P2P Cash Cow with HUGE udder now ready for Milking. 4 nipples to suck : Ebay, Paypal, Skype, Do More and soon a fifth one called Skype TV (Venice Project).

I have had, like so many others a look at the Skype 3.0 Beta for Windows. I enjoyed the new Skype 3.0. Many new things here. After that initial excitement, I started thinking.

There is no point on ranting about the security features because this is still the public version for the consumers… There is no real security in the Skype System. Admit it. Don’t give me the lecture on : depends on your definition of security. Just accept it and live with it. There is no real security in pop/smtp mailboxes either and yet there is whole industry that evolved around email. if you want security enforce it. It’s the only way. Case closed (for now).

I am sure somebody will make a “your more secure skype for company” plugin, untill that plugin becomes part of a future Skype-version. Unsolved security issues never stopped Microsoft from growing big either. “As long as you keep your price low and your marketing up… then everything will be okay.” There are new features like Click-to-Call, Group Chat for Blogs. I can continue here giving a huge shopping-list of all the benefits and new features and that this is all true an great and wonderful. It is. But let’s do something different. The others will praise the Lord…  Here something different to consider. We all want to make some money right.

I do wonder why an intermediary would not start up a deal with a software-vendor, because everybody can go direct. Any affiliation system here.

Here are the problems / challenges I see with this type of project :

are the potential resellers of software (the add-ons,the skype-plugins) being undercut here ? Now the prospect database of the Skype population can go direct to the vendor. via the skype interface. think for example about all the affiliate that have been promoting something. history repeats itself.

why would a customers talk to an intermediary (unless they want free this and that and eventually buy direct) if they get spoonfed via Skype and the attached software-vendors.

who is going to suppor the businesses that will use certain types of software. I am not talking about the consumers… They will suffer. They always do.

Different “traditional” rules are not in place here. They simply don’t apply :

• never go direct as supplier, manufacturor to the customer or prospect, at least if you want to keep your reseller-network.
• never give the customers more reasons to go direct to the manufacturor than to go to the reseller / distributor
• who is going to do the support for all this. it’s not like we can call predefined helpdesks right ? it’s kind of chaotics. all are hiding.
• what about reseller networks ?
• what if you piggy pack software with skype hardware now. what type of problems does that cause, when you sell something you must support it.
• Issue : who needs people to sell this type of software.

Skype became a channel for content and software providing. Witness the power of the four (nipples). Start sucking or Milking.

At first Skype (about 2 years ago) was a small nipple to suck in the free communications, we all got hooked on it... Then they got bought Ebay and became a big udder and we had the power of the 3 (Ebay to show the good, Skype to talk about it and even show a video, Paypal to pay the bill). Keep sucking the free communications channel. It’s great commerce anyways. Now we have an udder with 4 nipples. The fourth nipples is the external content that is tunnelled via p2p onto the desktop of the end-user. Start sucking it in. You will pay later., Maybe later there will a genetically implanted fourth nipple : TV-advertising. Why not ? Keep sucking ! Let’s play a game called Udder insanity. It’s fun. If you have a problem, call the helpdesks.

Just wondering what type of (cash)cow do need to carry such an udder. The milking machine is ready, I can see that. 

Some issues with external plugins or content :

• where are the “confidential” stored. I guess on the server systems of the vendors in between…
• what information apart from usage statististics are these in between parties collecting.
• is the transmission of data like over sketchpad also secure and encrypted
• what are all these plugins doing on top of my skype. is all this secure ? do i really need it.
• should I store more than just a business-card like information (phone, chat ID, email, name…
•  it’s already enough) on the skype system
• what if you are storing, linking other systems to that channel… let’s face it. it does not excel in security and privacy.
• why does this “do more panel” not check wether I already have certain plugins installed.

What about IT managers who need to “control” a network that contains Skype 3.0. ?

• skype 3.0.has opened the floodgates of free content and software to a user population
• content and software is delivered in an encrypted tunnel 256–AES. Undetectable for administrator. Total freedom means potentially total chaos. Not necessarily bad but certainly change management is needed here.
• how does an IT-manager disable that “do more” functionality. can it be switched off ?

What is appealing about the Skype 3.0. for companies.

Most of the major / plugins I could already get. The games and toys I don’t really need, if I am a business. Unless my Human Resource Manager thinks that we need to breed more fun on the computer–network… Yeah sure. The IT-guys will be pleased with that one… My users just got more freedom and have become even more unmanageable. A policy means nothing anymore now. The whole network will incur higher traffic… The IT-guy must now act as restrictor, while (s)he was already in the corner, trying to keep everything at float so everybody could work.. Nobody likes to be a police-man (some exceptions left aside..), but now you have too.