| Garter, Inc analysts highlighted the top ten strategic | | | | Service (SaaS) as a viable option to access |
| technologies and trends for 2008. Gartner defines a | | | | infrastructure services, information, applications, and |
| strategic technology as one with potential for | | | | business processes though simple and easy to use |
| significant impact on enterprise in the next three | | | | web browsers. The web based "cloud computing" |
| years. Take a few moments to get familiar with the | | | | environments may access a single source for data, |
| definitions of technology trends that will impact your | | | | applications, or resources for client queries and |
| business. | | | | reporting. However, as metadata management and |
| 1. Green IT | | | | mashups become more sophisticated and |
| According to the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, | | | | commonplace, web platform Software as a Service |
| e-waste is the fastest-growing part of the waste | | | | will increasingly enable the recombination of data from |
| stream, and the Environmental Protection Agency | | | | multiple data sources, applications, and resources. This |
| estimates e-waste accounts for 2 percent of the | | | | evolution enables real time data collection, |
| municipal solid waste stream in the United States. | | | | comparison, analysis, application and resource |
| More than 1,000 chemicals are used during electronics | | | | allocation through web portals, reducing direct data or |
| production, such as lead, mercury, and cadmium. In | | | | service connectivity, and allowing significantly greater |
| addition to manufacturing materials, going green | | | | user flexibility. |
| means focus on power consumption. IT departments | | | | What company is setting the pace with Web |
| spent 17 cents per dollar to power and cool servers | | | | Platform, API, and Software as a Service initiatives? |
| in 1996. Ten years later, by September 2006, IT | | | | Amazon |
| departments were spending 48 cents per dollar to | | | | 8. Computing Fabric |
| power and cool servers, according to IDC research. | | | | In the evolution of servers as storage devices, we |
| IDC predicts that this cost will grow to 78 cents per | | | | witnessed the progression of big iron from tape |
| dollar by 2010. The focus on green is as much about | | | | drives to hard drives, and the management of all |
| cost reduction as it is about the environment. | | | | data on one drive to storing data on an array of |
| The Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition estimates that | | | | drives as a means to expand storage and recover |
| there are 500 obsolete computers in the United | | | | from catastrophic failure. In other words, multiple |
| States, and 130 million cell phones thrown away | | | | devices shared access and resources to store data. |
| every year. It is no wonder that e-waste and Green | | | | This concept evolved into blade servers, enabling the |
| IT are topping the charts as the primary initiative for | | | | networking of multiple efficient devices. The next |
| technology and trends in 2008. | | | | evolution of the computing fabric is the introduction |
| According to IDC, over 50% of customers consider a | | | | of technology to treat the network of blade servers |
| vendor's green initiatives and capabilities when | | | | as the sum of the components from each of the |
| selecting a supplier. One third of customers already | | | | blades. Rather than manage each blade server as a |
| consider it very important that suppliers have "green | | | | whole device, the new technology will treat memory, |
| offerings". 80% of Executives say that e-waste and | | | | processors, I/O cards and components as a pool of |
| Green IT is growing in importance as an initiative in | | | | resources, combining and recombining these |
| their organization. The number one (#1) driver for | | | | resources as necessary to appear as an operating |
| Green IT adoption is economic, to reduce operational | | | | system on a fixed single server. |
| costs. | | | | Managing the computing fabric will take the smallest |
| What company is setting the pace with Green IT | | | | measurable pieces of the networked hardware and |
| initiatives? ZSL Inc | | | | recombine resources to achieve Green IT low cost |
| 2. Unified Communications | | | | power consumption, better use of hardware |
| 20% of the installed based with PBX has already | | | | resources, and treat hardware combinations in much |
| migrated to IP telephony, and more than 80% are | | | | the same way that mashups converge diverse small |
| already conducting trials and preparing for the most | | | | pieces of data into single serving results on demand. |
| significant shift in telephony since the adoption of cell | | | | 9. Real World Web |
| phones. Voice over Internet Protocol, VoIP, is also | | | | The term real world web refers to enabling |
| known as IP Telephony, Broadband Telephony, and | | | | information applicable to a particular location, activity, |
| Voice over Broadband. A rose by any other name, | | | | or context relevant to the real world. Unlike virtual |
| the appeal for low cost is what smells so sweet. A | | | | worlds that can be created and manipulated for a |
| single network can carry voice, data, video, and | | | | particular purpose or entertainment, real world web is |
| mobile applications on fixed and mobile networks. Get | | | | intended to augment reality with real-time and real |
| ready to rethink networks as completely integrated | | | | world situations. GPS Navigation, for example, can |
| communication of voice, video, and data. You will be | | | | provide real time directions that react to movement |
| surfing the Internet, accessing data, and sharing | | | | and direction. Airline updates, for example, can alert a |
