VentureBeat ran an interesting article today about how startups are learning that the “Dropbox Effect” is a myth. That is, corporate IT departments will not adopt a consumer-driven solution just because users like it. There are too many issues around security and support for CIOs to be swayed by consumer products, no matter how sexy they are.
In this article, CEOs from very hot Silicon Valley startups are talking about the need to add executives with enterprise experience, from established companies like IBM and EMC. My question is whether, if going after the enterprise requires traditional enterprise approaches — security, support, sales & marketing — does that mean that we’ll see a move away from the 25 year old entrepreneurs who are currently the rage in Silicon Valley? I don’t know; part of the reason young folks can make good entrepreneurs is that they are willing to break the product mold, and that can be just as valuable in the enterprise as in the consumer market. But as the VentureBeat article points out, and as our QWERTY keyboards remind us on a daily basis, the best products don’t always win. If the way to sign enterprise customers is to have an enterprise-ready organization, maybe entrepreneurs will need to have enterprise experience.
Thoughtbasket 