What an Orchestra and a Mobile Device have in Common

Orchestras are often used as metaphors for all sorts of things–organizational structure, planning sessions and even families.

Have you been to the symphony recently? Musicians sit in a regimented ordering around the stage. The concertmaster sets the tune. The conductor lifts the baton. And then, with the pull of a bow across a string, or breath across a mouthpiece, the music begins. Throughout the performance, each section of the orchestra plays a specific part – either separately or together – to create a harmonized work of art.

The prestigious Czech National Orchestra, known for its versatility, lived up to its reputation during a recent performance (for a new BNP product called Hello Bank!). They put their instruments – some hundreds of years old – aside in favor of newer, more common instruments: smartphones and tablets.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHnfVGtniaY

According to an article in The Daily Caller, the performance was all made possible by using a collection of 227 mobile interfaces linked together over a Wi-Fi network to simulate an orchestra – taking approximately two weeks to create the complex network.

Is this just a glimpse into the future? Just a publicity stunt? Because of the explosive growth in mobile devices and Wi-Fi access, aspects of our day-to-day lives are changing. We’ve seen our personal communications and the workplace evolve. We’ve seen our living rooms evolve. We’ve seen the information we have access to dramatically evolve. But we’re at the beginning when it comes to the evolution of how we experience our entertainment.

Today we expect to be able to instantly watch a viral video trending on YouTube, or catch our favorite shows or podcasts on our iPad’s while at the gym, or start to take the notion of “TV anywhere” almost for granted (depending on who your cable provider is).

While the development of faster and more sophisticated mobile devices might be the first thing you think of when entertainment and technology come together, the true artistry lies within the reliable and intelligent infrastructure. And with the applications, unified platform and infrastructure that work together to deliver better—say it with me—orchestration, and manageability than ever before.

The Internet of Everything is yet one more thing that can be equated to the traditional orchestra metaphor. What are you doing to play your part?