| video on your cell phone. You will be making | | | | user to on-time availability or delays associated with |
| international calls from your notebook computer. | | | | flight departures or arrivals. |
| Hardware is interchangeable, it is just a matter of the | | | | Now imagine that you have a flight to another city, |
| adoption rate for new technology. | | | | real time traffic updates and GPS to bypass |
| What company is setting the pace with unified | | | | congestion, and this schedule is mashed up with web |
| communications? Cisco. | | | | based reservations at a preferred restaurant to |
| 3. Business Process Modeling | | | | entertain a valued customer. Your reservation could |
| Business Process Modeling is the structured | | | | be automatically adjusted to accommodate flight or |
| comparison of how things really work, how we want | | | | traffic delays. The restaurant would be automatically |
| them to work, similar processes with measured | | | | alerted to the change in schedule and may adjust |
| results, and planning to move from current state to | | | | seating accordingly. The GPS may provide alternative |
| future state. In IT, business processing modeling | | | | routes to avoid heavy congestion or accidents. The |
| requires system and application architects to work | | | | value customer would receive a web based calendar |
| with programmers, designers, and analysts to | | | | alert to unexpected flight delays, enabling your valued |
| coordinate the design theory, the development, and | | | | customer to occupy time with other important tasks |
| the institutionalizing of the systems and applications. | | | | while you are still in flight. The directions, navigation, |
| In other words, the individuals who design the | | | | reservations, and customer clients updates can be |
| systems and applications will work with the people | | | | managed automatically with real world web. |
| who build it, and with the ones who fix the bugs. | | | | Another use for real world web integrates posted |
| In some environments the collaboration of architects, | | | | gasoline prices with GPS navigation devices. This |
| developers, and analysts is already accepted as | | | | enables the user to identify and select from gas |
| common practice. However, it is uncommon enough | | | | stations with lower posted prices using the real world |
| to actually make the top ten list of future trends for | | | | web. |
| the next three years. "The beauty and the curse of | | | | What company is setting the pace for delivering Real |
| system architects and programmers is that they are | | | | World Web applications? Microsoft |
| just like the applications that they design based on | | | | 10. Social Software |
| your specifications. They do exactly what you tell | | | | The term social software is typically associated with |
| them to do," said John Mehrmann, "so you better | | | | a wide range of web applications that enable users |
| make sure that it is exactly what you want them to | | | | to interact and share with other users. YouTube, |
| do." | | | | MySpace, and LinkedIn are some examples of social |
| 4. Metadata Management | | | | sites. Social software typically facilitates a more |
| Metadata management is critical to a information | | | | egalitarian community development in which |
| infrastructure, it is the relationship and usage of data. | | | | membership is voluntary, reputation is earned by |
| There are three primary segments of data in | | | | winning the trust of other members, and the mission |
| Enterprise Information Management (EIM) strategy. | | | | and governance of the community is defined by the |
| These three segments are customer data integration, | | | | members of the community. Social software reflects |
| product information management, and product | | | | the asymmetrical traits of social networks, and a |
| management. Metadata management is less of a | | | | mutual link between users. You can choose to accept |
| technical challenge and more of an organizational | | | | or not accept content or connections. |
| process. Simply defined, metadata management uses | | | | Social software and social networks are evolving at |
| data from complex structured data sources and | | | | an astounding pace, and are as diverse as human |
| databases to create models (schemas) and mappings. | | | | interests. Social networks exist for business, career |
| Import data to rapidly identify patterns, | | | | guidance or changes, on line gaming, common |
| commonalities, differentiators, and create models. Use | | | | interests, entertainment, hobbies, staying in touch |
| design patterns, solution templates, and operators to | | | | with contacts, and meeting new people. |
| simplify development of metadata applications. | | | | What companies are setting the pace with Social |
| How is metadata being used today? Metadata | | | | Software? YouTube, MySpace, and LinkedIn |
| captures customer registration to model buying | | | | Summary |
| habits, returns, peripheral purchases, and warranty | | | | So what is happening? There is so much data, |
| extensions. Metadata is used to track warranty | | | | information, applications, and individual contact |
| failures, customer contact through multiple channels | | | | available through web connections that it has become |
| that include call center and service, and it can be | | | | necessary to break things down into the smallest |
| used to selectively offer marketing materials and | | | | components and categorize these components in |
| sales incentives. | | | | such a way as to maximize efficiency, access, |
| What company is setting the pace with metadata | | | | collaboration, recombination, and real time application. |
| management? SAS | | | | Green IT seeks to identify the components of |
