Keeping Track - Technology

Have you seen Ocean's Eleven? Do you remember the part where they all synchronize their watches prior to the big hiest? Ever wonder what would have happened if they weren't working on exact timing? It's a near certainty that they wouldn't meet with the success that they ultimately did. One of the challenges I have noticed since taking my post (in my "Information" capacity) is that data synchronization is a near oxymoron in the world of books and publishing. Don't get me wrong, we have come a long way by adopting and implementing standards such as ISBN-13, BISAC, and ONIX, however we are still a long way from everyone working from the same sheet of music. Ultimately, this means that the information we all need to rely upon for business intelligence only provides us with a partial image of the way things really are, and in some instances that may not give us the most accurate image.

In other industries (e.g. hard goods), this type of data synchronization effort has been adopted by even the largest of players (can you say Wal-Mart?). In fact, read this quote from Rollin Ford, CIO for Wal-Mart:

"Data synchronization is a top priority at Wal-Mart. Many of the key strategic initiatives with our suppliers, such as Radio Frequency Identification and Advanced Shipment Notification, are enabled with accurate item data synchronization via the Global Data synchronization Network (GDSN). Trading partners need to get involved by selecting 1SYNC or any of the GDSN-certified Data Pools within the network. Working collaboratively, trading partners will benefit from data synchronization while better serving their customers."

So, how do we get there? Well, our most recent addition to the Technology Track, David Wilkinson of 1Sync, will be present to round out this track with a look at the benefits of data synchronization through the supply chain and some solutions that exist for making this simpler. Personally, I am excited to learn more about this topic and am hopeful that this can be the beginning of moving toward some solutions that will benefit everyone from manufacturer to consumer (with the publishers there in the middle of course:-).