CIO Talk Radio Blog

New technologies mean that businesses have had to think through the nature of a sales event.It is traditional, per Death of a Salesman and Glengarry Glen Ross, to think of a salesperson as the one who precipitates an event, and the event has been conceived as the face-to-face encounter of a nimble-tongued sophist (whether a Socrates or a Thrasymachus) and a prospect. The sales event was thought of as analogous to a point on a line, with particular emphasis on the “close,” the supreme importance of this instant. But today’s technologies have brought about a revolution in information—making it more abundant, yes, but also more available. And there is no longer a sales event proper (as there is, for instance, a gunshot in a Conan Doyle tale). Furthermore, it is unhelpful to remain in the habit of thinking in terms of such an event.

Experts are having to radically rethink security because of mobility, cloud computing, social media, and other new technological forces.  A principal reason for this is quite simply the pace of change.  The rapidity with which technologies are being developed and deployed is unprecedented.  A security professional likes to deliberate, weigh risks, and take measured steps.  But the rate of adoption of newer technologies reduces the time available for threat analysis and strategizing.

Oliver Bussman (Chief Information Officer, SAP AG) employs Apple’s iPad as the ideal tool for his mobile work force. The goal, of course, is ubiquitous connectivity. However, what must obtain behind the scenes, all invisibly to the customer, requires a herculean managerial task.