| 5. Virtualization 2.0 | | | | hardware and resources to maximize efficiency, |
| Virtualization technologies are infrastructure | | | | reduce e-waste, and reduce power consumption. |
| improvement enablers to improve IT resource | | | | Unified communications is breaking down data, voice, |
| utilization and increase flexibility. Automation | | | | and video into streams that can be shared by mobile |
| technologies can improve resource efficiency and | | | | and web based devices. Business Process Models |
| automate flexibility based on requirements and | | | | organize the small bits of data, applications, and |
| services managed holistically, with high levels of | | | | resources to design future architecture and integrate |
| resiliency. IT resources adapt automatically to | | | | analytics are users and clients become a part of the |
| changing workloads and reduce cost. Expect to hear | | | | development process. Metadata management |
| more about virtualization as technologies and trends | | | | identifies commonalities and creates smaller models to |
| impact the holy grail of Green IT, better | | | | organize the data. Mashups take these diverse pieces |
| management of resources, and lower costs. | | | | of data and present them or process them in a |
| 6. Mashup & Composite Apps | | | | manner that produces a new understanding or result. |
| Composite Applications are the assembly of existing | | | | Web platforms and Software as a Service empower |
| components in IT with Web based applications, | | | | mashups and data access. Virtualization 2.0 and |
| typically using older generation program language | | | | Computing Fabric apply the same concepts to the |
| languages and developed by professional | | | | hardware that store, access, and serve up this data, |
| programmers. On the other hand, mashups are | | | | voice, and video. Real World Web integrates all of |
| remarkably simple and basic infusion of web services | | | | this with our environment and surroundings. Social |
| with browser-side java, to connect things together. | | | | software makes individuals a part of the process, |
| Mashups simply gather existing data from multiple | | | | identifying and connecting smaller pieces of personal |
| web resources to either present the data together, | | | | interests with individuals that share similar experiences |
| assemble and calculate the information to create new | | | | or interests. |
| data, or create new functionality. Mashups are small | | | | The trend for the next three years is to break down |
| pieces of data, loosely joined. There are five types | | | | data, voice, video, applications, hardware, and |
| of mashups:i. Presentation Mashup gathers data from | | | | individual interests into the smallest denominators and |
| multiple sources and lists the data together.ii. | | | | then to identify and recombine based them on user |
| Client-side Data Mashup gathers data from remote | | | | defined requirements and commonalities. |
| web sites or data feeds and processes the data in a | | | | Companies should factor these technologies into their |
| client database or application to analyze it or create a | | | | strategic planning process by asking key questions |
| new result.iii. Client-side Software Mashup uses code | | | | and making deliberate decisions about them during |
| in the client side web browser to create distinct new | | | | the next two years," said David Cearley, vice |
| capabilities for gathering and utilizing data captured | | | | president and distinguished analyst at Gartner. |
| through the browser.iv Server-side Software Mashup | | | | "Sometimes the decision will be to do nothing with a |
| is already very common as evident by the thousands | | | | particular technology. In other cases it will be to |
| of open Web APIs currently available. The server | | | | continue investing in the technology at the current |
| collects data from the client.v. Server-side Data | | | | rate. In still other cases, the decision may be to test |
| Mashup is the linking and connecting of data between | | | | pilot or more aggressively adopt/deploy the |
| servers. It is already very common to share data | | | | technology. The important thing is to ask the |
| between servers and databases, but the fascinating | | | | question and proactively plan." |
| new trend is that this type of data collection and | | | | Words of Wisdom |
| manipulation is happening at a much higher level. | | | | "Where a calculator on the ENIAC is equipped with |
| As client-side applications enable users to access data | | | | 18,000 vacuum tubes and weighs 30 tons, computers |
| with web browsers and to mashup data without | | | | in the future may have only 1,000 vacuum tubes and |
| professional programmers, the evolution changes | | | | perhaps weigh 1.5 tons." |
| from how to gather diverse data into how to | | | | - Popular Mechanics, March 1949 |
| compare, analyze, and use the data. Once immediate | | | | "Any sufficiently advanced technology is |
| access to mashup data from diverse web resources | | | | indistinguishable from magic." |
| becomes commonplace, metadata management | | | | - Arthur C. Clarke |
| becomes even more crucial to identify trends, | | | | "Technology is dominated by two types of people: |
| recognize commonalities, and develop predictive | | | | those who understand what they do not manage, |
| applications for accurate forecasts and | | | | and those who manage what they do not |
| customer-centric customization. | | | | understand." |
| What company is setting the pace with mashup | | | | - Putt's Law |
| & composite apps? Google | | | | "Computers make it easier to do a lot of things, but |
| 7. Web Platform & WOA | | | | most of the things they make it easier to do don't |
| Emerging web applications provide Software as a | | | | need to be done. |