1. The explosion of information – especially at the end-user level, and
2. the dawning realization that folder structures are no longer an adequate way to file massive amounts of data.

We continue our series about information traction.  In part one of this series, Information Traction: Find It, Consume It, Apply It (Part 1 of 4), we reviewed information traction – a term I have been using to describe a life cycle of how to find, consume, digest, and apply information directly the need at hand. In this article we will look a little more closely at the ability to find information, and its part in information traction a little more closely.

Finding It

Information is useless when filed unless we can, at will, retrieve the information. Electronic document management (EDM) solutions seek to speed the retrieval and accuracy of retrieved information.

Findability has become one of a few very popular buzzwords in the EDM space of late. Peter Morville is credited as coining the phrase, findability, which refers to:

…the quality of being locatable or navigable. At the item level, we can evaluate to what degree a particular object is easy to discover or locate. At the system level, we can analyze how well a physical or digital environment supports navigation and retrieval. (Wikipedia, 2008).

The Google Effect:

Google has revolutionized the way people perceive search, and to its credit, has seemingly made finding information easier than ever. However, there is a key difference between tagging unstructured data for later queries, such as web pages and in-the-wild documents (with Google Desktop), and those documents being structured in more tradition EDM solutions.

Let’s look at an example to help make this a little easier to wrap your head around:

Let’s say you are using an unstructured filing method, whereby you are able to throw your documents anywhere on your desktop computer and later retrieve them utilizing Google Desktop – a client-based software equivalent to Google’s web search engine. In doing so, you are able to open a browser window and type in various search terms and return results that seem to correspond to your need.

However, what happens when you now need to find all documents for a particular client because they want to review their contractual obligations? Can you run a query that will definitively return all needed documents? What if you need them constrained by last activity date or matching a criteria of “approved by John Smith”?

You see, while tagging search tools are effective in certain applications, they have yet to meet the needs of mature businesses looking to ensure findability; these are often best effort, and can not generally be considered comprehensive in scope – which is why more traditional EDM solutions are typically applied in business situations.

Structuring For Success:

The tools for making findability a reality are only a small part of the equation, however. What is most important is the processes and controls we place upon how our information flows throughout our organization.

Software tools by themselves can only make a messy filing room messier – in a digital format. It takes thought and planning to ensure information can be found, digested and applied.

At my company, we have reached a critical point I did not think we would see in a medium-sized business; we have created a position of Information Assurance whose charter responsibility is to ensure indexing information across the company are kept consistent. In other words, this position is responsible for things like ensuring our customer name is consistent between our accounting systems, EDM solution, and SFA/CRM applications.

As I indicated previously, processes and controls are some of the most important things to ensuring information can once again be found once filed. Otherwise you might as well have thrown the document in the trash to begin with – it would’ve been cheaper!

What are some of your successes or failures in findability?

Continuing with our series, our next article will discuss the ability to consume and digest the mountains of data we are finding.

Ken Stewart’s blog, ChangeForge.com, focuses on the collision between the constantly changing worlds of business and technology. To learn more about Ken, visit his about page. You may also find Ken on FriendFeed, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

What is perhaps most interesting is that companies large and small have had access to this information since the dawn of commerce. Even the simplest customer interaction yields mountains of data-points on the psychology of the consumer. But how do we interpret it, compare it to other samples, and ultimately apply it to help market our products better, faster, cheaper?

Ultimately, how do we increase value to our customers while decreasing cost to outcome for our company?

If you will pay attention to the subtext, you will notice information is no longer about simply having access to mountains of data – rather it is about how to find it, consume it, digest it, and apply it to the need at hand – in other words, gaining information traction.

Information traction is simply how much momentum we can gain given a certain piece of information and whether that information is better in pieces and parts or in a conglomeration of subsidiaries.

Without application, information is really useless, isn’t it?

After all, how can you sell something if you don’t know who your customer is? What use is a doctor’s knowledge if he or she cannot apply it to save a life or ease suffering? How indeed?

