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The information age has never been upon us more than it is at present day. With Web 2.0 online entities such as Wikipedia, social networks, forums, and blogs, there is now more sharing of information, old and new, and the world of information has taken on a seemingly chaotic format—the internet. What ground-breaking technologies will emerge to open the door to the future for businesses that want to use technology to grow into the next decade of the 21st century?
 It is no wonder will all of the information available and new discoveries made that users are starting to favor web pages that offer ranked recommendations of top sites and stories that are popular (Digg, Reddit, Squidoo, and Delicious to name a few).
If knowing what is new and exciting in cyberspace was not enough, the desire for instant information is now also becoming increasingly popular (Twitter, instant messaging, profile status updates, etc). What society seems to be saying collectively during the first decade of the 21st century is simply this: “We want to know what’s interesting and important and we want to know it right when it happens and then be able to share our opinion and ideas.” Although this is a small summation that covers only the tip of the iceberg, it creates a powerful concept. The fact that information has become such a hot commodity on the internet is no wonder—when there is so much information to sift through, it only makes sense that people would want to read only the juiciest details that are relevant to their interests. Google Wave is an example of the realization that users are increasingly valuing knowledge and interaction. Google Wave will likely become popular among organizations and has been forecast to be an essential unified communication tool to allow better interaction within an organization as well as B2B and B2C. Google has been known to seek out the new and innovative—this is just one example of the many technological developments that reveal how important right information at the right time is becoming not just on a business level. But now we come to the question that corporations ask themselves constantly (and if they are not, they should be): “How can we use this thirst for knowledge and ‘information now’ demand from internet users to promote our business ideas and services?” The answer lies in some of the emerging technologies related to the next decade of Web 3.0 and business intelligence. The mobile enterprise has shown that it is going to latch onto other technology trends. Web 2.0 tools such as Twitter and blogging can now be editted from mobile devices and instant updates can be sent to and received from organizations. Additionally, according to a research study from Pew Internet, the report reveals "rising levels of Americans using the internet on a mobile handset. One-third of Americans (32%) have used a cell phone or Smartphone to access the internet for emailing, instant-messaging, or information-seeking." This creates an excellent opportunity for business intelligence to expand into the next level of usage through mobility as well. The power of BI is that businesses can measure and forecast the impact that different information received and sent can have on the future (or future possibilities) of the organization. More than ever, BI is having an impact on businesses seeking to grow and gain new sources of revenue while cutting costs and saving time. The integration of Web 2.0 - 3.0 technologies in conjunction with the mobile enterprise and business intelligence will create a new form of cost-effective decision-making. Speed and accuracy from measuring multiple dimensions of organizational impact will have a powerful effect on the way that organizations grow and develop as the wealth of information and burgeoning needs develop in the online world. A lot of businesses are adopting the cost-saving virtualization and cloud computing trends in order to move into the green IT zone. Green IT is helpful through cutting costs from administration, power usage, and maintenence that in the past have been a hurdle for organizations seeking to grow and upgrade to the next level of technology. Being able to utilize SaaS and cloud computing services will slowly but surely grow into the future as the technology becomes more secure and more reliable. For now, business intelligence and being able to obtain right information at the right time from a mobile enterprise will maintain its thrust into the future of business. The next decade of Web 3.0 will allow businesses to further viral marketing and will help to build trust and branding through allowing the online community to have a transparent understanding of an organization through the use of blogs, social networks, and other current Web 2.0 technologies. |