Rating: 
Summary: Simple, but Sweet!
Review: OVERVIEWBusiness at the Speed of Thought is far more than a position paper on his business strategies, nor is it a public relations effort to soften the critics or judiciary overseers. The book takes a higher conceptual approach, focusing on the imperative role of information and knowledge management will play in running today's organizations. Gates speaks as a consultant, using the successes and failures of real companies, in a case-study approach, to support his philosophies and strategies. It is more basic than revolutionary, but the vision is expressed with great clarity and given depth and breadth through pragmatic, working examples. CEO's, other organizational leaders, and managers at all levels can potentially benefit from the ideas illustrated. As a small business owner, I found at least half of the content relevant to improving the efficiency of my business operations. Further, those who believe that technology will continue to play an increasingly significant role in the marketplace, should grab a cup of coffee, a pen, and actively read this book. The book is organized into four distinct sections: information flow, commerce, knowledge management, and business operations. The author's basic premise is that the success or failure of an organization will depend on how well they gather, manage, and use information. Gathering information is the first step in this direction. Gates observes the importance of gathering "business facts", which encompass internal as well as external forces. These business facts concern customers, vendors, distributors, competitors, and internal systems and procedures. DISCUSSION While Gates coherent 12-step program to the implementation of a "Digital Nervous System" is a useful guide to better integrate IT with existing business resources, it unfortunately gave little attention to much deserved social and psychological issues. Gates refuses to admit any problems with technology. This technological utopianism results in an incomplete analysis and does not discriminate at all. As a result, the potential pitfalls are not identified, which could lead to oversight. Functionally, it may lead to a blind, non-discriminatory adoption to digital processes. This absolute change to may produce the inefficiency it is meant to eliminate. Under this approach, the problems fade into the background because the technology is so perfect. For example, Gates insists that communication flow through the organization over e-mail so that you can act on news with reflex like speed. It is difficult to take a 'key step' like this seriously. Is the ability to act with 'reflex-like speed' really a function of the communication medium, or is it dependent on such factors as experience, intelligence, etc.? Is there no downside to e-mail? What of the lack of truly human communication, that is, fact-to-face, if e-mail is used for all communication? Is it surprising that chief executives fly around the world almost continuously to talk face-to-face? Do they use e-mail, or do they prefer to see the whites of the potential partner's eyes? Despite these criticisms, I enjoyed this book from cover to cover, and have used its content to increase the productivity of the technological resources owned by my business. Business @ the Speed of Thought illustrates its concepts with detailed case studies of top-notch companies as well as Microsoft in a variety of industries, making the "Digital Nervous System" relevant to a broad and diverse audience. He uses accurate yet easy to understand language, abandoning technical jargon. This, combined with an introduction which provides a clear layout of the books objectives, produces a coherent and pragmatic resource for all people, business persons and non-business persons.
The analysis within the case studies gives examples of how IT can improve, or did improve, failed processes. These examples of already successfully re-engineered information networks, provides concrete methods of how to manage inventory, sales, customer relationships, etc. Because Gates draws from a diverse field of companies, the advice of Gates is useful for all business people of all types of organizations, from service to merchandising, and profit to non-profit. In addition, the concept of a "Digital Nervous System" can be applied to the personal lives of people who are adapting what he calls a Web Lifestyle. I concur with Gate's conviction that the success of businesses will be a function of how you gather, manage, and use information. Subsequently, Business @ the Speed of Thought goes a long way to increasing vital IT knowledge and skills; and these life-long skills are as important for personal, academic, and professional achievement as traditional academic knowledge and skills such as Math and Science. CONCLUSION While Gates breaks no new ground, he provides specific examples that illustrate the necessary steps to help businesses capitalize on their IT investment, and authentic examples of its realized benefits. I recommend this book to anybody who feels they are unclear on how to integrate IT with current business operations, as well as to individuals who desire to learn more about how to utilize technology to improve their personal tasks. I do not believe Business @ the Speed of Thought is just a finely tuned marketing campaign, but it may be hard for those who do not favor Microsoft to listen to Gates for the entire length of the book. In this case I recommend people read selected chapters that are in line with their individual or business IT objectives. As Gates has shown time and time again, him, Microsoft, and perhaps even this book you may ignore at your own peril.
Rating: 
Summary: A Solid Effort!
Review: "Words are like leaves; and where they most abound / much fruit of sense beneath is rarely found," wrote Alexander Pope, hundreds of years before critics said roughly the same thing about Bill Gate's Business @ the Speed of Thought. But when the words in question come from the pen of Microsoft's chairman, businesspeople and technophiles the world over rush to read them in search of whatever enlightening morsels might be hidden within. Indeed, the strength of this book, which sometimes reads like a Windows operating manual, is not in the grace of its prose. Rather, its value lies in the glimpse it gives of the world through the eyes of one of its richest and most influential men. As Gates sees it, the migration of data to the electronic state from paper was the seminal event of our age, and his book gives his take on its implications - hardly an irrelevant picture coming from the head of the world's dominant software company. We from getAbstract recommend this book to any executive charged with developing a digital strategy.
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Summary: telling...
Review: Gates has missed the cluetrain. Microsoft is still engaging in the us against them corporate mentality, and this book reveals why. He's so focussed on the boardroom mentality that he seems to have no clue what his CUSTOMERS want. It's all about how the internet can serve the company, rather than how the company can fill the needs of the community.
