Enterprise Software Picturesque: A Future Perspective

A decade from now corporate IT will look very different from today. All organizations will buy nearly all their computer functionality and infrastructure above the desktop on the utility model — delivered via the network from central computer service providers. The only exceptions will be the relatively few applications that provide true competitive advantage to a private enterprise or that shield national secrets for governmental agencies.

Computer architectures will be highly virtualized, and end-users will often not know or care what functionality resides on their devices, on a company server, or out in the Cloud. Software will be highly integrated, blurring the once-sharp boundaries between applications. Green technology will also be taken for granted at all levels, reducing energy expenditures and, in the data center, cutting cooling as well.

The rush to mobile computing will move handheld technology and applications forward rapidly, driven by the advent of new devices such as Google's mysterious future venture and increasing network speeds. In a decade, users will take the ability to access and use enterprise data through their phones for granted. And this will be a worldwide trend, not just limited to today's First World countries. And out in that Cloud and remaining private data centers, the meaning of “high performance server” will constantly be redefined upward, while flash memory will replace Tier 1 disks.

Amidst the trends, the big vendors like Google and Oracle will strengthen their enterprise software position. The economy could be tough, as risk capital will remain hard to find for at least two years due to the lack of confidence in the economy. The best bet for entrepreneurs may be ventures that solve the grim problems of carbon emission and the economy, like bio-fuel and lower power devices. To emerge in this scene, the entrepreneur has to brood over the core competency of his product, creating substance that cannot be replicated easily. Although fewer startups will find funding, this focus and the creativity behind the winning startups will guarantee that the quality of the products released will be competitive.