A Tale of Three Elephants

1. The Elephant in the Room

The elephant in the room (also elephant in the living room, elephant in the corner, elephant on the dinner table, elephant in the kitchen, etc.) is an English idiom for an obvious truth that is being ignored, for various reasons. It is based on the fact that an elephant in a small room would be impossible to ignore. Another equivalent expression would be, 800 lb gorilla in the room.

It sometimes is used to refer to a question or problem that very obviously stands to reason, but which is ignored for the convenience of one or more involved parties. The idiom also implies a value judgment that the issue should be discussed openly. Wikipedia

With Municpal Wireless, the "Elephant in the Room" is Internet-driven cost reduction and technological change that demands a strategy. Pressing in on city governments, over the next decade this change will force leaders to make major changes to accommodate these new options and keep pace. Such change will impact every department and every employee, and things will never be the same.

Those cities that acknowledge this dynamic are already working together with open minds, to craft solutions to adapt and plan for the future. Those that don't are continuing down the same path, some postponing action, and others not even aware of the coming changes. Either way, it gets harder and harder to hold on to the old ways as years go by. Preparing for the future starts with acknowledging the elephant in the room, evaluating long-term options and then working together to forge a consensus around a shared solution ... like a municpal wireless network.

2. How do you eat an elephant?

The answer is, one bite at a time. This is also the best approach for digesting large integration and systems deployment projects. The key to success is to reduce complexity by breaking the problem up into smaller, manageable pieces. IBM

I use this analogy often, because its vivid and widely understood. All that time on the Cisco Road Shows the past two weeks, innumerable conversations with a diverse collection of city leaders, have me thinking more lately about the issue of city networks and complexity. As I meet with cities and describe the steps needed to get a city network project off and running, I often quote that adage, and it well, it just works for municipal wireless. Eating an elephant in small bites is deliberately planning a complex network acquisition project in phases.

3. The Blind Men and the Elephant

One of the most famous versions of the 19th Century was the poem "The Blind Men and the Elephant" by John Godfrey Saxe (1816-1887). The poem begins

They conclude that the elephant is like a wall, snake, spear, tree, fan, or rope, depending upon where they touch. Wikipedia

Depending on who you talk to within a city government, a Municipal Wireless Network is viewed in a number of different ways.

To the network technologists, like the IT Director, the Communications Director, or the CIO, the Network is an extension of the IT system or an enhancement of other communication infrastructure in the city.

To the application users, like the Police Chief, the Fire Chief, or the Chief Building Inspector, the Network is a means to make the new digital Applications and Systems they need function in a mobile environment.

To business managers, like the Finance Director or the City Manager, the Network is a means to manage growth without dramatic growth in the workforce, a way to cut the cost of delivering city services while enhancing flexibility and productivity.

To political leaders, like the Mayor or the City Council members, the Network is a way to promote social justice by closing the Digital Divide and making broadband universally affordable,as well as a way to enhance the economic development potential of the city by branding it as forward looking and making it more competitive.

Three Stories in One

The job of MetroNetIQ when it engages with city clients is to define the moral of these stories, to spell out the common thread. A municipal wireless network project can be seen from many perspectives, which makes it a confusing story to tell. That's one reason cities have been slow to adapt to the potential of this new technology, and slow to adopt these networks. That's where a consultant like MetroNetIQ can help out. I'm a story teller, and apparently, a zookeeper and elephant specialist.