Social, Mobile, Analytics and Cloud - SMAC

I am speaking at a Cognizant user conference this week in Scottsdale, AZ where social, mobile, analytics and cloud are the central themes.  Cognizant uses the acronym SMAC to refer to these four technologies integrated into one grouping. This event follows the Oracle Open World and SAP TechEd events this month where these same four technology trends were also highlighted.

This SMAC (social, mobile, analytics and cloud) grouping makes sense to me.  The SMAC acronym is also a far better marketing acronym than SCAM would be.  Can you imagine saying, "I would like to talk to you about a SCAM."  Not so good!  MACs would also not be a good acronym as it is too closely aligned with our iFriends.  MASC would just make it seem like we were hiding something, so SMAC works for me.

SMAC also makes it past my "pocket test."  I reach into my pocket, pull out my iPhone 5 and examine what I do with it.  I use SOCIAL apps (Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Blogger, etc.) on my iPhone.  I use it while MOBILE as my mobile communication and mobile data device.  I use Google Search, and its ANALYTICS everyday, as well as Weather and flight status apps.  I use all kinds of CLOUD based mobile apps including news apps, banking apps, and all the social apps everyday.  So my pocket test says SMAC is relevant.

The words I keep hearing around this SMAC stack are "multiplication effect" and "force multiplier."  Here are a couple of definitions around "force multiplier":

• A factor that dramatically increases (hence "multiplies") the effectiveness of an item or group.
• A capability that, when added to and employed by a work force, significantly increases the productivity potential of that force.

I personally think of Twitter and Blogger as force multipliers in my work.  I can communicate and share information with thousands from my home office in Boise, Idaho by effectively using social networking solutions in the cloud.

I invite you to watch what SAP's CIO Oliver Bussman said to me the other day on the subject of SMAC in this video interview.  I also interviewed Ingo Piroth, SAP's VP of Mobile Services, North America, on the concept of SMAC (see video interview at minute 3:03), where he states that SMAC is probably the biggest conversation topic at SAP right now.

It appears that you will be hearing more SMAC talk from me in the future.

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Kevin Benedict, Head Analyst for SMAC (Social, MOBILE, Analytics and Cloud), Cognizant

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Full Disclosure: These are my personal opinions. No company is silly enough to claim them. I am a mobility analyst, consultant and writer. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.

Mobile Expert Video Series: SAP CIO Oliver Bussman

I had the honor of spending time with SAP's Global CIO, Oliver Bussman and interviewing him this week.  In this segment of Mobile Expert Video Series, we discuss SAP's internal use of social, mobile, analytics and cloud solutions.

Video Links http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfSEd5V2Oqs

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Kevin Benedict, Head Analyst for SMAC (Social, MOBILE, Analytics and Cloud), Cognizant

Read The Future of Work

Visit MobileEnterpriseStrategies.com

Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict

Join the Strategic Enterprise Mobility Linkedin Group

Full Disclosure: These are my personal opinions. No company is silly enough to claim them. I am a mobility analyst, consultant and writer. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.

Mobile Expert Video Series: SAP's CIO Oliver Bussman

I have had the honor of spending time with SAP's CIO Oliver Bussman this week.  I first moderated a panel on enterprise mobility that he participated on, attended a Q&A session with him, and then cornered him for an interview in the garden at the Venetian last evening.  In this video interview we discuss his experiences with deploying over 9,000 iPads at SAP.

Articles by Kevin Benedict

Mobile Expert Video Series: Cognizant's Jeff Wallace
Mobile Expert Video Series: Sybase's Bryan Whitmarsh
Enterprise Mobility - A Tank Half Full
Mobile Expert Podcast Series: PSION's Mike Petersen, Part 1
Kevin Benedict’s Video Comments:  Mobility without Tactics is Wasted
Mobile Expert Podcast Series: Toa Technologies' Yuval Brisker, Part 1
More Mobile HTML5 Apps for Your Review

Upcoming Events

Virtual Mobility Summit - September 27, 2011
Field Mobility 2011 Australia - October 25 - 27, 2011
Enterprise Mobility Exchange, Las Vegas - November 2 - 3, 2011
Kevin Benedict Speaking Tour, Tokyo - November 14-15, 2011
Kevin Benedict Speaking Tour, Singapore - November 17-18, 2011
Kevin Benedict Speaking Tour, San Paulo, Brazil - December 4-9, 2011

