The IT future

Are you ready for the future of computing? It won't look anything like what you are used to today. It will be streamlined and it will easily handle petabytes of data. Robots will replace humans to toil in the data fields. And computers will be so fast there will be instantaneous language translation.

We report this week on predictions from Cisco Systems Inc. futurist Dave Evan who paints a picture of a very different world, one that he calls a "technology avalanche." Will we be able to cope with this?

"It behooves those organizations and individuals and governments to really get this and embrace this," he says. "This is a fundamental shift in how we as a species will operate forward."

The pace of change, he warns, will be enormous. And the ideas that we just dream about today will become reality tomorrow--an end to computer freezes, slowed data and frequent hack attacks.

I have to admit this is a picture of a utopian world. However, Evan warns of some stumbling blocks. Will we be able to handle this onslaught of information or will we be paralyzed by it? Can we take care of these changes smartly and effectively or will we fail in the coming overload?

Whatever the outcome, one thing is clear. Big changes and a faster world are inevitable. As we have seen, new technologies can quickly become mainstreamed and leave some folks in the dust. So stay tuned and be ready to learn about and take advantage of new breakthroughs for your company. - Judi