Next week is Google Cloud Next. Are you ready? Before we get inundated with all the cloud news over the next few days, I thought I would take a moment and share the two questions that are framing my expectations for the event next week in San Francisco.
- What steps is Google taking to lead the IT and Business transformation? The cloud and innovative data services offered by Google are changing what is possible for businesses to achieve with their data. What is on the plate for 2019? And what should businesses be doing to position themselves to maximize what Google has to offer? How is Google helping them?
- Who (which companies) is part of this movement, and who is being left behind? In our latest IT spending research at ESG, an interesting trend emerged in the data. There is a divide emerging between the data-driven companies and those companies that still view IT as a cost center, as a necessary evil. I fully expect Google Cloud Next to be filled with the executives and thought leaders from the first group, the companies at the forefront of how to maximize the value of data. But what about the Luddites? Is Google helping them transform? How many are in attendance? How accessible is Google to these businesses at risk of falling behind the curve?
Technology is changing the world, and Google is at the forefront of that change. Before we all get excited about the onslaught of new technologies and new capabilities, it pays to take a step back and think about how different businesses (and especially your business) are positioned to maximize the value of these innovations. If I am Google, I want to appeal to both clientele sets, those well positioned to maximize the value of Google’s Cloud and those who are just starting the journey.
If you are an IT executive, however, and if you are only leveraging a small percentage of what Google Cloud offers, the question you should ask next week is, “Why is that?” Is that because you have a better alternative, or because your business isn’t ready?
