Hello William, Thank you for your inputs, see my comments inline. On Wed, Mar 6, 2013 at 12:09 AM, William Herrin <bill@herrin.us> wrote:
a) Set the strategic context: how your organisation derives value from IP networks and the Internet.
b) Overview of the problem: IPv4 exhaustion
c) Implications of IPv4 Exhaustion to your organization’s business model.
d) Introduction of IPv6 as a solution to IPv4 exhaustion.
e) Understanding the risks involved.
f) How much will deploying IPv6 will cost.
g) Call to action.
My experience has been that this model fail to _sell_ IPv6 to non-technical executives. Non-technical executives have 3 questions you must effectively answer:
And the model does explicitly address all three concerns (note I only posted an outline ... the post (How to ‘Sell’ IPv6 to Executive Management – Guidance for Engineers<http://techxcellence.net/2013/03/05/v6-business-case-for-engineers/>) gives more detail)
1. What is the real dollar cost of doing the project (including both up-front and currently indefinite ongoing costs of dual stack. And don't forget to price out risk!).
Now in the post, I mention cost elements. At a point when you are still trying to convince execs about v6, is it possible to have an accurate value for this cost. Wouldn't cost elements and ball-park amounts be sufficient? Please could you shed some more light on 'Pricing out Risk'? any tools and techniques to do that would be highly appreciated.
2. What is the real dollar cost of not doing the project. (i.e. customers you expect to lose because you didn't do it. Don't suggest that IPv6 will allow you to avoid acquiring more IPv4. That's not yet true and if you say, "It will be in 5 years" the exec will respond, "great, come see me in 5 years.")
IPv6 has elements of a disruptive technology (right now it really only addresses the needs of a fringe segment of the market and also is perceived as worse with respect to feature set). The inherent problem with such technologies is that no one knows the real dollar cost of NOT taking action (when concrete data becomes available to support that, it would mean it has already seen market success and so if you still don't have it, you'd be too late.) However, in terms of cost (and risk) of inaction - it really will depend on how your organisation derrives value from the Internet and could run from stalled growth in client and revenue base, inability to retain clients and possible unknown adjacent opportunities that will be enabled by IPv6.
3. What is the opportunity cost of doing/not doing the project.
Implicitly they'll also be looking for the answer to a fourth question: Do you know WTF you're talking about? If you assure them it's all peaches and cream with tiny costs and no opportunity cost, the answer is, "no."
I believe if anyone who can phrase the "IPv4 Exhaustion Problem + IPv6 Solution" in very specific terms of the business model of the company will implicitly inspire confidence in execs that they know what they are talking about.
You get maybe 2 slides of summary on the technology and what it's for. If they want to know more, they'll ask. Everything else should focus on answering the above three questions.
Regards, Bill Herrin
-- William D. Herrin ................ herrin@dirtside.com bill@herrin.us 3005 Crane Dr. ...................... Web: <http://bill.herrin.us/> Falls Church, VA 22042-3004
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