I took the time to watch the video on Google Wave and here are some of my thoughts.
Doesn’t compete against SharePoint like everyone keeps saying
If you watch the demo – there is nothing in there about competing about SharePoint. SharePoint becomes the information repository with the management of the object in SharePoint being completed through the use of Wave. In my opinion I believe Wave competes more with Live Communication Foundation/Server more than anything else. The secondary issue I see, which many someone will profit from a solution, is that searching for the information from single portal will need to be implemented.
It’s Open Source - a negative for the enterprise
At CW we implemented an open source forum server. At first we had a purchased one which was nice because we didn’t have to support the code. But with the open source one we do and have had to make changes do to bugs and needs to connect up to a different authentication system which no one had build. However in the purchase one they did. If we as a small company have that problem, then others trying to implement Wave will too. Will adoption across the pragmatics really happen with an Open Source system this complex?
Relating items – much better experience for the user
I will admit that the relationship between objects is way better in this application.
Businesses that will come because of this
Connectors – Gadgets/Widgets/APIs to all those other Web 2.0 systems out there.
Search Vendors – Will Google update their appliance to support connections to Wave? Autonomy and Fast, i mean MS, will need to update their models.
Wave Enablers – This means people who build products that run on top of Wave disregarding the need to manage Wave yourself. Will Google allow this?
Integrators – Those who will build integration components to Databases, Lotus, Sharepoint, etc…
Wave Extenders – Offline clients, mobile connectors, etc…
Data Managers – Think about the amount of information that will be created because of this tool that needs to be managed such as archival, compression, and review.
Federation – A new issue for IT and the CIO
Email can be monitored, recorded, archived. Instant messaging has usually been the one thing that companies could not monitor and maintain. With this though it really can. Also given that fact that information can be so easily shared between organizations, what is being shared will be that much more vital. You think corporate espionage was a problem before, now it just got easier. But you ask, what about other sharing tools like blogs, twitter, etc… Yes you are right, but simplicity in the simple click of a ‘send’ button, or as they demoed – not even click the click of a ‘send’ button, makes it much easier. A book should be written on guarding information in the digital age of social networking.
A new interface – Can you teach an old dog new tricks
People are used to emails – can you teach this new concept? Worse yet, can you teach them the new UI. I guess this is where we will be in 10 years so people has better get used to it.
The new term to come – "Wave Party" a online gathering of individuals who collaborate on objects through the use of Google Wave.
It is too early for me to give an final thoughts but we’ll see where it goes from here.
