At 29,028 feet and situated between Tibet and Nepal, Mount Everest today became a metaphor for data synchronization – in my mind, anyway.

Consumer Goods Technology magazine recently published part 2 of the results of research they performed in conjunction with GS1 US regarding adoption of global e-commerce standards.  While somewhat disappointing, I was not surprised to learn that over half of the respondents reported that less than 50% of their orders are based on synchronized data.

The article also indicated that there is a significant disparity between adoption within large, multinational organizations and smaller companies:  “The bigger firms account for the higher adoption levels while smaller companies still don’t embrace standards at all, resulting in an “all-or-nothing” scenario.”  I am not sure I agree with the statement, though I didn’t participate in the research and can’t say where this conclusion originated. What I do know, from the many small- to medium-size businesses (SMBs) I work with on a daily basis, is that they have a few distinct challenges that may or may not be shared by their larger competitors: 

·         They have extremely limited budgets and resources (many SMBs have a “one-person” IT department)

·         They are generally driven by hard mandates with monetary penalties  and tend to ignore “soft” requests for compliance

·         They do not have good return-on-investment (ROI) tools that are believable on a smaller scale.  For example, a large manufacturer recently presented that they had reduced freight costs by over $1 million dollars for one product they sell and had taken 90 trucks off the road by implementing rigorous data quality and data synchronization.  A small company may not even ship 90 truckloads of all of their products through the course of a year!

·         Many data synchronization initiatives focus on the “big fish” – large successes produce publicity buzz, and the smaller players are left to swim aimlessly with little education or implementation support  

In other words, they are facing their own Mount Everest and don’t have all the tools they need to successfully complete the climb.  What this means to me is that our mandate as standards organizations, technology providers, solution partners, and data synchronization fanatics is that we need to give some love to the thousands of SMBs out there waiting for a champion to bring their cause to the forefront.  We need to become sherpas and lead the charge up the mountain! 

I am making it my personal goal to push the SMB agenda this year – even if it only results in calling attention to their plight in every tradeshow, conference call, and global standards meeting I attend – I intend to be known as “that wacky SMB data sync activist”.  Well, something less colorful might be better, but increased public awareness is my objective, and I’ll take it any way I can get it.  Due to its proximity to China, Mount Everest has found itself featured in the political firestorm surrounding the Olympics.  I hope to take the cause of the SMB and shine the spotlight on it in a similar, if less sensational manner. 

Only 660 people have successfully climbed Mount Everest.  So, with over 15,000 participants, the Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN) has already well surpassed the lofty dream of those who wish to scale the world’s tallest mountain.  However, with tens of thousands of additional companies around the globe still to make the climb, and the fact that the standards will continue to evolve, potentially making it more difficult as time passes (Mount Everest is also rumored to be growing a few millimeters a year due to geological factors), we can’t sit at base camp and watch the opportunity pass us by.  We need to pack on our gear – cleansed data, trading partner requirements, and strong enthusiasm – and head for the summit – a successful global data synchronization implementation!