Whitepapers of Note

The Business Benefits of Mobile Adoption with SAP Systems
ClickSoftware Mobility Suite and Sybase Mobility Solution
Mobile Adoption Among Gas and Electric Utilities
Mobile Adoption in Life Sciences
Mobile Adoption in Oil and Gas
Networked Field Services

Recorded Webinars of Note

3 Critical Considerations for Embracing Mobile CRM
Healthrageous Mobility Case Study
The Latest m-Business Trends and How the Onslaught of Mobile Devices Affects Development Strategies
The Real-Time Mobile Enterprise:  The Benefits of Rapid, Easy Access
Syclo and SAP Deliver Mobile Apps on Sybase Unwired Platform 

Ruggedized and Industrial Mobile Device Articles

Consumer Smartphones or Industrial Smartphones?


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Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer

Visit MobileEnterpriseStrategies.com

Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict

Join the SAP Enterprise Mobility and Sybase Unwired Platform Groups

Read The Mobility News Weekly

Read The M2M News Monthly

Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility analyst, consultant and blogger. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.

SAP CIO Oliver Bussman on Tablets

TechEd Interview with Oliver Bussman

I read an interesting interview with SAP CIO Oliver Bussman this morning.  He is a qualified expert on tablets, as he has authorized the purchase of 3,500 tablets at SAP in less than a year now.  I was particularly interested in how he, a very busy executive, uses the iPad.  Here is what he uses it for:

• Respond to email
• Media consumption
• Media sharing and sharing device.  He likes the iPad apps by Pulse, Twitterific, Flipboard and InstaPaper.

I like reading about the personal work habits of individuals.  I guess it is a way to measure and compare how we ourselves work and use technology.  In my case, I use all of the same applications on my iPad, and for the same reasons, except InstaPaper.  I will need to investigate that app.

Does the iPad replace Bussman's laptop?  Not when he needs to tweak presentations or perform more complex tasks.  Again, I share his use criteria, except, since I spend most of my time writing and developing presentations, I find myself tied to my laptop for the forseeable future.

Whitepapers of note:

The Business Benefits of Mobile Adoption with SAP Systems
ClickSoftware Mobility Suite and Sybase Mobility Solution
Networked Field Services
Mobile, The Next Big Thing for Business

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Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Join the SAP Enterprise Mobility Group on Linkedin
Read The Mobility News Weekly
Read The Mobile Retailing News Weekly
Read The Field Mobility News Weekly
Read The Mobile Money News Weekly
Read The M2M News Monthly
Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility analyst, consultant and blogger. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.

Wednesday at SAP's TechEd 2010 - Enterprise Mobility

Wednesday was another long and interesting day at TechEd.  It started with a 7:00 a.m. breakfast with SAP's Premier Customer Network (largest worldwide customers) where Sybase's Sam Lakkundi and Senthil Krishnapillai briefed the attendees on the Sybase Unwired Platform.

For the first time, I saw a product roadmap slide in the presentation from Sybase.  Sybase has always been hesitant to share the product roadmap in the past.  I am not sure why.  SAP likes to say that 70 percent of the world's GNP runs through SAP systems.  With those numbers, it seems they have some responsibility to ensure reliable roadmaps are defined and published so the rest of their partner ecosystem and customer base can plan and design accordingly.  Sybase - thank you for showing us that roadmap slide!  Now if I can only get my hands on it.

Watch SAP CIO Oliver Bussman Interview at TechEd 2010

SAP CIO Oliver Bussman

I am excited to report that I will be conducting the SAP TechEd Live interview (see sample) with SAP CIO Oliver Bussman later this month at TechEd in Las Vegas.  Oliver Bussman is involved in all the major mobility projects that are rolled out within the SAP organization.  

 Oliver spoke about some of his recent mobility projects in this article:

• SAP has rolled out almost 1,500 iPads for users across its business
• The iPads were configured with email access, access to a virtual private network (VPN), Citrix software to enable access to server-based applications and business intelligence tools via BusinessObjects.
• The company currently has 17,000 BlackBerrys rolled out across the organisation and Bussmann said that within 12 months, there will be as many iPads in use by SAP employees.

If you have questions that you want me to ask Oliver, please comment below and I will add them to the list.

I hope to see you in Vegas!

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Kevin Benedict, SAP Mentor, SAP Top Contributor, Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst
Phone +1 208-991-4410
 Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Join SAP Enterprise Mobility on Linkedin:
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?about=&gid=2823585&trk=anet_ug_grppro

Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility consultant, mobility analyst, writer and Web 2.0 marketing professional. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.