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Summary: The bible of High technology management
Review: Great book by great man. I would say the way Gates presented his thoughts by real-life examples is extra ordinary. I think great men like him should always write books like this.
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Summary: Business according to Chairman Bill
Review: Business @ the Speed of Thought provides a great overview of how companies need to adjust their internal business systems to survive, adapt and embrace new technologies. The book is written in a non-technical way which makes it ideal for non IT managers. I recommend it.
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Summary: Apple vs. Microsoft over the 'mouse graphics interface'.
Review: Originally the 'mouse' belonged to 'Xerox',later Steve Jobs acquired the 'mouse' for the exclusive use by 'Apple Computer' only,which in turn gave 'Apple' the edge over their rivals like 'IBM'. With 'Apple' having the exclusive 'legal right' and 'ownership' over the 'mouse',Steve Jobs was invincible in the computer business world,and an 'Apple computer' was the thing to get. Later, Steve Jobs invited Bill Gates to 'Apple',and Bill Gates learned the inner workings of the 'mouse',in turn he adapted the 'mouse graphics interface' to his 'Microsoft Windows',and later started to peddle the 'mouse' to rivals like 'IBM','H/P','Sony','Toshiba',and etc. In turn the 'mouse graphics interface' that belonged 'solely' to 'Apple' exclusively,now also belonged to 'Apple's' rivals,by purchasing the 'Microsoft Windows' program,with a high 'payable' license fee 'paid' to a Mr. Bill Gates. Alot of computer companies can make a 'Microsoft Windows' platform,but can't use the 'mouse graphics interface' without the permission of 'Apple' or 'Microsoft Windows',without the use of the 'mouse graphics interface',you got nothing,and that's where Bill Gates has a 'monopoly' on the the 'Windows' platform. Anybody who tries to 'copy' the 'mouse graphics interface',will get their 'can' sued-off to the hilt by both 'Apple' and 'Microsoft Windows'. This is why the President of 'Apple'(at the time), John Sculley fired Steve Jobs,because Steve Jobs lost the 'mouse graphics interface' to Bill Gates,and in turn gave Bill Gates the edge over his rivals,which is 'none' to date. In plain English,Steve Jobs just fumbled the 'ball',and was intercepted by Bill Gates,the 'ball' being the 'mouse graphics interface'. Today 'Microsoft Windows' acts as 'Apples' agent and distributor for the 'mouse graphics interface',which is the sole property of 'Apple Computer',and joint partner 'Microsoft Windows'.
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Summary: The bright set of case studies
Review: "Business @ Speed of Thought" by Bill Gates, issued in 1999, is a bright set of modern case studies exposing the importance of information management in the modern world. The book is influenced by Philip Crosby's "Quality Is Free", first published in 1979. Bill Gates illustrates the basic concepts presented by Philip Crosby: - There is absolutely no reason for having errors or defects in any product or service.
- Basically, we are slow to change because we reject newness.
- Transmitting: how you come across to others should not be left to chance.
- It is much less expensive to prevent errors than to rework, scrap or service them.
- Business is a ... communications that we control and utilize. The effectiveness of the business is determined by how well we do that data transmission. In 1999, when "Business @ Speed of Thought" was released, twenty ears after the publication of "Quality Is Free", Philip Crosby offers his own case studies book called "Quality and Me: Lessons from an Evolving Life".
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Summary: Practically and philosophically misguides
Review: This treatise has two main themes:
(1) Businesses are like the human body, and the information infrastructure is (or should be) like the body's central nervous system, seamlessly relaying needed information quickly to where it's needed; and (2) Major investments in IT are required to set up an adequate "nervous system" to manage a business in today's world. Both themes are repeated over and over throughout. However, the analyses and examples that support the themes fall flat. First of all, Gates provides several examples of companies that have invested heavily in IT (Microsoft's IT; however, given he has easy access to their case files, it's not necessarily an endorsement of MS per se) to solve managerial problems. If you sit back and think about the problems, though, it wasn't the IT that solved most of them, it was management realizing that it wasn't using its info systems correctly. The IT investment provides speed, but aside from that, each problem is solvable without additional IT purchases. Second, the analogy of the central nervous system doesn't consider a couple of key facts: (a) the body's central nervous system is made by nature, not by humans, who tend to make a lot of IT programming and implementation mistakes; and (b) the body's system has many built in control mechanisms, and IT systems have few - and systems control gets harder as more IT is purchased and implemented. Both key weaknesses of IT are omitted from the book.
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Summary: Great book, but the role of IT is a bit overrated
Review: I love the style and language of Bill's books (not sure if they are his sole effort). As in "The Road Ahead" Bill is trying to predict the future and IMO is a bit too optimistic about the role of technology and glosses over the negative aspects of internet and compters. The book was written before the April 2000 crash of tech sector, and I think it may have contributed to the inflation and boom of tech stocks and their subsequent downfall. Nonetheless it was very interesting to see what the richest man in the world thinks and cares about.
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Summary: Bill Gates continues to lead the field
Review: This is a must book for anyone who wants to know how to automate the processes in his company. Knowledge Mangement and Customer Relations Management are buzz words. This book eliminates those buzz words and gets down to the baisics of what really matters in a company and keeps the spin machines away. Each chapter is loaded with useful ideas often in the form of examples from real industry. Each chapter ends with a list of issues which the reader should think about in his own company. I have read several parts of this book multiple times.
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