Lowest Common Data Denominators

Sometimes it takes a lot of small things to get back to basics.

Consider Google, or Amazon, or ebay. One thing they all have in common are data primitives, or to put it differently, they use the lowest common data denominators like bits, and bytes, and packets, and pixels, and packets. No one owns these data primitives so they can be relied upon; kind of like gravity, and sunshine, and oxygen. Sheer numbers have overwhelmed any one organization's ability to remake them for all of us.

Of course this does not deter some of the heavyweights who have learned to simply "rename" the free stuff and "bundle" it as part of their ecosystem. This is not necessarily bad and no corporation achieves, or maintains, dominance with poor performance. So this merely a reminder that with a few exceptions, there are common "data primitives" underpinning most solutions.

Simply remind yourself that, no matter the vendor, they are obligated to store their data in files on disks using file systems that are universally accessible - or should be. Remember that lock in occurs when all of the available funds for a budget cycle are consumed. That is the magic number that most of the "ecosystem" solutions are gunning for. Feel free to consider some "non-ecosystem" options that are not only less expensive, but more expansive and possibly suited to other tasks.

In short, you can count on some things to stay the same, even in technology.