Most seem to be very focused on the ability of finding information these days. Peter Morville is credited as coining the phrase, findability, which refers to:

…the quality of being locatable or navigable. At the item level, we can evaluate to what degree a particular object is easy to discover or locate. At the system level, we can analyze how well a physical or digital environment supports navigation and retrieval. (Wikipedia, 2008).

Others, such as IBM focus on what they term as consumability, or the ability to digest large amounts of information. But does this not suggest the information is simply being taken in with no thought of where the new found resources are to be distributed? In other words, what helps the body transfer those raw materials to usable energy so the body may achieve its goals during that day?

I would suggest there to be another phase in information assimilation, that of application - or what I like to call traction.

Many think of tires when first hearing the word traction. This is an apt metaphor. After all, the tire’s sole purpose is to transfer energy from the engine to the road surface, thus enabling movement. Without friction, the vehicle could not move.

In this four-part series we will look more closely at the concepts of information traction: findability, consumablity, and application (traction). Each article will discuss the relative topic as it pertains to an SMB environment, and intends to shed some light upon how one company deals with the sliding landscape of information management and assurance.

How do you handle finding and digesting all of your business information to empower you to arm your business with the best intelligence possible?

Ken Stewart’s blog, ChangeForge.com, focuses on the collision between the constantly changing worlds of business and technology. To learn more about Ken, visit his about page. You may also find Ken on FriendFeed, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

VM may not be a huge leap forward, but it will be a real improvement on existing IT infrastructure that will have a profound effect on our lives for many years. It has its origins in the 1960’s, but modern VM technology enables the ability for one computer to host several (unlimited) virtual computers, without regard for the type or number of operating systems. In other words, you could have a Windows XP, Ubuntu, and OS/2 machine all operating on the same CPU, RAM, NIC, and disk drive hardware. All of these operating systems function as if they were the only one installed on the computer, and all of them can be used simultaneously.

So what is so great about VM? Why should you care about it? Consider a Desktop Support environment where you need to trouble shoot print driver problems. Your customers might have Windows XP, Vista, Windows Server 2003, and Linux. If you are going to support all of these systems, you need to recreate the environment by purchasing equipment to run all of these operating systems, and then physically set them up to run accordingly. In a virtual environment, you can simply create machines on one PC that runs all of these operating systems. As calls come in you simply switch from one environment to another as needed.

Another huge benefit to VM is in purchasing servers. Many application servers are underutilized and operate at a fraction of their capacity. By installing virtual machines on a single box, you can have a database server, email server, or other functional processes running on the same device, saving the cost of the hardware and reducing energy consumption.

As VM becomes ingrained in the IT infrastructure of organizations there will be even more adoption. The future could be a new dynamic in managing and purchasing hardware. An example of this could be in virtual desktops. If a company operated using virtual desktops, they could purchase inexpensive dumb terminals with only a web browser loaded. Then all the users would remote into their ‘virtual desktop’ and use whatever operating system the company wanted. All the users would be on a single server, but it would appear that they were working independently. There is even a virtual network and shared resources such as printers, folders, or other group items.

VM is not the ‘last technology’ we will ever need, but it represents a substantive change in how hardware and software will be handled in the future. If you sell or service technology, you and your customers will be well served utilizing VM.

Note: There are many companies that offer virtual machine technology, but two common versions are VMWare and Microsoft (Virtual PC or server-centric Hyper-V). There are plenty of resources available on the web that provide you with this information.  Also, Virtual PC and VMWare Server are available for free (you need only provide the operating systems you would like to install).

You see, I left the United States Marine Corps in February, 2001 - during what many remember as the “Dot-Com Bust”. I, my wife, and 2 dogs traveled cross-country - over 3000 miles - to move closer to home. We had no jobs, no home, and only 2 months of living expenses to get us by.

Through hard-work, and a lot of time on e-mail and working the phones, I landed several interviews. I managed to land a job as an IT Manager at a local manufacturing company. It was in this position that I looked around and saw the making of what was to become an epic journey…

I saw a disarray of printing devices, in 2001 mind you, and knew there was a better way to manage the chaos. I called several vendors, and of all of them, only Kearns Business Solutions was able to talk about a comprehensive strategy…

I worked through months of red tape, and finally brought together my managed print, copying, and even scanning strategy. The rollout was difficult because of challenges in the platforms, but Kearns devoted tireless hours and nearly countless resources to overcome the problems and deliver a solution unmatched.

