Brent Simmons draws out the difference between Flexibility Vs Power in software:
Flexibility is the ability to change how software works; power is the ability to do more with less effort
Historically we have been sucked into believing that “Flexibility = Power” and the complexity of most ELNs shows the result. As Brent mentions, iOS and the like are causing us to understand that the benefits come from Power – that’s how we deliver the return on investment. Flexibility can distract from that.
I suspect in the future we’ll see a lot more focused, powerful systems which allow us to concentrate on the job in hand rather than having to figure out how to configure all the flexibility we thought we wanted.
When you add a new App to your iPad/iPhone you are generally up and running within seconds. Imagine if that was the user experience for ELNs…
Trade Secret Protection and ELNs
A good ELN can protect a company’s Intellectual Property in a variety of ways aside from the traditional role of creating and preserving evidence to be used in a Patent action.
I don’t know the details of the specific case but this recent legal case where an employee stole trade secrets before leaving for a competitor brings up another way.
Specifically, if they had been using PatentSafe:
The last of those is most important. If people know they are accountable this would never have happened at all – the scientist wouldn’t have been tempted, the company wouldn’t have had to prosecute, lots of money would have been saved and a prison sentence avoided.