Good ol' Netflix

I have continued to read, The World is Flat 3.0: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century (Further Updated and Expanded, 2007), by Thomas L. Friedman. In the next few steps about globalization, he talks about how workflow software helped flatten the world even more. Workflow software enables more people in more places to design, display, manage, and collaborate on business data previously handled manually. It allows software to connect seamlessly no matter where you are located or what software you are running, so people and machines can work together and make your business more productive.

Netflix is a great example of workflow software. I remember when we used to make a special trip to Blockbuster or another local movie rental shop, to browse aisle after aisle of movies. Once you found one you liked, you checked it out for a set number of days, and had to return it on time or be subject to late fees. If it was a little further back in time, you paid a fee if you did not rewind your VHS tapes. ‘Please be kind and rewind’ was on every tape we brought home. The worst part was getting a damaged disc or tape that you couldn’t watch. Since driving ten to fifteen minutes to the rental shop was not always ideal, we always ended up paying a late fee every time we rented and would hardly drive back to return any inoperable movie. But alas, Netflix is born. Netflix is a streaming movie rental service, which allows its users to download and stream a movie instantly. You pay a monthly fee, and the best part is, there are NO LATE FEES! Netflix remembers the titles that you watch and makes recommendations based on this data. You are automatically billed, since you placed a credit card on file when you signed up, and you never have to worry about what you are going to watch at night or worry about getting a bad disc or tape. Digital streaming is the way of the future for all movie platforms.

I never knew how many programs were designed through community-developed software. Community-developed software is software that can be modified by anyone, anywhere in the world without having to license it. It is cool to imagine that someone can take their programming idea, put it out in public, and have other designers and programmers assist in the development and creation of their product, only to make it better for everyone who uses it. This software is free to download and use. The only catch is that anyone who adds on or patches a fix must always give credit to the original designer. This helps keep the competition down from the big companies such as Microsoft, who develop and sell their products. It also allows the collaboration efforts of many bright minds all over the world to give insight, offer ideas, and give solutions like never before.

Outsourcing allows a business to work more efficient for a lower overhead cost. Any backroom service, call center operation, or knowledge work that can be digitized and sourced globally to the cheapest and smartest provider is considered outsourcing. I work for a global airline that is based in the United States, and we actually work very closely with Wipro in India. The amount of back office work we get is extraordinarily high, and we are not able to efficiently manage the workload to meet the needs of our customers. We shifted much of this work to them, which can range from fixing mileage discrepancies, to answering general email questions, and we are finally meeting our stats. Outsourcing to them has been fantastic and beneficial on both ends. Outsourcing not only saved India and their economy, it has helped save so many US businesses from having to close entirely.