I was hooked.

As time progressed, I learned of an opportunity to apply for a position at Kearns - leading a forming group of connectivity specialists. In 2003, a little over 5 years ago, I became the Director of Technology at Kearns Business Solutions.

It was a ride that would take Team Kearns to unprecedented heights of success in our industry. With some of the largest fleet deployments, JD Power award-winning customer service, and unparalleled overall account management, Kearns Business Solutions operated as an elite, independent, full-service solutions provider.

The Next Chapter:

With success, many took notice; We were financially sound, operationally efficient, and extremely well positioned to continue growth. As many in our industry know, those paying the closest attention was that of the MFP and printer manufacturers.

Global was recently acquired by Xerox, Ricoh moved to acquire IKON, and Konica-Minolta scrambled to acquire Danka. And a little known division of Sharp Electronics Corporation, called Sharp Business Systems had begun a steady acquisition strategy a little more than 2 years ago - watching the success and mistakes of rivals in our space.

Sharp Business Systems began by adopting a strategy of enforcing local management structures. This helped maintain the entrepreneurial spirits of the dealers it acquired. Combined with the massive R&D budgets and superior employee benefit programs, Sharp Business System has been steadily growing its market share by acquiring smartly - and not at the cost of success.

And so it is that Kearns Business Solutions becomes Sharp Business Systems on November 11, 2008.

This acquisition is bittersweet. On one hand it validates all that we have worked so hard for - not just the investments of ownership, but of management and team members alike.

This has been the most challenging and ultimately the most rewarding company I have ever worked with and for. And I will be honest, I took the position for a new building block to my resume and increased salary. Little did I know that 5 years later I would have learned that the most important aspect of any job is the team with which you work.

This, indeed, proved to be true. I have never - NEVER - worked with a finer team of high-integrity, goal-focused, and selfless people in my life. It has been an honor serving with each of them, and I look forward to serving with each of them in the months to come as we settle in with our new family.

Ken Stewart’s blog, ChangeForge.com, focuses on the collision between the constantly changing worlds of business and technology. To learn more about Ken, visit his about page. You may also find Ken on FriendFeed, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

In the swirling winds of chaos and change - in the rushing around all of us find ourselves guilty of - it is a pleasure to sit down, sip a glass of wine, and share some reflections with each of you.

Today has been hectic, maybe more so than the week - a perfect punctuation to the type of week I have had. Now that I steal away some time to reflect upon my week, a smirk finds its way to my lips.

Quite possibly the wine is relaxing me; maybe I am a cheap date. But I think not. You see, my friends, I took time this week - of all weeks in my year - to stop and breathe, to look around (I mean really take notice), and share laughter with each and every team member I work with.

Much like a fine wine, life is meant to be sipped not gulped. Sure there are times when all of us just need to put our head down and get it done. More importantly, however, I believe we must be able to sense when to stop and drink it in - just where we are in that instance.

I found time this week to see just about everyone I worked with, shake their hand, pat them on the back, or share a joke amongst friends. Smiles were there to be had by everyone, and smiles were given freely in return.

This next week we will return to the tasks at hand, busy keeping our heads down. And in keeping with the doing of those deeds our team, my team, will find its way through any adversity - to victory. But what I must remember, what I must remember to practice and not just preach, is that life will try to run away with us. What each of us must focus upon is simply remembering those deeds do not define our lives, it is the way in which we handle ourselves in doing those deeds, fulfilling those tasks, and living our lives that defines each of us.

Remember, look up every so often so you do not lose that sense of wonderment about all things around us; remember that we are part of something larger than ourselves, it demanding a gentler appreciation than our grooming might normally dictate.

… And remember, our glass of wine was intended to be sipped, not gulped.

Update: Leo wrote a very good article on attaining balance in your life. If you are interested in learning how to sip life, take a stroll on over to Zen Habits.

