????本世紀(jì)之交,，企業(yè)軟件行業(yè)步入了漫漫的創(chuàng)新寒冬,。

????甲骨文（Oracle）首席執(zhí)行官拉里?埃里森宣稱行業(yè)整合的時(shí)候到了。隨之,，甲骨文收購了超過80家規(guī)模較小的軟件開發(fā)公司和科技供應(yīng)商,。2003年以來，IBM軟件業(yè)務(wù)已進(jìn)行了超過70宗收購,，SAP也沒閑著,。從2000年到2010年，我戲稱整個(gè)行業(yè)處于“創(chuàng)新枯竭”階段,。當(dāng)然,，也有例外，如企業(yè)云計(jì)算公司Salesforce.com以及全球虛擬化和云計(jì)算基礎(chǔ)架構(gòu)廠商VMware,，少數(shù)企業(yè)軟件創(chuàng)新公司一舉成名,。

????當(dāng)然，同樣是這十年,。在硅谷,，一群20多歲,、穿著套頭衫的帥哥們建起了Facebook、Twitter等眾多消費(fèi)者網(wǎng)絡(luò)2.0公司,。風(fēng)險(xiǎn)投資人爭(zhēng)相對(duì)他們進(jìn)行投資,，就像一群癡狂的女歌迷們?cè)谟?guó)男子組合One Direction的演唱會(huì)上，完全神魂顛倒,。與之形成對(duì)比的是,，企業(yè)軟件初創(chuàng)公司完全成了明日黃花，連大部分硅谷投資人的門都進(jìn)不去,。

????如今,，企業(yè)軟件行業(yè)已重新煥發(fā)魔力。

????新一代的初創(chuàng)公司正在借助云服務(wù),、社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)和移動(dòng)設(shè)備的飛速發(fā)展,，全面改革企業(yè)的行為方式。他們提供數(shù)字營(yíng)銷和銷售渠道,，提供讓消費(fèi)者參與的平臺(tái),，支持企業(yè)內(nèi)部及產(chǎn)業(yè)鏈上下協(xié)作，甚至全面改革了諸如出具賬單,、會(huì)計(jì)和交易等這樣的基本功能,。

????這些公司對(duì)新一類的商用消費(fèi)者（bizumers）別具吸引力。商用消費(fèi)者往往不理會(huì)IT部門的建議,，自行尋找能提高工作效率的設(shè)備和應(yīng)用軟件,。云應(yīng)用軟件的“免費(fèi)+增值”模式和訂購特性使得商用消費(fèi)者很容易繞過常規(guī)流程，因此一些企業(yè)軟件初創(chuàng)公司的軟件安裝率非?？捎^,。

????比如，成立四年的企業(yè)社交軟件公司Yammer宣稱有超過400萬用戶,，包括85%的財(cái)富500強(qiáng)公司,，并已經(jīng)陸續(xù)吸引到了總計(jì)1.42億美元的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)投資。云文件分享初創(chuàng)企業(yè)Box宣稱有超過10萬家公司的800萬用戶,；風(fēng)險(xiǎn)投資人已向這家由一位年輕首席執(zhí)行官執(zhí)掌的公司投入了1.50億美元,。即便是前企業(yè)軟件公司高管也不能抵御行業(yè)前景誘惑。仁科（PeopleSoft）創(chuàng)始人戴夫?達(dá)菲爾德和阿尼爾?博斯瑞已成立了一家新的云公司,，專注于提供會(huì)計(jì)和人力資源應(yīng)用軟件Workday,。該公司宣稱有超過250家企業(yè)客戶，并傳言正在考慮IPO,。

????At the turn of the century, the enterprise software sector entered a nuclear winter innovation-wise.

????Oracle (ORCL) CEO Larry Ellison declared it time for consolidation, and his company obliged by snapping up more than 80 smaller developers and technology vendors. Since 2003, IBM (IBM) Software Group has made more than 70 acquisitions, and SAP (SAP) has also done its part. From 2000 to 2010, I joked that the industry was idea-bankrupt. With the notable exceptions of companies such as Salesforce.com (CRM) and VMware (VMW), few enterprise software innovators made a name for themselves.

????Of course, during the same decade, hoodie-wearing, 20-something entrepreneurial dudes in Silicon Valley fired up an amazing new crop of consumer web 2.0 businesses like Facebook and Twitter. Venture capitalists on Sandhill Road swooned for their attention like a gaggle of girls at a One Direction concert. In contrast, enterprise startups were treated like has-beens who couldn't get a first date with most Valley moneymen.

????Now, enterprise software has gotten its mojo back.

????A new generation of startups is harnessing momentum in cloud services, social networks and mobile computing to introduce fundamentally new ways for enterprises to do just about everything. They offer digital channels for marketing and generating revenue. They provide platforms for engaging with customers. They support collaboration internally and across supply chains. They even overhaul basic functions such as billing, accounting and transactions.

????These companies have a particular allure for the new breed of business tech consumers; aka "bizumers." These are workers who shun the recommendations of IT departments to find for themselves devices and applications that make their work lives more efficient. The freemium and subscription nature of cloud applications makes this process of circumvention easy, and bizumers are fueling astonishing adoption rates for some enterprise startups.

????For example, in four years, enterprise social software company Yammer claims more than 4 million users, including 85% of the Fortune 500. It has attracted $142 million in venture capital along the way. Cloud file-sharing startup Box claims 8 million users at more than 100,000 businesses; VCs have made a $150 million bet on this company run by a young CEO. Even former enterprise software executives can't resist the allure. PeopleSoft founder Dave Duffield and Aneel Bhusri have formed a new cloud company focused on accounting and human resources applications called Workday. The company claims more than 250 enterprise customers and is rumored to be considering an IPO.