Convergence, the ubiquitous, seamless communication between devices, telecommuting and digital lifestyle are the next big thing in ICT, say industry observers.
"Convergence and unified communications will continue to be the focus for organisations in 2007," says Alpheus Mangale, executive director and CTO at Dimension Data.
"Users want to communicate with any device, based on their personal or organisational role, using any application and from any location, based on their given situations. Aligning employees worldwide and consistent communication with customers, suppliers and partners is becoming more important."
Telecommuting will also be a big feature in ICT, says Mangale. "Many organisations have mobile workforces and remote workers. We are already seeing some European Union countries adopting work-from-home legislation for working mothers, enabling organisations to save on expensive office space."
Internet Protocol (IP) and next-generation networks will also be something to watch out for, notes Mangale. "Companies want new ways to communicate and collaborate, in a manner that creates business agility while driving down costs and risks for their businesses.
"IP adoption has led to massive cost savings by enabling organisations to communicate through a single network platform."
Roy Bloom, research manager at BMI-TechKnowledge/IDC SA, says: "Without a doubt, the biggest thing in the last few years has been the Internet; it has changed and is continuing to change the way we interface with IT."
The next trend will be miniaturisation and embedded technologies, he adds. More processing will be done remotely, resulting in smaller human interface devices that will be able to connect seamlessly to data from anywhere, probably using voice as the input medium.
Thabo Mokoena, IT manager: consultation, at Faritec, says consumers will see 24/7 IT support for home users. "Digital lifestyle is a trend that is on the up and consumers can expect technology convergence in home applications."
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