Cisco brings 7 to the top 10

MercuryNews.com | 12/26/2005 | Top 10 tech trends for 2006

As I see it, Cisco plays in 7 of the top 10 tech trends listed here. The basic trend is that these 7 put greater load on the network and makes people more reliant on the network as their core operating "platform." We've often talked about our vision that soon people will access the Internet or their corporate network from any location, using any device, at any time. Most of the predictions made here would support that vision.

How do I figure? Well, here goes:

1. WiFi busts city limits
This one’s a no-brainer. WiFi covers a city and soon people are access the Internet (and VPN’ing into their corporate network) from anywhere in the city at any time using their labtop or PDA.

2. Cell phones do everything:
Cisco doesn’t do cell phone technology I hear you say! Well, yes, that is true, but if you are going to be watching the widescreen director’s cut version of the entire “Lord of the Rings” trilogy on your cell phone, you better believe that there is an IP network back there somewhere transporting all of that hobbit hilarity to you 2x2 inch screen. After that you can use your cell phone to look up a local optometrist to deal with your eye-strain problem.

3. Internet phone calls zoom:
And heck, maybe even one day voice will be free… sounds like anyone you know?

4. The office moves to the Web:
Again, more load on the network, good for Cisco. Pretty easy one there as well. This prediction is one that I’m a little more skeptical about. I’d love to see it happen but I’m not sure it will. If it does, however, where I see the most exciting implementation of an on-line office is in developing countries. Imagine people in emerging markets around the world accessing a word processor on-line using a $100 computer? I’ll admit, you’d get a pretty sore arm hand-cranking the thing through a 300-page PhD dissertation, but for basic productivity functions I think on-line office + $100 computer (or something similar) = great change.

7. Even small start-ups go global:
Internet helps companies go global. Cisco = the Internet.

8. Video comes to the blog:
Video, thy sweet user of bandwidth; thy precious driver of network demand. Come oh darling one to a blog soon. Come that all may demand bandwidth and SP’s may shell out for a CRS-1 to meet the demand. Oh precious friend, hasten thy sweet sweet arrival (I bought BBC’s Pride and Prejudice for my wife for Christmas and we sat through all 6+ hours of it on Christmas Day… it is starting to mess with my mind methinks.)

9. On-demand video everywhere:
(See above… I’m too burnt out to spare another P&P moment.)