Information is like water

Information needs to flow like water. As knowledge workers, we need ubiquitous and instant access to information. We need to be able to access the information we need from anywhere at any time. That’s why the days of the enterprise portals are over. We need multiple access points to information and there’s no way one application can fit all the situations where we access to information.

To have relevant information pulled to us is becoming increasingly important. The opposite, information push, means that someone else tries to figure out in advance what information you might need, in what format you need it, and when you need it. In an ideal world, the person who does that knows exactly what information is right for you in every situation and serves you just that, like you would be automatically served a glass of cold water when you feel thirsty and a glass of cold water happen to be just what you need to quench your thirst. In reality, chances are that you might be served water from a fire-hose when you just need a sip, or that you’ll get a bottle of water when what you really need is to take a shower.