The P2P model has been associated since its birth with libertarian initiatives that are far removed from the business concept. This feature is beginning to fade, from multiple pressures. All the technology associated with P2P models presents immense possibilities that companies will be able to take advantage of in the near future.
The P2P model has been associated since its birth with libertarian initiatives that are far removed from the business concept. This feature is beginning to fade, from multiple pressures. All the technology associated with P2P models presents immense possibilities that companies will be able to take advantage of in the near future.
When data from Media Metrix shows that the Napster platform has more visits than the Amazon website, we must stop to think about what it means. Today it is difficult to find an Internet user who has not heard of Napster or other initiatives for the exchange of resources among equals, such as Gnutella, Freenet, Scour,…. The one who has achieved the most and the least that song that he had on vinyl or on tape and that he could not find in digital format.
The pull has been such that the record companies had no choice but to take Napster to court. The final ruling is not known at the moment, but the alliance between Napster and Bertelsmann, the owner of the BMG record company, suggests that the P2P transaction model may finally become a business model.
It is quite true that the basis of the P2P model as it is known today is the obtaining / exchanging of resources for free, but if the phenomenon wants to inexorably subsist it must begin to generate benefits. Companies that manage P2P initiatives need to start thinking about how to convert their users into sources of income.
For current initiatives there are two classic solutions that can be adopted:
- Accept sponsorship and marketing campaigns: The applications with which the different participants access the resources can be at the same time permissive marketing platforms. Those interested in using the P2P community, to use it, would accept the receipt of advertisements through the interface or through other channels. Extraction and sale of user data: Certain companies may be interested in the personal data, tastes and preferences of the P2P community users, so the community promoter can sell this data, always with the complicity of the user.
But it is in everyone's mind that l as potential of the P2P model can not be pending in the end of the interest or having the initiative to marketing campaigns of other companies.
For this reason, utilities and initiatives are appearing on the market that intend to do business with the technology associated with P2P. This technology has great potential to be used by the company in the following fields:
- Creation of communities within a company: It would make it possible to exchange files in a decentralized way, making it very easy to find resources in a local network. Information exchange in professional communities: Communities where research tasks are of the utmost importance, such as Biotechnology, can benefit from the exchange of information in a fast and decentralized way, putting in contact the different research centers in real time. Leasing of idle computer capacities: Certain organizations and companies with important computing needs may consider the possibility of remuneration for the use of the idle computing capacities of individuals' PCs.Decentralized eMarketplaces: One of the most important problems that an eMarketplace can encounter is the lack of trust towards the promoter of the initiative. The technology associated with P2P models allows the creation of decentralized platforms, which once implemented in different companies would not be controlled by any third party.
