You've heard about them. You've read about them. But what, if anything, should you do about them?
Trends and products creating IT industry buzz often find their way into your budget. The question is, should you be purchasing the innovations everyone is talking about? The answer is no-at least not right away. Below is information about five of the top IT trends we are following closely, so that you can make informed decisions.
| 1 | iPhones After the iPhone's June 29th release last year, sales have continued to soar and demand has grown for the phone that merges Apple's sleek design prowess with features that other cell phones have been hard-pressed to equal in ease of use and accessibility. Expect Apple to dive deep into the business community this June when it releases a new iPhone with built in Microsoft Exchange synchronization. This means that you will be able to securely synchronize your Outlook e-mail, calendar and tasks to an already omnipotent iPhone. The iPhone will also support "remote wipe" which, in the case your phone is lost or stolen, will remotely destroy all the data on it. Before you get too spellbound with the iPhone, take note -- Research In Motion's (RIM) BlackBerry Bold 9000 Meteor 3G cell phone is set to debut this summer, and itís supposed to be a beauty. Sleeker than traditional BlackBerry phones and edged in silver metal, the Bold platform continues to fuel rumor mills on whether or not it will contain an iPhone-like flat touch screen. |
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| 2 | Light Laptops No surprise here -- Apple made a design splash when CEO Steve Jobs famously introduced the MacBook Air by slipping it out of a standard office manila envelope. The MacBook Air is currently one of the lightest notebooks on the market at three pounds even. Though impressive, MacBook Air does sacrifice a few laptop standards to accommodate its slim design -- 0.16 inches at its thinnest point -- namely, the lack of a removable media drive, security slot, Cardbus and ExpressCard slots and an Ethernet port. It has also been criticized for having a difficult-to-replace battery similar to the iPod's, as well as problems with severe overheating. The MacBook's competition is heating up as well, providing PC users with several good alternatives from which to choose. Intel unveiled the 2.25 pound Metro (to be released possibly later this year), which is only a quarter of an inch thicker than a Motorola RAZR cell phone and has a separate outer mini-screen and a magnetically attached outer folder that wirelessly charges the laptop. This past February, Lenovo launched the ThinkPad X300, which weighs a scanty 3.13 pounds and measures 0.73 inches at its thinnest point -- clearly larger than a MacBook Air but able to boast three USB ports, a removable battery and an ultrathin DVD burner. Sony, too, has entered the competition with the release of laptops weighing in at under 2 pounds. Although the MacBook Air is getting all the attention right now, it won't be the most popular thin laptop on the market for long. |
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| 3 | Software as a Service By charging a subscription fee per user and allowing use of its software wherever there is internet access, software as a service -- or "SaaS" -- continues to be viewed as one of the fastest growing segments of the IT industry. SaaS claims to allow businesses to obtain the same benefits and results of commercially licensed software without initial high costs and complexity of installation. SaaS-based application use has grown dramatically over recent years, and with increasing reliability on Web systems, security and computing itself as a commodity, SaaS providers can accelerate their revenue, meet operational efficiency goals and support many customers with a single version of a product. Don't start jumping to subscribe, however --software development being done within a web browser is not nearly as sophisticated or as speedy as what can be created on a PC desktop. Plus, the ability to customize these SaaS applications to your operations and interface with other applications already in use is very limited. If you donít have an internet connection, you simply cannot access your software. Look to this type of service for very specific software, such as sales force automation; it certainly isn't ready for primetime on your daily use applications. |
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| 4 | Office 2007 Launched on January 30, 2007, Microsoft's Office 2007 has proven itself as a reliable application platform with solid features. Despite initial hesitancies with transitioning to Office 2007, it undoubtedly makes working on projects much easier than its predecessor and allows for increased productivity and operation. Those comfortable and content with Office 2003 will nevertheless need to undergo training for most of Office 2007's new interfaces, which include tabbed toolbars and menus, a new XML file format and contextual tools that prompt additional tabs and commands to appear depending on actions performed or objects selected within a document. Speaking of getting comfortable, you can start preparing yourself for whenever Microsoft releases its next version of Office -- and there's no better preparation than becoming proficient in Office 2007. |
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| 5 | Windows Vista Though regarded in the press as a failure, Microsoftís much-hyped Vista does have its merits -- for one thing, it works and is a secure and reliable operating system. Vista's biggest downfall is that it's irritatingly slow. It also gobbles up laptop battery power, which won't make you very happy during a cross-country flight. Plus, Vista introduces compatibility issues with hardware and software that used to run well on XP. But, despite this and other Vista frustrations, it's actually fairly user-friendly. Take the desktop, for instance. Microsoft supplied a drag-and-drop Gadgets feature that makes personalization fun and easy. Vista also has a built-in diagnostics system that warns you of pending problems. Another Vista feature, Windows SuperFetch, can frequently cache on your hard drive using your most regularly utilized applications, causing them to launch quicker when you boot up your system. Though it's taking longer than expected to get used to Vista, there may not be much time to feel at ease. Look for Microsoft to release its newest OS in 2010. But, if you don't want to wait that long, follow the lead of other Optimal clients and hold off on Vista upgrades for at least another 6 months to see what a second service pack update from Microsoft will introduce. |
Last Word
It is exciting — and overwhelming. While the IT industry will always be
buzzing with the latest release, be sure that you remain focused on
strategic IT investments. Ask yourself: Will the technology provide my
organization with ROI? Will it make the organization more efficient?
Increase profitability? Further business goals? If your answer is ìI
don't know,î curb your excitement. Do your research and make sure the
innovation has proven itself in the marketplace and to others in your
industry before investing.
Have questions about the information contained within this article? Or, is there a new technology you would like to learn more about? We want to hear from you! Email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and tell us. Your topic may be covered in an upcoming issue of Optimal Impact!
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