3. Uniqueness of Social in the Overall SMAC Stack

Technology solutions are getting into a convergence mode like never before. The world is witnessing a rapid proliferation of data in structured and unstructured formats. Traditional boundaries that used to segregate product and service offerings are fast disappearing. Integrated technology platforms are reshaping the very structure of businesses. Single window solutions are getting architected today and disjoint product and service vendors are joining together in what can be termed an evolving metamarket. SMAC, an integrated stack of four technology service platforms—social, mobility, analytics and cloud—is an example of this new-age convergence. The SMAC stack sources data from social media, accesses it via mobile technology, arrives at valuable insights using analytics and, finally, stores the same in the ephemeral cloud. Though literature talks about the four spaces as seamlessly integrating spaces, there is a subtle distinctiveness for one of the SMAC stack spaces: social. This paper is a concept note on how the social space is unique and distinct from the remaining three spaces in the SMAC stack.