DZone
Thanks for visiting DZone today,
Edit Profile
  • Manage Email Subscriptions
  • How to Post to DZone
  • Article Submission Guidelines
Sign Out View Profile
  • Post an Article
  • Manage My Drafts
Over 2 million developers have joined DZone.
Log In / Join
Refcards Trend Reports Events Over 2 million developers have joined DZone. Join Today! Thanks for visiting DZone today,
Edit Profile Manage Email Subscriptions Moderation Admin Console How to Post to DZone Article Submission Guidelines
View Profile
Sign Out
Refcards
Trend Reports
Events
Zones
Culture and Methodologies Agile Career Development Methodologies Team Management
Data Engineering AI/ML Big Data Data Databases IoT
Software Design and Architecture Cloud Architecture Containers Integration Microservices Performance Security
Coding Frameworks Java JavaScript Languages Tools
Testing, Deployment, and Maintenance Deployment DevOps and CI/CD Maintenance Monitoring and Observability Testing, Tools, and Frameworks
Culture and Methodologies
Agile Career Development Methodologies Team Management
Data Engineering
AI/ML Big Data Data Databases IoT
Software Design and Architecture
Cloud Architecture Containers Integration Microservices Performance Security
Coding
Frameworks Java JavaScript Languages Tools
Testing, Deployment, and Maintenance
Deployment DevOps and CI/CD Maintenance Monitoring and Observability Testing, Tools, and Frameworks
  1. DZone
  2. Testing, Deployment, and Maintenance
  3. Deployment
  4. Commodities

Commodities

Matt Ballantine user avatar by
Matt Ballantine
·
Feb. 05, 15 · Interview
Like (0)
Save
Tweet
Share
1.13K Views

Join the DZone community and get the full member experience.

Join For Free

I have realised that I talk a lot about commodities, and particularly about the concept of commodity IT. But I’m starting to wonder if that is quite the right term, or if it underplays the connection that people have with the technology that they use.

A pure commodity is something that is generally under processed and distinctly interchangeable. Wheat, crude oil, water…

But as consumers, we are often confronted with either branded commodities (petrol, sugar…) or branded goods (a car, a smartphone). There is a big difference in those things from pure commodities, and an immense amount of money and energy goes into making consumers create emotional connection to those products.

If you think about your favourite brand of branded commodity, why do you buy that one over others? Why do you buy Kelloggs over own-brand? Why do you buy Shell over BP? Now in some cases there might be a complicated logical back story about technical supremacy (is there really any difference in the stuff that comes out of petrol pumps?) – but ultimately the reasons why we do are because we are creatures of habit.

When it comes to branded goods, there well might be some tangible product differentiation between them. That further reinforces brand loyalty – why some choose or desire Audi, say, over Seat, even though both cars are manufactured by the same company. Yes, the commodity element gets you from A to B, but it’s the brand that makes you happy (or at least that’s the belief so much of our commercial world has been built up to support).

When you look at something like a smartphone, again undoubtedly a mass-produced commoditized product, there is even further “functional” differentiation. The difference between iOS or Android, or even different flavours of Android from manufacturers trying to make their product stand out from others.

All of this reminds me a little of buying new shoes. I bought a lovely pair of boots just before Christmas, but the first few times I wore them they killed my feet. Blood everywhere. It was horrific.

And so I went back to my comfortable, but tatty and wearing through on the soles pair of shoes. That was easier. That was less painful.

There is very little in the technology world that is a pure, pure commodity. We have brand loyalty. Technologists have brand loyalty. And then there are bits of function that we love, or have learned to love, that make the prospect of something new (even if it does achieve exactly the same end) daunting and painful like a new pair of tight-fitting shoes.

Network people choose Cisco over Juniper. Mac fans choose Apple over Windows. Most businesses have chosen Office over Google and so most office workers are familiar with the Redmond products.

None of these brand loyalties are insurmountable. But it brings home the necessity for managing any such change in a way that acknowledges the strong emotional ties that many have built up with heavily-invested brands. Technology is rarely a pure commodity, even if the logical minds of technologist (sometimes the most brand-partisan people you could wish to meet) might think otherwise.

Android (robot) IT Connection (dance) consumer Concept (generic programming) Google (verb) Network shell

Opinions expressed by DZone contributors are their own.

Popular on DZone

  • Microservices Discovery With Eureka
  • What Was the Question Again, ChatGPT?
  • An Introduction to Data Mesh
  • Quick Pattern-Matching Queries in PostgreSQL and YugabyteDB

Comments

Partner Resources

X

ABOUT US

  • About DZone
  • Send feedback
  • Careers
  • Sitemap

ADVERTISE

  • Advertise with DZone

CONTRIBUTE ON DZONE

  • Article Submission Guidelines
  • Become a Contributor
  • Visit the Writers' Zone

LEGAL

  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy

CONTACT US

  • 600 Park Offices Drive
  • Suite 300
  • Durham, NC 27709
  • support@dzone.com
  • +1 (919) 678-0300

Let's be friends: