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Posts Tagged ‘Internet’

Microsoft is Missing Apps the Same Way They Missed the Early Internet

May 17th, 2013

It seems odd to me that Microsoft of all companies is so drastically behind the curve when it comes to apps for Windows 8 and Windows Phone. When you think about it, Microsoft of all companies was in the best position to create a better software buying experience, via an app store than anyone. Windows had 97 to 98 percent market share for the bulk of the PC era and software played a key role in that dominance. Why was there no Windows app store until the end of last year? It just makes no sense.

 Similarly, Microsoft was in a growing position in smartphones with Windows Mobile. They had tinkered with software stores but the experience never really gained significant traction. Companies like Handango helped fill the gap but again much of what existed then is gone now.

The most robust third party mobile developer network I witnessed when I joined Creative Strategies 13 years ago was the Palm developer community. In fact, the Palm developer community in terms of passion, excitement, and quality of applications being developed, reminds me a lot of today’s iOS developer community. Microsoft never enticed the same commitment and passion for their mobile platforms as the Palm community, even when they gained share and Palm itself began shipping Windows Phone. Despite their efforts Microsoft is still today struggling with weak developer interest.

As I think about this situation that Microsoft is in, it reminds me of the situation they were in with Internet Explorer for so long. They missed the boat on leading the Internet revolution and now again they have missed the boat on leading the app revolution. All while they were in the best position to lead in both.

The Network Effect
Both Palm and Apple achieved the network effect.

In economics and business, a network effect (also called network externality or demand-side economies of scale) is the effect that one user of a goods or service has on the value of that product to other people.1
The economics in turns of monetary opportunity for developers, as well as the critical total addressable market achieved by both Palm and then with Apple, created a strong network effect. This is still going strong for Apple today.
Interestingly, despite Microsoft’s position in PCs, I would argue they never achieved the network effect.2

You may have noted that I did not include Android in the network effect discussion. While it’s true Android has the lions share of the smartphone market, we also know just looking at Android’s market share does not singularly indicate the strength of a platform. Engagement is consistently reported as lower on Android than iPhone and developers are continually facing economic challenges of making money with Android.

 Being in Silicon Valley I get to meet and talk with a lot of software startups. Android to many of these software companies I meet with is treated as a secondary priority. Rarely, do I meet with a company creating software for Android first or only. If this platform was doing well for the masses then I would imagine we would see more exclusive applications and I would see more software startups getting funded for Android only development. This is simply not the case. Android is benefiting from the network effect of iOS, however, as developers are generally taking their iOS first apps to Android eventually. Android has achieved a degree of the network effect by default, and on the heels of the iPhone.

This network effect is a key area that is driving both iOS and Android. This network effect has created long tail applications.

Long Tail Developers
Chris Anderson helped popularize the concept of the Long Tail with his book called The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More. (link) The concept in short is that there is value found in having large quantities of something (apps in this case) which appeals to smaller groups of people. Another way of describing would be simply to say having a successful long tail model means having massive quantities of niche content.
Popular apps may be the most profitable but long tail apps are often the most discoverable

A successful long tail strategy, the one that I would argue creates the highest degree of loyalty to a platform or service, is one that has all the mass market goods (the popular items) but also and large quantities of goods that appeal to smaller groups of people. When we apply this theory to apps only iOS and to a degree the Google Play store are in the discussion. Popular apps may be the most profitable but long tail apps are often the most discoverable.

Imagine being a Windows Phone or BlackBerry user for a moment. Your friends or family members are all talking about the new apps they discovered or are using, for things like health and fitness, education, gardening, sports, etc. They all rave about these great apps that they love and are adding value to their lives. These apps don’t exist on your platform and probably won’t for a long time if ever, unless a critical mass is acquired. Which, of course, is not going to happen without long tail apps and long tail app developers. Its a chicken and egg problem.

Or imagine your kids sports team starts using an application to help manage schedules and parents assignments, but it only exists on iOS or Android. Your favorite grocery store, market, magazine, favorite brand, etc., comes out with an app, but it’s only available on iOS or Android. Your kids schools offer mobile apps, but they are only on iOS or Android. The workout video series you just bought has an app but it is only on iOS or Android. I hope you see my point.

Windows Phone and possibly BlackBerry may get the popular apps from the big developers, but where the platform really suffers is in the long tail apps and content, which is the driving strength for the mass market with iOS and Android. Only iOS and Android are attracting long tail developers at the moment.

Developing a critical mass of long tail apps and the developers who will continue to make them, is the biggest single hurdle I believe Microsoft, BlackBerry, and any other platform that aspires to enter the market. Without them, these alternative mobile operating systems will continue to struggle to find customers for their products until the same long tail apps make it to their platforms. If they make it to their platforms of course.

Source:http://techpinions.com/microsoft-is-missing-apps-the-same-way-they-missed-the-early-internet/16656

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Posted in Software News

Tags: Internet Microsoft

Wi-fi bunfight over hackers at Macca’s

December 7th, 2012

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Next time you’re using the free wi-fi at McDonald’s, watch out for that creepy guy in the corner. He may be trying to steal your passwords and hack into your computer.

Public wi-fi hotspots are increasingly common. Cafes, fast food chains, airports and even buses and trains offer them as a free service. A recent study conducted by McAfee found that nearly two-thirds of the surveyed Australians used free wi-fi.

But just because there’s free wi-fi at a trusted establishment, there’s no guarantee it’s safe to use.

Many public hotspots pass the onus of security to their users. The terms and conditions of the wi-fi at McDonald’s say it’s up to users to keep their usernames, passwords and other security-based information secure and private.
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A security adviser at AVG Australia/New Zealand, Michael McKinnon, says users need to be especially mindful of what they do on a public wi-fi hotspot. “You have to assume from the start that the network cannot be trusted,” he says.

