – or vicious – cycle disrupting the utility business model. Utilities are struggling." Can they survive? The Smart Grid Library's Christine Hertzog helps utilities succeed in the Smart Grid ecosystem. Roque Marinho at COBB EMC is a fan. "The Smart Grid is the next frontier for all utilities. They have to do it now or later." But James McClelland, SAP Utilities and Energy Industry, notes, "The Smart Grid movement is real, but will only achieve its goals if utilities improve their relationship with end customers to properly market and reward energy efficiency." Join us for Game-Changing Innovation: Can Smart Grid Keep the Lights On for Utilities?