I had pretty much already decided on the topics for my blog when I was headed for Cloudforce 2011 in Munich: the sector’s ever-present “social enterprise” buzz word, salesforce.com’s products in this area, and what they mean. I expected that the usual topics, which in my opinion have come up a little too often for IT providers of every sort this year, would also come up again.

So – without wanting to diminish the truly meaningful political implications of technology in the Arab Spring events – I prepared myself to see their influence presented for the n-th time again. Of course, maybe I just attend too many of these events!

The announcement that retired German Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor Hans Dietrich Genscher would present the keynote speech on the topic of change was at least somewhat novel. And with Genscher’s first sentences it became clear to me that I wouldn’t be addressing the topics I’d originally planned on for today. Why not? My long experience in this sector has led me to hear – or more precisely, to have to listen to – a fair number of opening speeches. Short ones and long ones, good ones and not-so-good ones, exciting and boring, inspiring and disappointing ones. Today, salesforce.com presented what I consider the perfect keynote: “elder statesman” Genscher, whom I still see as a real character in contrast to the current clique of politicians, and his speech on change. Naturally, some might say that his “change is unavoidable” thesis is a predictable nod to the event and the event organizer – and maybe it is a little trivial. But I still found in his review of past and future politics more than enough analogies to other aspects of life, and of course to IT. I’m not just talking about the Cloud, but about the sector as a whole. This includes competition between systems and the attempt by some to prevent ongoing progress – to me that looks exactly the same in politics and in IT. The obvious need for a high level of readiness to change in times of transformation is also something I see as still very important. IT providers and their partners need to be just as open to changes in their products, services and business models as their customers are to adopting and using them. The shift of political power from a few established players to new leadership centers and regional associations is also something I see clearly reflected in IT. Who would have thought that a company like salesforce.com would be so successful, and prepare the way to the Cloud? And why do the established companies try more or less successfully to change and compete with those who shout the loudest? The marketplaces for applications allow even the tiniest operation in any corner of the world to become successful, as long as it has a convincing product. I could continue, but maybe I’m the only one who saw these and other analogies in Genscher’s speech. So what? That’s what a good keynote speech should be – interesting, entertaining and inspiring – and every individual hears it differently. In terms of my own expectations, what I can say is: congratulations to salesforce.com for this choice of speaker. I’d like to see more keynotes like this one. Oh, and I’ll come back to my original “social enterprise” topic soon…