Things I'd tell my teenage self

Stealing the title from an article seen on the Ted blog. Thoughts are my own.


Learn to code: If I'd known how valuable that being able to read and write code is going to be, I'd have dropped half the things I was doing then and would've learnt how to code. And No, computers are not just about games.

Write more frequently. Don't worry even if no one reads it right now. One day there's going to be a concept called 'blogging' where you can publish for the whole world to see. 

Sports and all the extra activities will never be a 'waste of time'. Contrary to some of the advice given by some elders, things picked up doing stuff like volunteering and playing sport will turn out to be more valuable than most things taught in the class room.

Most things taught in the class room is absolutely worthless. So don't sweat about low grades and all the fuss around making it good in exams. Chemistry and Physics would come in handy if you were to be a scientist or a doctor. It will have no worth in the line of work you're going to do (Don't worry, its a decent career and you'll love it).

And yes, there are careers apart from the popular choices. Marketing happens to be quite an interesting one. No one talks about it in school,  yes the education system is flawed.   

That dreaded exam called the A-Levels teaches nothing but perseverance, hard-work and picking yourself up from failure. Stick through it.  

Question authority, challenge the status quo.

No matter how good  or bad you are in academic work or how privileged (or underprivileged for that matter)  you may think you are, you are never going to make it your own strength, ability or social status. Fret not, you will encounter a person one day that would change your perspective on life and all things pertaining to it.

Social; The New Normal for Enterprise Apps

An Industry in Transition

Enterprise Systems have been undergoing several fundamental shifts in the past few years. First, they became ‘open’ with Service Oriented Architectures. Enterprise systems which were previously operating in silos were now being built with the precept of openness and ability to integrate with other applications and systems.

Then came the mobile revolution - an ongoing transformation from the PC era to a smart-phone and tablet led environment. Enterprise Apps now need to be accessible via mobile devices.

The Social Revolution
Here’s the next shift - Enterprise Apps are now 'Social'. Borrowed from the Facebooks and the  Twitters, Enterprise Apps have acquired a social dimension to them. An early proponent of this was Yammer (acquired by Microsoft in 2012). Yammer was introduced as the Twitter for the Enterprise. With its open API, Yammer boasts of integration capabilities with enterprise systems such as SAP and Sharepoint.

Social going Enterprise mainstream

Inspired by Facebook, Twitter and of course, Yammer, Salesforce.com joined the Social party with the introduction of Chatter in 2010 - integrated tightly with the Salesforce CRM. And ever since its introduction, Salesforce has been aggressively marketing the 'Social Enterprise' or the 'Business is Social' concept. Stories such as Burberry, Toyota, Kimberly Clark and GE have been extraordinary adoptions of Social technology.

SuccessFactors (acquired by SAP) with its collaboration platform JAM, SAP with its OnDemand as well as IBM Connections and Workday have all followed closely.

Private Social Communities

Another dimension to the enterprise social shift are private, social communities for organizations and brands. Platforms such as Jive, Social Engine and Life Ray have made it possible for companies to create and grow both internal as well as public communities around products and brands.

The Magic

Quite fittingly, Gartner has just released research findings on its new Magic Quadrant for Social Software in the workplace.



Source: http://www.gartner.com/technology/reprints.do?id=1-1CA1K5L&ct=121002&st=sg

Social as the new normal

While the effects and the effectiveness of Enterprise Social networks is hotly debated right now, the Social dimension seems to be the next shift in Enterprise Applications. It'll be interesting to watch the impacts this has on Software Development and the skills expected from IT Teams, Product Companies and Technology Services Vendors.

Cloud Computing, the perfect computing model or a triumph of greatmarketing?

Perfect timing to a perfect storm

Cloud Computing has moved well beyond the hype and seems to be taking its seat in corporate boardrooms and enterprise IT strategy plans. Fuelled by a recession which led to cutting down of IT spending and a quest to discover more efficient ways of making IT dollars work for the company, the cloud computing phenomenon has struck with perfect timing.

Real benefits

Its benefits are undisputed, low (almost zero) capital investments, anywhere availability, pay-as-you-go plans and easier switchovers, CIOs and CFOs alike are starting to like the sound of it. Yet the Cloud Computing model is not without its drawbacks.

That's when the marketing comes in

Despite the  well documented concerns of security, reliability, platform and data lock-in etc. which have overshadowed the cloud computing model, service providers have ingeniously maneuvered their way through the negativity and have created a marketplace that is more ready to embrace the model and willing to take a few risks in doing so.
While the issues have been addressed to a great extent (although not fully solved) and assurance given to the clients, attention has been diverted to more compelling aspects such as great usability, anywhere access on any device, ability for the users to customise the application themselves and so on.

Chatter-ing up the office

Companies such as Salesforce.com have redefined what enterprise systems should be like. They've done this by challenging the conventional wisdom and perceptions which dictate that business software is uninteresting and boring to use. By creating and developing tools such as Chatter (along with a launch event that featured the Blackeyed Peas!), they have brought excitement and energy that was confined to the likes of Facebook and Twitter into enterprise software.

Cloud computing service providers have made the shift not only more attractive but also less painful to deal with. Migration plans, change management strategies and user adoption strategies… all of these come bundled in. So while the concept of cloud computing is a technological marvel, the marketing that has gone in to it absolutely admirable. It ought to go down in the books as a triumph of great marketing.

Timeless Values and Principles : a Revisitation

Amidst the millions of books in categories such as self improvement and business, there are two in particular any business professional, student, entrepreneur or any individual interested in personal growth must read.

• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen Covey


• Built to Last - Jim Collins & Jerry Porras

And reading these in quick succession or in concurrence brings about an interesting epiphany.

The second habit - ‘Begin with the end in mind’

The second habit in Covey’s book, ‘Begin with the end in mind’ lays out a principle or in his terms, a habit that will set a person’s life on-course that will help him stay true to the things that he or she values most and thereby be deeply satisfied. A practical step as suggested in the book is to carry out some introspection and writing down of a personal mission statement.

Covey’s book also explores some of the previous attempts by various authors in finding the ultimate formula for personal success. In his research he finds that many of the methods used were fundamentally flawed in the fact that they were an attempt to change the outcome of a thing without a change or improvement in the inner workings responsible for it.

Built to last with core values and ideologies

In ‘Built to Last’, the authors through research discover some of the widely held beliefs regarding the success behind great corporations are in fact myths.One trait that is common among highly successful corporations however is the existence of a purpose or mission greater than itself and greater than the objective of money making within the company.

There exists a changeless core in these organizations that acts as a beacon and helps them weather changing times, economic downturns, stifling competition etc. Like Covey’s second habit, people in these organizations hold true to these values and core principles and deploy powerful drive for progress that enables them to adapt and change without compromise to the core ideals.

This common ground found in these books reveal a significant reality which many individuals and corporations alike seem to have forgotten. They have belittled the importance of identifying these core values and have looked for quick fixes. One thing becomes clear in reading these books; there are none.  Identifying these principles and values are even more vital in today’s turbulent economy businesses have to deal with and lifestyles people lead.

Journey in a circle



And what’s even more interesting is that these priceless and ageless principles lead to the fundamentals set forth in yet another and certainly the oldest book in this world. And this one, everyone should read! The human-race seems to have gone around in a circle in an attempt to find short cuts and various other means of arriving at their destination only to find that there are none. The Author is probably having a chuckle with an “I told you so!”.