Fast Forward "Machine to Organism" Baffler
March 31, 2009
I heard that the Fast Forward conference is no more. My understanding is that it will be rolled into a SharePoint conference, which seems to fit the road map for the Fast technology. I did a routine check of the Fast Forward Web log for information (no joy) and read “From Machine To Organism” here.
The article struck me as unrelated to Fast Search & Transfer’s technology. In fact, the piece seemed to describe SAP’s efforts to regain lost momentum. The original SAP world is gone, replacing it is a world populated by “homo zappians”. The wrap up of the argument is that a different type of enterprise software model is needed.
I think I agree, but here’s the disconnect for me. Microsoft purchased Fast Search & Transfer in April 2008 for about $1.2 billion dollars. The company released some Web parts late in 2008. At the Fast Forward conference, Microsoft suggested that Fast Search’s technology would be integrated with other Microsoft products according to a road map.
In the new world of homo zappiens (great phrase!), the emerging paradigm seems to be more along the Google model than along the SharePoint – Fast ESP model. Google, by definition, is an integrated, “as is” infrastructure. The Microsoft cloud play is a work under construction. The road map focused on integrating SharePoint and Fast ESP, both of which are mostly on premises installations.
If SAP is in trouble, Microsoft should be thrilled that its attempt to buy the company flopped. My thought is that the road map for Fast Search seems to be closer to the SAP model than the Google model. If I am right, this “Machine to Organism” analysis is off by about nine degrees which could spell disaster for Microsoft in my opinion.
Stephen Arnold, March 31, 2009
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Hi, Stephen.
I wrote the post.
It may be useful for you to know that the FASTForward blog does not necessarily analyze, or even just provide commentary on, applications and occurrences in the enterprise field in relation to what Microsoft’s or FAST’s strategies are or where those strategies are taking either company.
Rather, the FASTForward blog is provided content by a group of somewhat eclectic bloggers who have a range of points of view on things network-ish and the evolution of networked work / Enterprise 2.0.
We do not work for Microsoft, and one of he interesting things about the FF blog is Microsoft’s complete ‘hands-off’ policy towards the content we produce.
I had no thoughts about whether Microsoft should or should not buy SAP, and none of the text in that post had anything whatsoever to do with whether it would be a good thing to do or not. The main point I was trying to make was stated rather clearly, I hope, in the ending quote from Sam Rose’s blog post titled “Is SAP missing the boat ?”
The new brain now touches everyone at an organization. But not just them, it also reaches out and touches a company’s partners and customers.
While SAP contemplates it’s circulatory system and uses it as the framework to push into extremities and other systems like CRM (sensory system) or SCM (digestive system), it’s hugely missing out on how to capture the new brain.
[ Snip ... ]
So, the $50 Billion question for SAP: Will you aggressively pursue a new growth strategy or stay the course?
I tried to respond to your wondering, above, about 10 months ago. Not that I had any specific answers !
But our sponsored blogging is / was not necessarily tied to MS / FAST’s go-to-market / sales strategy.
Did my response annoy or irritate you ? Just wondering, since you expressed such clear bafflement.