With the state of technology and the world being what they are, it's increasingly apparent that today's fledgling effort to capture and use personal data is merely an embryonic practice about to burst forth bigtime. Making It Personal examines the implications from a corporate point of view, offering suggestions on using personalization tools and techniques to create a win-win situation for all stakeholders in an organization. Bruce Kasanoff, a specialist in personalization, marketing, and the technology that brings them together, begins with the "one-to-one" concept articulated in 1993 by Don Peppers and Martha Rogers (who penned the book's foreword). But Kasanoff takes off in a new direction by focusing on the contradictions inherent in systems designed to boost profits through personalized interactions--and do so without invading privacy. Combining fictionalized anecdotes with real-world research, he explores current practices;, ways that developing technologies may change this tomorrow; how meaningful information might be extracted from the mass of newly available data; and some unintended consequences that could ultimately result. Understanding and using these principles, Kasanoff argues effectively, will lead to "reduced costs, increased revenues, and stronger loyalty" on all levels. -- Howard RothmanWe now have at our fingertips access to immense amounts of personal data-from purchasing habits to medical records. Everything we do and everywhere we go leaves a trail; the difference now is that it's all being recorded, analyzed, and disseminated by sophisticated processing systems. The power of these systems is enormous. Businesses use them to enhance customer relationships, distribute knowledge and expertise across a global enterprise, and negotiate more effectively with suppliers, distributors, and partners. The medical, educational, governmental, and non-profit communities are using them to more effectively serve the needs of their constituents.

But there's a dark side. At what point does this data mining cross the line into invasion of privacy, unethical, or even illegal practices? What happens if proprietary information is accidentally released or gets into the wrong hands? Or when human judgment takes a back seat to computer-generated reports?

In Making It Personal, business and technology expert Bruce Kasanoff explores the how to make the most of personalization technologies without crossing that line. In fascinating detail, he describes initiatives underway that sound like science fiction, from biometric facial recognition sensors to employee behavior monitoring systems to geospatial vehicle-tracking devices-all of which are gathering, analyzing, recording, and disseminating information about us. Illustrating these increasingly common practices with examples drawn from all types of organizations, Kasanoff considers the implications, as individuals and businesses become increasingly interconnected. The result is not only a compelling and thought-provoking narrative, but also a practical framework from which to assess the opportunities and threats posed by personalization-and how you and your company will respond.

As technology comes to permeate virtually every aspect of work and life, Kasanoff sees the greatest dangers to personal freedom and privacy coming not from isolated cases of information piracy or misuse but from business leaders in general who stick their heads in the sand and refuse to ask tough questions now about how best to balance personalization and privacy. Making It Personal is a mission-critical briefing for anyone concerned with a phenomenon that is revolutionizing business and will play out in dramatic fashion in the years to come.