Last week on Pro: how to scale a startup, disengaged work and more

March madness isn’t just for sports – as we saw this week, spring fever is roaring across the tech world, too. As soon as our writers returned from covering the five-day SXSW Interactive whirlwind in Austin, Samsung launched its highly-anticipated (and much-leaked) Galaxy S 4 at a splashy event in New York, and Google elicited howls of protest by announcing the impending sunset of Google Reader. Meanwhile, over on GigaOM Pro, our analysts are preparing for this week’s Structure:Data conference in New York City and writing research reports full of practical advice for startup founders, analysis of converging trends in the mobile, cloud, and big data markets, and more.

Note: GigaOM Pro is a subscription-based research service offering in-depth, timely analysis of developing trends and technologies. Visit pro.gigaom.com to learn more about it.

Cloud: Understanding the Symbiosis of Cloud Computing, Big Data, and Mobile
David Linthicum

Perhaps the singularity is coming to the cloud: in his latest weekly update, analyst David Linthicum considers the increasing convergence (and interdependence) of mobile, data and cloud. While the enterprise (and their IT departments) treat these three emerging market segments as separate entities, Linthicum cites examples such as the relationship between big data and cloud storage, and of mobile computing and the concept of “personal clouds” for user data and document management, to argue that these three arms form a complex, symbiotic system that should be linked to gain greater strategic productivity.

Connected Consumer: 11 Steps for scaling a startup
David MacMillan

In an appeal for the unsexy (but very necessary) side of startups, analyst David MacMillan takes a look at several crucial (and often overlooked) aspects of establishing a startup and expanding the business beyond a couple founders and a good idea. While founders (and their funders) focus their initial efforts on product development, technical risks, and marketing efforts, MacMillan’s report covers the critical, mundane infrastructure tasks, such as proper legal and financial infrastructure, to include in any startup business plan. MacMillan provides a veritable owner’s manual, covering topics like safe harbors, intellectual property ownership and identifying and obtaining proper legal and financial services with actionable advice and important factors to consider at each stage of the process.

Social: Why work doesn’t happen at work
Stowe Boyd

Analyst Stowe Boyd pens a brief thought piece based on a 2010 TED talk by 37signals’ Jason Fried. Fried and Boyd both advocate for thinking outside the box – or in this case, outside the office. Boyd notes the counterproductive nature of the typical office – the so-called “death by a thousand interruptions in the typical workplace” – and instead argues in favor of the disengaged (or semi-disengaged) worker.