When I was visiting Mizzou last week, I was able to visit Clyde Bentley. Clyde writes a blog on Mobile Journalism and the conversation with Clyde was quite useful to build future discussions on mobile devices and its effect on information publishing.
Below is a video of Clyde discussing the change in journalism caused by Mobile Devices.
Clyde Bentley: Why editors should make the move to mobile now from Bill Densmore on Vimeo.
And, what got me thinking more was this post on AgileOperations.
Agile Operations is a concept which combines lean, low-cost service delivery with flexible, just-in-time response to business demands, helping you keep your department relevant and competitive with trendy low-cost solutions available outside the business. In a sort of technology judo, Agile Operations seeks to use the strengths of these alternatives against them, keeping the flexibility and the savings in house and under the control of the IT department without resorting to heavy-handed prohibitions and lock-down measures which simply serve to force users further and further from a state of trust and understanding with the CIO.
This post on AgileOperations and Mobile discusses the impact on IT departments.
The challenge to the IT department in this scenario is to provision and support users with these devices and solutions. This is a far different prospect than traditional IT provisioning and support, and many IT departments are having trouble keeping up. It's not the first time IT has had trouble staying on the same plane as users when new technologies emerge, but this time, the devices and the online solutions are sufficiently cheap that those users don't need the IT department to implement them. While IT has held the keys to the kingdom for many years, there is an increasing chance that the IT department will simply become irrelevant as users bypass it for easier, cheapers solutions. As this Wall Street Journal article outlines, that day is coming.
We have all been frustrated with IT departments who standardize the desktop and laptops we use to reduce IT costs. In Mobile, this is the strength of RIM's Blackberry server and the ability to manage the Blackberry device. But, the rest of the industry is moving so fast, and managed mobile devices are not a priority for many.
I had a blackberry curve last year and now have an iPhone 3GS. There is no way I would go back to a Blackberry device. If anything I would try a Google phone.
Maybe one of the most rapid innovations and growth for Mobile's is the fact they are not in control of many IT departments.
How many of you think you would have a better mobile experience if your IT department made your purchasing decision?
Feel sorry for all those blackberry users who have a choice of one. Unless you are an executive and you can get the more expensive Blackberry one with a touch screen. Ooohhh!!!!