Strategies for the Cloud
Books Worth Reading
October / November 2011
Volume 9 Number 5
If you’re confused about “the cloud,” you’re not alone. The definition of the cloud is a subject of intense debate, even among its inventors. InformationWeek editor-at-large Charles Babcock explains exactly what cloud computing comprises, how it differs from pre-existing technologies and how it’s going to affect the way companies operate. He describes the seemingly limitless potential of cloud computing’s huge, cost-efficient data centers without minimizing the problems facing this emerging platform. A fundamental shift in digital services is taking place. We recommend this book to anyone curious about the brewing technological storm.
Charles Babcock. Management Strategies for the Cloud Revolution: How Cloud Computing Is Transforming and Why You Can’t Afford to Be Left Behind. McGraw-Hill, 2010. 272 pages. List Price: $27.95.
Identifying Hidden Needs
Most experts fail to explore the foundation of innovation: research. Authors Keith Goffin, Fred Lemke and Ursula Koners believe most new products fail because they are not based on research that uncovers consumers’ “hidden needs.” Developing new offerings based on the data produced by outdated research methods is like trying to cook a gourmet meal with inferior ingredients. The authors try to put a human face on ethnographic research by supplying several case studies per chapter, but that does little to relieve the dry and technical nature of the subject matter. The text is not for the casual reader. For market researchers and product developers, however, this treatise will offer new, worthy ideas and methods presented in a variety of formats with charts, graphs, grids and more.
Keith Goffin, Fred Lemke & Ursula Koners. Identifying Hidden Needs: Creating Breakthrough Products. Palgrave Macmillan, 2010. 256 pages. List Price: $45.00
On China
In his formidable 500-page-plus book, equally formidable scholar-diplomat Henry Kissinger writes about the nation with which he is inextricably linked: China. Kissinger infuses his text with impressive personal recollections based on more than 50 visits to China over 40 years, working either officially as national security adviser and secretary of state, or unofficially as a foreign policy expert. In that time, he has seen China’s evolution through four generations of its leaders. His insights on foreign policy and his personal rapport with top officials enable him to embellish this diplomatic history with extraordinary detail and discernment. We highly recommend the book’s vast scope to anyone seriously interested in examining China’s current and future role in world politics and economics, and that should be just about everyone.
Henry Kissinger. On China. Penguin Press, 2011. 608 pages. List Price: $36.00.
Bust
For a relatively small country, Greece has made outsized contributions to the world: mythic legends and heroes, great art and architecture, illuminating philosophers and thinkers, and the very word “democracy.” Yet the nation that invented the Greek tragedy is living its own version of one today, dealing with fatal flaws that threaten to spread its suffering to the rest of Europe and beyond. Journalist Matthew Lynn dissects the origins of Greece’s debt crisis and relates how the dream of a united Europe has led to what he predicts is the euro’s imminent downfall. His dry, witty, clever writing style provides some relief around the all-too-real events he recounts and the dramatic prospects he predicts.
Matthew Lynn. Bust: Greece, the Euro, and the Sovereign Debt Crisis. Bloomberg Press, 2011. 288 pages. List Price: $27.95.
Rolf Dobelli is president of getAbstract, a leading provider of business book summaries.
More
Copyright © 2012 | Innovation America