ORBIS N ON SUFFICIT

WHY WE SHOULD BE CAUTIOUS ABOUT THE INSATIABLE DEMANDS OF MODERN ENTERPRISE.

IS ANYONE ELSE BORED BY THE NUMBERS? DO YOU FIND THE RACE FOR CLOUD DOMINANCE A BIT DULL? ARE VENDOR BOASTS REMINDING YOU OF A RECENT TIME IN HISTORY WHEN GETTING RICH AND GRABBING MORE PLAYED OUT PRETTY BADLY FOR MOST OF US?

Fundamental market dynamics dictate that big tech companies must sell more to satisfy shareholders but the persistent desire for growth is taking its toll on workers and the markets are finally realizing that not every cloud business has a future. The earnings call is an established measuring tool for publicly quoted companies with all the major tech vendors (apart from Infor) putting analysts and media people through the ritual of quarterly bragging sessions. These calls start with the headline numbers – how much has top line revenue grown? How much did annual recurring revenue increase in the last quarter? And continue with more bluster on the number of net new customers, the growth in average contract value and details on backlog (stuff that has been sold but not yet delivered). Once the aggrandizing is over, a carefully scripted set of questions is put forward by analysts which provide the vendor with yet more opportunity to recount their successes and flaunt their progress.