Ken Stewart’s blog, ChangeForge.com, focuses on the collision between the constantly changing worlds of business and technology. Ken is also the Director of Technology at Kearns Business Solutions.

How many times have you been frustrated with someone breaking a process, or someone’s missteps causing you more work? It happens to all of us, right?

How many times have you attempted to fix everything with an e-mail?

I know I have been guilty…

This e-mail was fairly harmless - and it will also most likely need remedial, and in-person, follow-up to ensure the process is being followed. But this one event brought back a host of other e-mails that caused a reaction.

You know the reaction I’m referring to – where some “manager” get’s involved and everything has to change – people get moved, processes get installed, and before you know it everyone is grumbling about the tail wagging the dog.

Focused on fixing the 1%?

In our haste to be efficient, multi-task, and leverage our technology to create more time – I would ask whether we sometimes miss the forest for the trees?

How many times have you witnessed a supervisor, manager, or authority figure step in to offer new guidelines or policies based upon a single infraction, rather than simply addressing the infraction with the offending individual?

While this type of approach may be justified at times, I have found over-legislation more common in these unwarranted situations where management often chooses to address a symptom but not the cause.

The net result can often be viewed as a little game the employees begin to play with management, akin to a dog chasing its own tail. All the while, frustration, agitation, and resentment build amongst the team members, breeding an attitude of apathy.

Fixing the focus:

By adjusting our understanding of what the actual problem is we can accurately digest the issues and produce a desired result. In other words, we need to fix what it is we are focused on.

Here are a few hard-won lessons I stumbled across:

1. Don’t legislate by e-mail.
2. Attack the issue head on, but don’t attack others.
3. If you are going to have a meeting – make it productive for all.
4. Get specific.
5. Listen to all sides of the story.
6. Show the problem to all sides.
7. Seek agreement on the problem: (Write it down).
8. Elicit solutions: (Ask how they would do to avoid the issue in the future).
9. Create feedback mechanisms.

Having said all of this, I’m sure you had some hard-won insights you would like to share; what would be your number 10?

Ken Stewart’s blog, ChangeForge.com, focuses on the collision between the constantly changing worlds of business and technology. Ken is also the Director of Technology at Kearns Business Solutions.

1) Job Boards are a joke

I am thoroughly convinced that all job boards are owned by either CareerBuilder or Monster. I am also convinced adult education universities co-op them. You can’t login once without having to hit the “No Thanks” button declining to submit an application to register for classes. What job boards are good at is giving you a false sense of productivity as you tirelessly scroll through job opportunities for Branch Manager (of K-Mart) and uploading your resume into cyberspace never to be heard from again.

2) The interviewing process is conducted by the potential employer AND potential candidate

For some reason the natural posture of the candidate is submission and that the company is the sole decision maker on this. However, you want to be interviewing them just as rigorously and determining if this is an organization worthy of your talents, and a place to hang your hat. If you think about it, we spend more time during the week with people we work with than our own family. I am not advocating arrogance - far from it. However, what I am recommending is maintaining an atmosphere of equality.

3) Listen to the podcast from Manager Tools pertaining to updating your resume.

They provide some excellent ideas on content and formatting that will be extremely enlightening. If you decide not to listen, be sure and put a band-aid on your clicking finger to avoid a blister, because you are going to be hitting the “No Thanks” button a lot.

4) Send a hand written thank you note to everyone you meet.

When was the last time you received a hand written anything? It takes 4 minutes to do it, fortifies a professional image and most importantly no one else does it.

5) Start interviewing before you leave/lose your job.

Augmenting #2, you want to couch the interviewing dynamic so that the potential employer is in the position to recruit you away from your current one. Otherwise, you will reek of commission-breath and desperation, making #2 more difficult than necessary.

6) It’s no different than cold calling for customers.

Just like prospecting, target the potential companies you want to work with, research the decision maker, pick up the phone and call them with scripting as simple as:

I am contemplating making a move from my current company, _____________, * and you are on my short list of companies I may want to work with. Got about 30 minutes this coming ________ to conceptually discuss a potential fit?

