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IT Disruptivity

February 3, 2008 By

Today I published a reference I have been coordinating with several Chief Technology Officer (CTO) friends for a few weeks.  It is my list of disruptive IT.

A disruptive technology is an innovation that overturns the status quo in a market. The term was first coined by Clayton Christensen and introduced in his 1995 article “Disruptive Technologies: Catching the Wave.”   He dives deeper into the concept in his 1997 book “The Innovator’s dilemma” and in the follow-on book “The Innovator’s Solution.”  He has also evolved the term a bit, now using “disruptive innovation” since more than technology is required to upset the status quo.

So, disruptive technologies and disruptive innovations are about changing the way things are today.  Enterprise CTOs are all very much in tune with concepts like these.  Most enterprise CTOs must think through issues like this quite frequently.

As for me, I enjoy thinking about positive, virtuous disruptive technology, and have just prepared a personal reference list to what I believe to be the top most disruptive technologies/disruptive innovations in the IT environment today.  Since I am looking to capture innovations and the ability to execute vice just technologies, I list companies that are taking the technologies to market vice just the
technology.  I found this to be a more useful way to manage the list, and it will probably be a more useful reference to CTOs and other decision-makers who must think through decisions on who to build
relationships with.

I would welcome feedback on this list.   You can find it at: http://ctovision.com/disruptive-it/

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About BobGourley

Bob Gourley is Crucial Point LLC’s founder and editor of CTOvision.com. Bob has received industry recognition including Infoworld top CTO award, AFCEA’s meritorious service award, and recognition as one of the top 100 “Tech Titans” in DC by Washingtonian magazine. He was named one of the “Top 25 Most Fascinating Communicators in Government IT.”

  • http://rationalsecurity.typepad.com Christofer Hoff

    Bob:
    Great post and thanks for that list as it's exposed me to some areas I need to focus on.
    I continue to present on disruptive innovation in regard to the Information Security space and would welcome your opinions on the matter:
    http://rationalsecurity.typepad.com/blog/2007/11/…
    (there are 3 follow-on posts to this one, also.)
    Great stuff, thanks!
    /Hoff

  • http://profile.typekey.com/ctovision/ Bob Gourley

    Thanks much Hoff, for the pointer to your posts on disruptive innovation in the security space.
    I see something very optimistic in your posts. It gives me hope that great positive disruption might be coming in the security business.
    I have to admit, I am not sure what the next big security improvements will be. My gut tells me that widespread use of thin clients and the deployment of computing as a service to the home markets will be a dramatic positive change, but just because it would be does not mean it will be.
    So please stay in touch and please write about it when you see the next disruption coming.
    Cheers,
    Bob Gourley