Hallmarks of "Simple" Software
As the chorus of enterprise demands for more simple solutions becomes louder, there are several characteristics which software vendors need to emulate in order to best serve customers today.

• A Robust Offering
  "Simple" is not synonymous with "lite." The functionality, interoperability and robustness of any Web 2.0 application must be similar to that of traditional offerings. The key is to leverage Internet-powered technology and new business model efficiencies to deliver a user-friendly, enjoyable software experience.
• A Focus on the User
  For decades, enterprise software vendors have been focusing their sales efforts on the wrong buyer: the top IT executive. This buyer's main concern is whether it is possible to install an application on 30,000 laptops in a timely and secure manner. Another big consideration on whether to upgrade to a new version of a product is how much of the release is "new."
  
  Office 2007 was aimed at this buyer. Microsoft created the suite with an "over the shoulder" criteria in mind: if a buyer looked at a user's screen over his or her shoulder, it would look significantly different from prior versions of Office. As anyone who uses Office 2007 can attest, this is certainly true. But the functionality and usability of the suite changed to the point that many longtime Office users cannot use the new icon-driven menus. By ignoring the needs of the user and focusing solely on the "big deal" sales process, Microsoft hampered the adoption of Office 2007.
• A Revamped Value Chain
  The innovative vendors who are delivering simple software applications are building their entire business behind this concept. It's not just about making the product less complicated for the user, it is also about making the business of the software business less complicated. If you focus only on the software, then you're only solving part of the problem. It is critical to pick partner vendors and service providers who also believe in delivering simple solutions.
• Fast Sales & Implementation Process
  For the innovative vendors operating in this new "simple" software space, a fast sales and implementation cycle is critical. The products are designed to be easy for users to use but they also must be quick to deliver value to the business. At QlikTech, we operate on an average-32-day sales cycle and take 1-2 weeks to implement the product. This speed enables us to return as soon as two weeks later to offer follow-on products and services.
• A Relentless Pursuit of Simplicity
  After the business is aligned, it is all about the software. "Simple" vendors must have a relentless focus on making the products more usable and faster to deploy. In QlikTech's history, there have been temptations to lose our "simple" focus, perhaps by adding a feature that is difficult to implement or partnering with a traditional vendor. But we chose the "simple" path at each fork in the road and have realized tremendous success for our vendor partners along the way. By building our whole company around this philosophy, the simple approach becomes self supporting.

Simplify or Die
For traditional enterprise vendors, the "simple" revolution in business software isn't like asking kids to eat their broccoli. It isn't something they should do to improve their health; it is something they must do to stay alive.

In five years, we will not see the traditional vendors that buried their heads in the sand and didn't accept this new reality. They may still be hanging on but their days will be numbered.

Today's college grads are joining the workforce without knowing a world without high-speed Internet access. They've never used an application that couldn't be used via a Web browser. They've never bought a physical music CD. They can access their friends within seconds via Facebook, IM, texting, email, telephone or any number of other vehicles.

With each heartbeat, user expectations get higher and higher. Traditional software executives can sit around pining for the old days of the business or they can accept reality and start making "simple" changes which will ensure their company's survival in the future.

Anthony Deighton is Senior VP of Marketing for QlikTech.

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