* make sure they are familiar with the company.

Like all my blog postings, treat them like a buffet, take what you like, leave what you don’t and always try something new. Did I miss any?

As the rules of business change, thinking must change as well. For us sales professionals, I believe antiquated thinking will only lead to frustration, unhappy clients and a dwarfed income. The purpose of my blogs is to provoke a deeper level of thought about achievement in business and to challenge the comfort zone in order to provide a new level of selling and lifestyle.

Max always welcomes questions and comments. Visit Max on LinkedIn.com

The common components I see in all successful people, whether at the top of their game or looking up the mountain of their greatest slump, are:

1. Honesty
2. Vision
3. Will
4. Communication

Honesty:

As the saying goes, “Know your strengths, and outsource your weaknesses.”

In order to understand where you are, you must understand who you are. In knowing your make-up, your strengths and weaknesses, you can make informed decisions about just where you step when the footing becomes slippery.

Being honest with yourself also helps you understand how much you can reasonably accomplish, helps you know when you just need to put the blinders on to get it done, and when to hand the ball to someone else for the touchdown. Sometimes, honesty may show you it is better to be led than to lead. However, without self-truth you will become your own worst enemy – constantly sabotaging yourself in whatever your endeavors.

Vision:

Perhaps the single most important component of success I witness in down times is that of vision – having a goal towards which you strive, as well as that innate ability to recognize opportunity in the darkest of times. Some might term this as hope,  but vision is much more deliberate.

Leaders are made and broken during difficult times, and can often be the most unlikely candidates. I have learned that the best of leaders offer their teams not only hope, but an achievable vision to fight towards. They do this by painting a picture their followers can not only see, but also envision how to achieve.

You see, while hope is a component of vision, truly having a vision is both intellectual as well as emotional. Vision is having a goal to which you aspire, as well as the ability of constructing the various achievement gates that comprise your goal; in other words, a hallmark of vision is the ability to break down the dream into digestible milestones, whereas hope is contentedly dreaming the dream.

A great leader will inspire you to not only dream, but live their vision. So in bad times, you must decide whether you will be led or whether you will lead.

Will:

Will power is deciding a course of action, and executing. It is not bullheaded, but is resolute when right. It is not a wall to stand against the odds, it is a tree that stands tall and proud, but knows when to flex and bend as the winds of change blow hard against it.

Having the will to survive and thrive is one only you can make. Surely supporters and mentors can help lift down-spirits, but ultimately it is up to you to pick yourself up off the ground and keep walking; when you can no longer walk, it is up to you to crawl, because only those that want it – truly want it – have a chance.

While will power doesn’t ensure success, it keeps your heart beating when the vision seems so far away; it helps you rationalize the pain as being part of the process to achieve your vision.

Communication:

Finally, communication is a key component of success. This takes two forms,:being able to communicate your ideas as well as continually networking.

First, you must be able to effectively communicate what it is you are attempting to accomplish. Otherwise, you are just another voice in the crowd, screaming at the top of your lungs. Being able to reach others on their level is extremely important to your survival. A key skill here is to practice listening to what might be important to others.

Second, building a network of supporters is highly important. These are people you can turn to when things are at their worst, who can help you find work, turn you on to a lead, or simply give you advice on a pending project.

But, don’t forget, building a network is not one-sided. You must have first put in the time and energy of helping others succeed. Then, and only then, do you have the right to ask for favors in return. A key skill here is to live with a heart of service; help others succeed without need of reciprocation, and you will find you have supporters to lean on in times of need.

In Closing:

Honesty, vision, will, and communication are common keys successful people use to unlock their success potential. These are not always given, but can be developed.

Success comes in many different shapes and sizes. Only you can determine what success looks like for you. While society and our loved ones often superimpose their image of success upon us, it is ours, and ours alone, to determine success.

What stories do you have that you could share with us? Do you have a different outlook, or do you have anything that could be added?

I encourage each of you to take inventory of your life and determine if you are doing what it is you are called to do. If not, what steps can you reasonably take to step in that direction?

