Google May Be Up to Something Bigger Than We Can Imagine

Google May Be Up to Something Bigger Than We Can Imagine
This is an odd blog for me as it is just the sharing of a nagging idea that I have. Google is one of the all time smartest companies in history, so why are they taking on Microsoft in the Operating System (OS) market? I think the answer is somewhere around the idea that Google is trying (successfully I might add) to get Microsoft’s attention while Google quietly works on something that is so big, yet so simple, that they want to keep the eyes of Microsoft focused on their OS R&D and away from their other project(s).

One of my personal theories is that Google is working on a simple business intelligence platform that will be distributed freely and interface directly with their Google search algorithm. This platform is exactly what marketing gurus have been looking for, sort of like the Holy Grail.

If I may humbly suggest, I think Google could create a data warehousing, business intelligence, and reporting appliance, all wrapped up in a nice visual interface (maps, floor plans, analytical visualizations, charts, graphs, and other “eye candy”) that would finally open up the revenue taps for Google. I say “finally” because once this concept is made easy to use AND integrated with predictive analytics then everyone wants to peer into their own personal crystal ball. This appliance would be similar to the Google Appliance, but would effectively build a data warehouse using a data model that is appropriate for the customer’s industry. For example a cancer research facility would be able to setup the appliance on their internal network and all their associated data sources such as other hospitals, universities, private companies, and other sources and the appliance would automatically create a data warehouse specifically for medical R&D and provide all the Business Intelligence and predictive analysis tools that are germaine to the medical R&D industry. This same model would be used over and over again for every industry in the world. The logic here is that Google has the data and there certainly must be a critical mass of data that would enable them to rapidly develop data models and data warehouses with little or no human intervention.

I worked for a company that did extensive R&D on predictive analysis and were over 80% accurate in predicting things like: gaming customer behavior, retail customer behavior, banking and credit behavior, cell phone usage, power grid optimization, and other industries. The most amazing thing was to see this software predict within 87% certainty when a customer would return to the store and purchase a particular service or product of a particular value. The software was so accurate that you could very accurately predict your revenue stream based on your marketing and surveillance efforts. Imagine if Google made it inexpensive and easy so that any business, large or small could have the same ability to predict the future.

I began thinking this way when I read about bing! and how Microsoft struggles with this product even though it has features that appeal to many. They came in a bit late and now they play catch up. This blog as all my writings are open to your thoughts and rebuttals.

Tom West, Technical Toolboxes Canada, Ltd., twest@ttoolboxes.ca, +1 403 235-3495 x201, www.ttoolboxes.ca, Skype: twest1960