The hazards of public wi-fi are two-fold. First, there’s a chance that someone is eavesdropping on all the traffic that’s passing through the network in the hope of snaring credit card details and other sensitive information. Second, there’s the possibility that another user on the network is hacking into any computers that don’t have adequate security in place.

Connecting to a hotspot that doesn’t require a password is risky. Since it isn’t secured with any encryption, nearly all of the internet traffic is sent in plain text and can be intercepted by anyone using openly available software. “You’re effectively giving your passwords away,” says McKinnon.

This danger was highlighted a couple of years ago when a software developer published a Firefox extension called Firesheep. Unlike other network cracking tools, which require a fairly sophisticated knowledge of computer networking, Firesheep made it child’s play to hijack a user’s session and gain full access to their social media accounts.

Using a password-protected hotspot helps, as all the network traffic is encrypted using Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) or the newer Wi-fi Protected Access (WPA) security, but even these networks can be compromised by a determined hacker.

Ars Technica journalist Dan Goodin recently reported that he was able to crack his neighbour’s 10-character numerical password (on a WPA-encrypted wi-fi network) in only 89 minutes using penetration-testing software and a cloud-based password-cracking tool.

Keeping your passwords and other personal data safe can be accomplished by saving any sensitive transactions and website logins for when you’re back on your home network. Assuming, of course, that your network is properly secured with a strong password – ideally one that you change on a regular basis.

Failing that, McKinnon recommends connecting to as many sites as possible using its HTTPS address whenever you’re on a public wi-fi network. “HTTPS” in the front of the web address means the site is using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) end-to-end encryption, making any communication with that site very difficult to hack. Internet banking sites and most online stores use SSL as a matter of course.

Some sites, like Twitter and Google, automatically switch to using SSL for the entire session. Facebook has a secure browsing option switched off by default, but it recently began rolling out always-on HTTPS to users in North America – users in other parts of the world are expected to get it shortly.

But securing your web traffic while you’re on a public wi-fi network is only half the challenge. The other part is keeping your computer safe from hackers.

“When you’re using a laptop on a wireless network, what you’re effectively connecting to is not only the internet, but also a local area network where there are other computers,” says McKinnon.

“Let’s say there’s a hacker sitting in the cafe that has just connected to the same wireless network you’re connected to. He can actually hack into your computer, download files and transfer files, depending on how weak your computer security is. If your laptop isn’t up to date and doesn’t have any security software, you’re definitely putting yourself at risk.”

Having a good personal firewall on your computer is the first defence – it’s like having sturdy front door to prevent thieves from walking in and stealing all of your valuables. But you’ll also need to stop them from finding a sneaky way in; this is accomplished by ensuring your computer has up-to-date internet security software and all of the latest software updates applied.

Source:http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/consumer-security/wifi-bunfight-over-hackers-at-maccas-20121128-2ad0h.html

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Posted in Software News

Tags: Internet security Software

Tealium Appoints Veteran Software And Internet Executive Jeff Lunsford As CEO

November 28th, 2012

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Tealium, the leader in enterprise tag management, today announced that Jeff Lunsford (pictured) will join the company in January as chief executive officer, adding a proven technology executive to lead the company’s aggressive growth strategy worldwide. Lunsford, who currently serves on Tealium’s board of directors, will arrive in time for Digital Velocity, the company’s annual user conference scheduled for Jan. 23-25, 2013, in San Diego.

Lunsford led WebSideStory’s IPO in 2004. Tealium’s leadership team is largely comprised of former WebSideStory executives who contributed to the company’s success.

“Jeff is the perfect fit for Tealium and we are thrilled to be working with him again,” said Ali Behnam, president and co-founder at Tealium. “We had a chance to work with him very closely at WebSideStory and we know what type of leader he is, and what type of results he can achieve. This is a great day for customers, employees and everyone affiliated with Tealium.”

Lunsford will take over leadership of a company that has dominated the space for enterprise tag management, which enables organizations to more easily manage their online solutions and digital marketing data. Tealium has achieved a competitive win rate of 90 percent so far this year, and currently has 140+ enterprise customers on five different continents. This summer, Tealium announced that Battery Ventures, one of the most respected venture capital firms in the world, invested $10.5M in the company.

“Tag management is already recognized as a foundational layer of digital marketing, with great potential to transform how marketers manage and exchange digital data,” Lunsford said. “I am impressed with everything Tealium has accomplished so far. It has innovative technology, great customers and partners, and high-quality investors. I am excited to work again with this talented group of former colleagues.”

“Jeff is a highly sought-after CEO, and for him to choose Tealium speaks volumes about our technology and our customers,” said Mike Anderson, co-founder and CTO at Tealium. “We look forward to working with him again and helping us grow and define this rapidly evolving market.”

“Tealium’s growth has far exceeded our expectations since we finalized our investment in May 2012,” said Neeraj Agrawal, a general partner at Battery Ventures, who also sits on Tealium’s board of directors. “The ability to recruit Jeff Lunsford, a proven, multi-time software CEO to the team is only further fueling our excitement.”

Prior to WebSideStory, Lunsford was the CEO of TogetherSoft Corporation, a software development company that sold to Borland Software in 2002. From 1996-2002, he was the senior vice president of corporate development for S1 Corporation, a provider of customer interaction software for financial and payment services. A former naval aviator, Lunsford received a B.S. in Information and Computer Sciences from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Source:http://www.adotas.com/2012/11/tealium-appoints-veteran-software-and-internet-executive-jeff-lunsford-as-ceo/