Ken Stewart’s blog, ChangeForge.com, focuses on the collision between the constantly changing worlds of business and technology. Ken is also the Director of Technology at Kearns Business Solutions.

Join the team…

Darren of ProBlogger sent me a link to check out Chuck Westbrook’s call for help in finding undervalued blogs.

This is a problem we can do something about without too much trouble. Here’s what I’m thinking.

1. Gather some nice bloggers who believe in helping good content rise. The more the merrier. This becomes our group for the project.
2. A good, lesser-known blog is chosen. Everyone in the group will read that blog for two weeks.
3. At the end of the two weeks, the group moves to another blog to read.

If you are looking for great content to read, and wouldn’t mind spending a few minutes each week helping another author, stop by Chuck’s blog. Not only would you help out other authors, but you might just find some really great content to read.

Nearly 38,000 employees have access to Google Docs, Gmail, and other Google applications, and its intranet is built with Google Sites.

While Microsoft Office will be maintained in the organization for some, Google is seen as offering complementary services which accelerate collaboration. Citing concerns with expanding costs of “enterprise software” and drawn-out integrations, Vivek Kundra, D.C.’s CTO, explains, “We just turned [Google Apps] on and started using it.”

There’s something to be said for rapid deployment cycles, but what about security and intellectual property concerns?

Is Google Docs really ready for primetime?

In a previous article (Does Google care about your privacy?), I questioned the legal verbiage in Google Docs sections 11.1 and 11.2:

11.1 You retain copyright and any other rights you already hold in Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services. By submitting, posting or displaying the content you give Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services. This license is for the sole purpose of enabling Google to display, distribute and promote the Services and may be revoked for certain Services as defined in the Additional Terms of those Services.

11.2 You agree that this license includes a right for Google to make such Content available to other companies, organizations or individuals with whom Google has relationships for the provision of syndicated services, and to use such Content in connection with the provision of those services.

Although, Google attempts to explain this away in various FAQ’s, many of the CIO’s, CTO’s, and IT Managers I interact with don’t yet see Google’s offerings as a serious solution, viable for corporate primetime. They are doubly uncomfortable with verbiage like that contained within sections 11 of Google Docs’ terms and conditions.

GE seems to agree. In September, GE dropped Google and chose competitor Zoho Office Suite.

A GE spokesperson who did not want to be identified said their decision was based around issues of personal and corporate privacy, functionality, support, features and Zoho won hands down. The spokesperson said the Google application was intrusive and the ads started to become a nuisance. I tested both applications today. Google Spreadsheets was a disaster.

With all of this traffic about office productivity, one thing is certain – Microsoft’s monarchy in the office productivity arena is being severely challenged. OpenOffice.org was reportedly swamped with web traffic after rolling out its new Office 2007 extension support, slash-dotting the website. This potentially indicates OpenOffice is being taken much more seriously in the corporation. I know we do.

Don’t count Microsoft out just yet, however. Their new SharePoint offerings have quietly sold over $1 Billion in licensing alone for it’s Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) solution. This underscores the belief that Microsoft offers enterprise collaboration, coupled with an understanding of security needs, built upon a platform that is readily prevalent in almost every business across the United States.

What’s your take?

Office productivity and collaboration will continue to be topics of debate among businesses struggling with cost controls, productivity, and overall efficiencies.

Google must continue to make in-roads into the core enterprise while attempting to ensure opponents of their cloud-offerings can be assured of security and that Google is willing to protect corporate interests.

Microsoft is beginning to serve up its applications via a subscription model, but site licenses will most likely remain the most cost effective option for very large enterprises. Microsoft must also help to reshape the way in which deployment, security patches, and overall manageability are handled, something SaaS offerings have handled very well.

And what of OpenOffice and Zoho? Will they continue to make there way in to cost conscious organizations?

What do you foresee as the landscape of office productivity and collaboration in the coming years? Does your organization have any initiatives for review in play? Or, is your organization actively using any of these tools?

Ken Stewart’s blog, ChangeForge.com, focuses on the collision between the constantly changing worlds of business and technology. Ken is also the Director of Technology at Kearns Business Solutions.