IDG Communications CEO Michael Friedenberg dips into the history of the once-thriving ice industry to put todayu2019s period of business transformation in crystal-clear perspective. Are we living through the single most revolutionary time in business transformation? Or does it just feel that way? When I think about the combined forces of the Internet, cloud computing, social tools, mobile devices and a nearly infinite amount of big data, I wonder how any business can fail to be transformed. (The alternative being to simply fail.) Then I think about the digitization of business at the dawn of the industrial Internet era, and I’m convinced that we really are in the midst of revolution. Yet as a fan of history, I play devil’s advocate with myself on all this. Maybe what the business world is currently experiencing is not all that unique. I was recently reading about historical periods of business transformation and came across the fascinating history of the ice industry. (Yes, ice!) The 1860s were the height of competitive American ice harvesting, when thriving firms like the Knickerbocker Ice Co. distributed ice to homes and businesses throughout New York. In the early decades of the 20th century, the ice industry was powerful and profitable in the eastern U.S. Then along came refrigeration and home freezers, and the ice party melted. It’s still a $2.5 billion industry (mostly prepackaged and direct-to-consumer), but dominant players like Knickerbocker went out of business. What might have happened if those ice companies had asked themselves two simple questions: “What business am I in today? What business do I need to be in tomorrow?” Instead of thinking they were only in the ice business, they might have realized they were actually in the delivery business. By thinking a little differently, they might have figured out that those ice-delivery routes were a road map to delivering other goods to homes and businesses. (They could have been FedEx!) Today’s industry leaders constantly ask themselves those two questions. Amazon was a bookstore disrupter and e-book company just a few years ago; now it’s the largest online retailer in the world, on its way to becoming a dominant power in cloud computing. Given the technology capabilities at our disposal and the ever-lower barriers to entry in so many markets, every industry is a target for disruption today. What is your real business today? What will it be in the future? Those are the questions all CIOs should be asking (and answering) right now. Follow everything from CIO.com on Twitter @CIOonline, Facebook, Google + and LinkedIn. Related content opinion The future of A.I. ethics is in our hands When so many of the world's smartest people warn us about 'killer robots' and other ethical issues inherent in artificial intelligence, we should heed their call to make sure A.I. is used for societal good By Michael Friedenberg Aug 31, 2015 2 mins Robotics opinion Beyond Moore's Law: Five technologies that will change the future IDG CEO Mike Friedenberg is watching the tech horizon and sees game-changing technologies in A.I., robotics, quantum computing and more. By Michael Friedenberg May 21, 2015 2 mins CIO 3D Printers Technology Industry opinion Security crashes the boardroom party Given the recent spate of headline-grabbing data breaches, CIOs need to be prepared to answer a lot of board questions about risk. By Michael Friedenberg Mar 30, 2015 2 mins Cybercrime Security opinion Are You Ready to Replace Yourself? CIOs rarely get to name their successors, and companies overall do a poor job of succession planning. CEO Michael Friedenberg says it's time to get serious about closing the succession gap. By Michael Friedenberg Jan 28, 2015 2 mins CIO Mentoring Careers Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe