Military Intelligence tends to top the list for oxymorons. I would also add the phrase Paperless Office to the list. When I was in the military twenty years ago, we were just starting to use the precursor of today’s internet. We had a very large greenscreen terminal that allowed us to read messages, but not everyone had access so the communications center still cranked out reams of paper a day. My morning started with a stack of messages that was usually several inches thick. It needed to be sorted and routed within the office and eventually stored or shredded.

One day I got the bright idea that this was silly since everything I sorted through each morning was also in the computer. I took it upon myself to cross reference what was coming in on paper and what was coming in electronically for the entire organization. After several weeks and laundry list of signatures, I got permission to shut off the paper. It eliminated the need for 15 people to manage paper distribution just in the communications center. Everyone generally liked not getting the paper copies. But what did people start doing? Printing copies to make sure other people had the information. I’m sure there was some net savings, but the reality is that paper generation simply shifted to another area that wasn’t quite as visible.

Fast forward 20 years and many companies are trying to leverage portal technology to simplify their code development and deployment. Sounds good in theory. But the reality is that the maintenance tail and the complexity of portlet interaction simply reshuffles the same cards, and you are left with a new set of problems.

The point is new technology often has unplanned side effects. We work wiith companies to identify risks and strategies to maximize the effect of new technology.