Imagine searching the internet for something important without the simple search engine window. The one we use every day - the one that hides an immensely powerful collection of people, technology and vision.

We don't know how it works but we can't live without it. Similar magic is now showing up in other aspects of our lives - fridges that know what's running low, small devices in the living room that you ask questions - and get answers - without leaving your chair.

In the business world we long for the same type of magic. Being able to get the information we need to make decisions immediately is still a challenge. Imagine being able to ask business questions ... verbally ... from your desk ... and have the answer read/delivered back to you immediately.

  • Where is the annual report from 2015...here it is
  • Are we compliant with the latest Sarbanes Oxley regulations...yes
  • Which customers were most profitable for us last year...ABC Corp and XYZ Ind.

Imagine never having to open an application, search through email, comb through personal computers...

But we still live in a world where paper exists or, even if we've achieved the promise of the Digital Enterprise, we're still dealing with millions of unstructured documents - Word, Powerpoint, Excel, CAD, Email - all containing highly valuable and often highly risky information. Information we need to access so we can drive business forward.

What if you could magically dump everything your business has into a magic box and have it;

  • Clean up the content, remove duplicates, carve off useless information
  • Analyze and understand everything regardless of format, age, language
  • Profile, categorize and secure
  • Enrich every piece of content with self-describing metadata so it remains an accessible, controllable asset regardless of where it resides
  • Turn your content into the foresight needed to answer your questions

We're clearly not there yet. Content Management? Still trying. Watson? part of it. Google? Don't count them out...ever.

Adlib and our collaboration with Google represents another step in this direction. We will continue to build out the fabric that allows an organization to 'magically' turn their content into foresight without really needing to understand how it's being done behind the scenes.

I can't wait to see what the future holds...stay tuned.

About the Author

Scott Mackey

As a senior executive, Scott has spent the last 20 years building Adlib into the thriving organization it is today. Scott has held customer-focused leadership roles spanning success, professional services, marketing, and support. He is passionate about business growth, the human impact of technology, and the pursuit of an ideal customer experience measured in the customers’ terms.