Business 2.0's "Future Boy" article Beyond the Browser says that only reason we all still use web browsers is because "most of us don't know of any other way to access the Net-based information we so desperately crave."

The point of that statement is that what we really seek is knowledge and information, and precious few of view the web browser as the 'end game' in terms of where the information we seek is destined for, and what it is to do for us. Simply put, the web browser is a 'means to an end', the lesser of all evils that we have to endure when scouring the Internet for information. Moreover, this can be said of many corporate ERP, Data Warehouse, CRM, and Business Intelligence systems. We would rather not deal with a host of cumbersome UI's, but rather, we would prefer that the data 'meet us in our medium.'

That last statement, meet them in their medium, is a staple in my mission for Sales Technology at KI for next 2 years. Customers should not be forced to use the browser, and our sales force should not be tethered to the laptop when it comes to accessing sales pipeline, order status, and customer intelligence data. It is our job, as sales and marketing support professionals, to meet our 'customers' (internal and external) in their medium of choice. Whether that be computing devices in your home -- your PDA, your cell phone, a web kiosk in the library, your internet enabled nav system in you car, or your digital entertainment center.

The foundation of this strategy lies in a multipurpose content strategy. Content MUST be created irrespective of the medium for which it is intended, but for the information value it can provide across media. Not surprisingly, this is NOT an issue of technology, but rather an issue of culture. Getting print folks away from Quark and web folks to get out of Dreamweaver will not be easy.

Stay tuned for more on this as we draw closer to Seybold!