'Information Technology': The Art of Monetizing Ideas

It was in early 1991, when due to war, I found my self back in India with my trusty Amiga computer and no access to Amiga User - the magazine that had attained bible status with the Amiga community.

Back then it was still an ordeal (and expensive) to subscribe to a 'foreign' mag. I resorted to spending hours on end at a computer outlet that had just started dealing with the Amiga system, and I'd devour Amiga material, cover to cover.

That's when the owner of the shop uttered these memorable words, in jest:

This is information technology- you should be paying for it!

Information Technology: is IP, Ideas, Methodology...

Today we take I.T. to encompass everything from network administration, mobile phone sales, internet routers... to IOT.

If you literally think about it's meaning, you come to realize it's more about sourcing information, collecting it, - distilling it - and having the foresight and know-how to apply IT, to change the world.

Knowledge wants to be free. Ideas should not be.

They say you can't copyright ideas, that's a given, but you certainly can protect or monetize them when combined with Technology.

Today, many of the successful big 'consultancies' with acronym names in their titles, make a living off of harvesting information, packaging it and monetizing it for profit.

Academics and domain experts might be contributing to such information merchants, unknowingly. Every Survey Monkey form you freely contribute to...

every innocent "I'd like to pick your brains over coffee" request you agree to - in essence, is bartering years of hard gained knowledge for a cup of coffee.

Monetizing Ideas from the Get-go:

At RealVision, we tend to stay away as much as possible from restrictive MOUs and "MNDAs". Certainly, when dealing with Govt. level or FAANG league clients, it's not easy. However, if you find yourself or company being regularly called to come up with unique technology driven ideas - You can and should exercise some degree of ownership at the very start.

Even A.I knows: Ideas are not a dime a dozen today - Implementation is!

All of RealVision's answers to RFPs and "what can you do for us with VR and AR" go out with a single page PDF and a lot of blank pages. The only way to view the rest of the pdf is to 'Agree to Terms of Access'.

While it is no guarantee - it provides a first layer of protection and allows for separating the grain from the chaff enquiries.

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I'm keen to hear your thoughts on the topic - and by all means - if it's a unique insight, please put an agree to terms of access button before disclosing it!