Business As Context to Technology

When I was in high school, I was taught what things are required to run a system, in this context is software system. They are the software, hardware, and brainware. Brainware is an actor (or actors) that operate, develop, use, or maintain the system, which are usually human. Hardware is physical machine that interact directly with brainware. While software is an abstraction of machine capabilities such that can be use optimaly by brainware.

Brainware can live their lives even without any hardware or software. Hardware has at least one dependency, that is human who operates it. Hardware can be optimize using software, but it is okay for hardware to operate analoguely. This concept shows us that software cannot stand alone. It needs at least two other components or roles to stay relevant.

Context of Technology

One important thing what business taught me is that digital products, or any products mean nothing without clear business vision. It cannot just exist, but must takes role and be part of society. Nowadays, context is everything. One can create another facebook or twitter as in the software product. But, when they only can create the software without proper business planning, the software is merely codes without context.

The software product must have role in society. In terms of business, it is categorized in industry, such as in communication industry, gaming industry, ride hailing industry, travel industry and many others. For example, in communication industry, there exists software products like WhatsApp, Line, WeChat, etc. In gaming industry there exists software products like PUBG, DotA, Mobile Legend, etc. Those codes finally have a meaning when they are placed in an industry.

I know, there are a lot of success stories of a software product that suddenly become viral without any business plan, like flappy bird. What about that? Well, you don’t want your future is based on pure luck, right? Unless you want to, though.

Technology leverages scalability

Software products and technology without business planning cannot have clear role and place in society. But, business without technology also cannot be scalable and grow. Technology such as internet gives us a lot of opportunity to grow with far more cheaper cost, it is a leverage.

I learned that there is two approach in selling with technology: technology push or market pull. Technology push means introducing a ground breaking technology that usually people do not know about, yet. This approach requires inventors to educate users because usually the product within this approach is unfamiliar at first. On the other extreme, there is market pull which listen to market needs (or wants) and make product accordingly. This approach makes product that is built is familiar with market, even too familar. The mix between the two which is listen to market to validate the problem and solution with technology innovation, that is a sweet spot.