Research In Motion at a Cross Roads

Once upon a time there was a behemoth in the smartphone industry.  Research In Motion (RIM) and the Blackberry set the standard that all other devices and services were measured against.  In recent time, however, RIM’s market share has declined to a level that has made the blackberry nearly irrelevant to financial markets.  Recently, RIM reported its first loss in corporate history, which was surprising in that it was their first since the iPhone was released, and all indications point to a divestiture of RIM’s assets consisting of its Patents, Hardware, Software and their greatest holding, the immense private network used to interconnect every Blackberry device across 90 countries securely and reliably.  Unless they can shift their business model to and be accepted by a consumer market, the outlook appears inevitable.

How could a technology leader fall so quickly, in such a short time span?  The simple response is that RIM created their demise with their own technology and a lack of understanding the consumer.  With the initial deployment of the Blackberry product, centralized administration of technology was a building trend among IT personnel.  The Blackberry Exchange Server allowed for a single point of control with fine granularity from all users or to an individual device.   The ability to secure communications added to the interest in the Blackberry platform.  System administrators slept well at night knowing that their devices, and the data on them, were secure. 

Unfortunately, this focus on the administration of the device, while the key factor in its adoption, is the root cause of the failing long term sustainability of the platform.  By focusing on the Enterprise, RIM forsook the “consumerization” of their target demographic and the rise of the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) movement.  They believed endorsements by the Government and large corporate dominance would sustain RIM through that pesky flash-in-the-pan, the iPhone.  Now, the iPhone is the new standard all other devices are compared and Android devices, while not considered equal to the iPhone’s capability depending on who you talk to, are taking over market share, the Blackberry is a distant third in market.  The Blackberry has become the Oldsmobile of the smartphone industry. 

The single saving grace that RIM has had in its steady decline has been its private network.  This is the infrastructure by which all Blackberry devices are connected and provides the secure connectivity capabilities that RIM has touted over other devices’ use of ActiveSync.  Several consumer groups in Europe and Asia have kept the Blackberry alive due to the Blackberry Network.  Each Blackberry has a PIN identifier.  Knowing the PIN for a particular individual allows a Blackberry user, utilizing Blackberry Messenger (BBM), to send SMS type messages that are extremely secure and  for free. On top of that, you can group participants in BBM, which creates a powerful communications tool as observed during a London riot last year. 

Now Microsoft has entered the ring after several mediocre attempts.  Windows Phone has matured to a competitive level and, along with its Metro platform tying into Windows 8 and truly linking the mobile and desktop experience, there is debate on the ability of Windows Phone being a realistic challenger to iPhone and android as the standard.  Additionally, Microsoft has announced that their new Windows Phone 8 devices will include Trusted Platform Modules (TPM).  The TPM is a hardware component that is the DNA of a device.  It takes all of the components of the whole device and creates a Hash value or checksum that represents it.  Should someone make a change to the hardware or break the integrity of the system, the Hash value would change and easily be identified as compromised.  Using TPM, an organization can securely link its devices together with confidence.  Also, this takes the human factor out of the security aspect of platform administration.  Instead of the user entering their user-name and password, which is regularly simple to guess or get through with brute force, the TPM is registered with the data center and the user credentials are a second keyset in a two-factor authentication.  This additional hardware component will mimic the ability of Blackberry to encrypt the device, ensure secure connectivity to services and establish secured data links across the open internet.   The significance here is the merging of secure hardware with network encryption and a platform that consumers will adopt.  Could this be the last nail for RIM?

Make no mistake; RIM has revolutionized mobile access technology.  The technology has driven productivity and advanced business capabilities beyond the desktop.  Without the Blackberry, some would say there would be no iPhone, iPad, Android, or what comes next.  The world has moved on from the centralized archetype from 15 years ago.  Perhaps, the Blackberry will find new life in Blackberry 10.  Until that proves true, Apple, Google and Microsoft will continue to widen the gap through a clear understanding of the consumer market and allowing the consumers to drive the BYOD movement.

Customer Service and the IT Department

What is the importance of customer service in IT? I mean, seriously, we just provide access to the internet, we set a PC on a desk, we do a bunch of stuff that amazes our moms and dads.  But, do we provide a service in the same sense as we perceive service delivery by a restaurant, doctor or hotel?

So often, I observe geeks demonstrating the very traits that our customers loath about IT.  We speak in acronyms and assume everyone understands what we are saying, including the obscure Star Wars reference.  We assume our customers will follow our every direction on what application to use, how to use it, or what equipment we need. We restart servers in the middle of the day without consideration for those using them.  We make changes without documenting them.  Is this service?  Is this how we would want to be treated in our favorite restaurant?  More importantly, what value do we bring? How do we contribute to the business this way?

The truth is we don't!  The IT department is, first and foremost, a service organization, much to the chagrin of the geeks.  Most see the Help Desk (or Service Desk) as the “Public Face” of IT when the entire department must be service oriented.  Unfortunately, the majority of techs are introverts with little patience for the interpersonal dealings with end-users.  Most techs project the problems of system adoption or product acceptance on to their customers, demonstrated in a response to a typical discussion board question:

“It's more of the fact that a lot computer users are the "illiterate" ones, causing a lot of problems and issues, like not running anti-virus, proper firewalls, etc. That can be easily proven by reading the questions (and repeat questions) here [on Yahoo Answers].”

Our customers use our products and services nearly every moment of every work day.  Yet, how often do we really consider the user experience?  Is the problem that the end-user is “illiterate” or is the IT team isolating themselves by their own actions?  In an ideal world, a new program or device has been tested in the field, the tech or programmer has met with those that will be using the technology to determine needs and requirements, and enough research into “what the business need is” to identify issues that would impact the end-user.  The reality, however, is that this rarely happens.  Traditionally, the concerns of the IT folks are compatibility with other applications, equipment, and the rolling out process with little concern for the day to day operations of the organization.  While the systems administration aspect of IT is very important in terms of security, reliability and interoperability, it is often accomplished to the detriment of their relationship with their customers and the success of the business. 

This isolation from the business is exactly why senior leadership consistently overlooks IT as a strategic benefit.  This paradigm holds many organizations from the very benefits that technology has to offer, such as driving growth and reducing costs.  In a time when businesses need to differentiate themselves, technology offers the competitive edge needed. 

The quickest way to accomplish this is through delivering outstanding customer service.  Think of the immediate and satisfying experience you have when you receive great service.  We should strive to delivering such an experience to the end-user.  This involves clearly and concisely communicating what we are doing, listening to our users (both audibly and visually) to determine their needs, and acting responsibly by accepting ownership of issues and being accountable to the organization.  If you are walking around like Nick Burns, you may have fixed a problem; but, did you really provide a service?