Oracle wins round 83 against SAP

SAP was hit with a $1.3B judgement it must pay Oracle
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704369304575633150256505376.html?mod=WSJ_Tech_LEFTTopNews

This is the latest chapter in the long running fight of Larry vs. the Germans. It started with Larry realizing in the late 80's that his company could not rely on relational database revenue alone to get the the lofty position he expected, so they jumped into financial and manufacturing applications. The early versions were weak on functionality but strong on the technology framework. He then took on the SAP chairman on the waters with the first of his high tech designed super yachts, later winner the America's Cup. The 90's saw the two duke it out in the applications world with SAP still being the big winner worldwide.

In 2000, Larry started a new tact, buy all the competition, Peoplesoft, JD Edwards, and old pal Tommy Boy at Siebel. By all measurements Oracle has gained the market share to compete and beat SAP in the global market. But if you know Larry, to quote and old Bond phrase, "The World is Not Enough". He not only wanted to cripple SAP, he has always dreamed of taking them down. This judgement will go a long way toward getting the tap out Larry wants. Let's face it, SAP has made some blunders in strategy in the past, but this one will haunt them financially.

I could go on and on, but then I would ruin the end of this wonderful saga. Stay tuned.

Weather in the NW

We have been a little bit under the weather this week. Oh no, we are fine from a physical standpoint, but the weather in the NW US is ridiculous. Seattle, snow, high of 15 degrees. Tri Cities, 9" snow, 30 mph winds, high of -2. Boise, wet snow, 40 mph winds, 12 degrees and dropping to 5 tonight. Well you get the picture.

Just a thought, stay safe, don't drive unless you have to and maybe you should check and make sure you have flashlights and provisions in case you lose your power. Oh yes, we lost our power last night. And most of all, remember 4 x 4 SUV's don't help you brake on ice.

Privacy

There are new concerns about personal privacy to the point the Obama administration is looking into something akin of a personal privacy czar. Recent troubles at Google and Facebook add to the problem. But, the problem may be much bigger than anyone can imagine. Social networking by its nature is social, allowing people to share conversations and ideas through the chosen medium. When a social media discussion is happening, very few if any people are worried about privacy. (Tell that to the guy that got fired for a Facebook post about his boss). Personal privacy was a cornerstone of our Constitution in the US and that is what makes this tricky. I see in the near future where the social media behemoths will be challenged in the Supreme Court about what and how they treat personal information. I don't have a cure all answer for the problem, but I do have some advice. If you are really concerned about personal privacy, then be careful about what you say and to whom you say it. By the way, that's basic common sense talk for talking to anyone, not just a Facebook conversation.

Referral base Leads

I am going to write a lot more about referral based leads going forward, but take a look at this article. If you are an entrepreneur or SMB, here are a couple of very helpful hints.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704635704575605020072004894.html?mod=WSJ_SmallBusiness_LEADNewsCollection

If you are looking for software that might automate referral based leads, send us a note.

Bad Management: The Perfect Cure

If no one had a hamster-brained sociopath for a boss, who would start new businesses?

Scott Adams of Dilbert fame just did a brilliant article on the effects of bad management. He obviously took a lighter vein than most, but his lesson was well taught and worth a read. Please enjoy the article.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704353504575596372042140924.html?mod=WSJ_LifeStyle_Lifestyle_11_1

NASA

It is hard to understand all the politics around NASA cutbacks, the last flight of Discovery and our space program in general. But, I hope we keep the investment in going to space. Many of the technologies that spurred the US technology foundation in the 60's, 70's and 80's came out of the NASA incubator. It is very ironic to me that as we spend less on space exploration, we are considered to be lagging behind China and India in the overall tech space. Anyway, here is a neat article that is worth a read.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/2010-11-04-deep-impact_N.htm

Maybe we will find the answer in a comet.

Captain Hook

George "Sparky" Anderson died yesterday
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=kurkjian_tim&id=5765088

Once again showing my age, people may not remember the manager of the 1970's Reds who won five division titles in the NL and two World Series. It would be hard to argue that the Big Red Machine wasn't one of the best teams to ever play the game. With players like Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Ken Griffey Sr., Tony Perez, Johnny Bench, George Foster, Davey Concepcion, Bobby Tolan and Cesar Geronimo you would very hard pressed to put a better team on the field. He got his second nickname "Captain Hook" because he was quick to change pitchers and when he got out of the dugout he usually pointed to his arm for a righty or lefty as needed.

That could have been a Hall of Fame career by itself, but Sparky went on to coach the 1980's Tigers and led them to a World Series sweep in 1984. Only one other manager, Tony LaRussa, has managed world champions in both leagues. That's it, the list, two people. He once described his managerial technique this way: “I got good players, stayed out of the way, let ’em win a lot, and then just hung around for 26 years.” Great advice for today's managers in business and sport. RIP Sparky, we lost a great one yesterday.

Plan for the Holidays

For companies that are on a fiscal calendar, it is crunch time for sales. It's the time of year where you are asked every day what the status of your big deals is. It's the time of year that puckers up every sales manager. It is also the time of year to have a plan that addresses all the potential things that can go sideways. Here are a few that come to mind. Have you ever had a key meeting planned for December only to find out you can't get to your destination due to weather in Chicago? Have you ever had a deal on the threshold of signing only to find out the key decision maker is out with the flu? How about the company that puts a temporary freeze on all discretionary spending starting November 15th? Does the company (or their legal) close down from Christmas to New Years?

You get my drift, Have a "plan to close" now, run it by your potential customer and work on potential roadblocks with thought out alternatives. Better yet, get it closed by the first week of December

Decisions

What's worse; a bad decision or no decision? Most bad decisions can be corrected, I am speaking broadly, but in general most bad decisions can be changed or mitigated. Making a bad decision early in a process is obviously better than later. Now, I am not saying you should run your business on a series of bad decisions, but let me take the next step.

How do you correct a non or no decision? You can't. Often, many decision makers will wait until they have all the perfect information before they make a decision. If that is the case, is it a decision or inevitability? Leaders lead and waiting until something is inevitable is not leading. Take the best information for a key decision, run it by your trusted inner circle, gather some alternative opinions and make decisions. Then, be nimble and correct or fine tune the decision/outcome as necessary.

5 Reasons to block Facebook and Twitter in the office

Provacative article, but there are some really good points.
http://venturebeat.com/2010/11/01/5-reasons-to-block-facebook-and-twitter-at-your-office/

There are reasons to use both Facebook and Twitter as part of your marketing strategy, but you need to keep a lid on extraneous chatter.