The Cloud is passe: the world according to Benioff

CEO Marc Benioff of Salesforce.com fired a shot across the bows of a host of companies when he pronounced that the cloud is passe.   He said that his company has moved on and that the future of business lies in the creation of something he calls “the social enterprise”.  I think he was just being realistic.  Things changed when a new generational wave crashed the shore made up of traditional business models.  The winners will be those companies that figure out in a real-time way how their brand is doing and what they can be doing differently to positively influence that.  He’s known for stirring the pot and I’m sure he was being intentionally provocative, while at the same time obliquely pushing his own company’s applications that play to that space.  But his record of business success is strong. 

Much as certain large vendors would like to convince you that they can provide all the IT you need to run your business in the Cloud, the reality will be a lot messier and complicated, and a whole lot more flexible and dynamic.  If you read the article, you’ll see that the future Mr Benioff envisions is one driven by innovation and a clear focus on the customer as an individual.  Having that as a primary business goal may sound lofty and expensive but it’s also a smart way to constantly strive for differentiation from the competition.