Everywhere you look, people are taking advantage of the latest and greatest software on their smart phones and tablets. At the touch of a button, we all have access to new apps that help us improve our productivity, share ideas and even have a little fun. So why is it that, in a world of on-demand content and functionality, we don’t see apps like these used in the workplace?
Like all things, technology has evolved over time. In our industry, we’ve seen three distinct computing generations: Mainframes, Minicomputers and PCs. But the Cloud, the Fourth Generation of Information Technology, is changing everything. Information, entertainment and productivity have merged into cool, lightweight apps running on nearly any appliance imaginable.
Now, there are more than a million apps available to consumers, and EMC is challenging our industry to bring these capabilities to the workplace. We envision a day when employees will be able download the workplace related apps they need to be fully functional in their role, just as they do with their personal apps in their private time.
These capabilities aren’t far off. Last year, EMC invested in the first enterprise app, a Rewards and Recognition tool, which we demo’d at EMC World in May 2011 and released to our global workforce later in December. While the app itself is cool (we’ve been told by thousands of employees how much they like the design), what’s more impressive is that EMC has charted the path on how to design, develop and deploy app-like functionality to a large, complex, global employee base.
This year, we’re building on that investment by expanding our apps inventory to solve for some of the custom technology needs not available in the marketplace. We’re also actively sharing our results, knowledge and findings with our vendors, suppliers and customers so that they can see how to invest, develop and implement enterprise apps in their environment.
Why are we doing this? Two reasons. Sure it’s going to be great to use these apps internally but, just as important, no one is better suited to drive the industry in this direction than EMC. Our creativity, thought leadership and commitment to innovation are what make us a market leader in our sector, and sharing the vision of enterprise apps will help propel us all to the Cloud.
