IBM Venture Capital Group’s Drew Clark’s Predictions for 08

Venturebeat has been gathering investment predictions from some top VCs and posting them on their site. I found the views of Drew Clark, Director of Strategy, Emerging Markets (IBM Venture Capital Group) to confirm what many of us already know but if you’re not in technology you may want to review what he sees for 08. This is what he said in his op-ed piece:

Green Datacenter. The “greening” of the datacenter will continue to be a top priority for corporations as the cost of simply powering the center begins to exceed the cost of the servers and devices in it. Key drivers to help reduce the overall carbon footprint and run more efficient centers will include intelligent sensors and advanced analytics to monitor and improve equipment utilization to reduce downtime and provide comprehensive operational visibility. Green datacenters are also increasingly becoming part of corporate social responsibility campaigns, so expect increased focus here.

Alternative Energy/Cleantech. In 2008, global interest in cleantech will continue to grow as competitive players emerge in unexpected geographies outside the United States. Beyond investment in alternative energy, there will be a great demand for technologies that allow energy consumers (businesses and homeowners) and producers (utilities) to monitor, manage, distribute and use energy more efficiently. Look for more investment in companies in the areas of energy efficiency, advanced water management, intelligent utility networks, energy caching and storage, and demand-side conservation and smart metering tools.

Digital Convergence/Communications. Expect to see more investment in wireless services that exploit emerging 4G capabilities such as smartphones with broadband data coupled with embedded GPS, as well as technologies like VoIP, WiMAX, and SIP. The next three years will be the tipping point at which a large number of enterprises move beyond proof-of-concept and begin to deploy these kinds of technologies.

The Mobile, Wireless (and Social) Web. Industry analysts are predicting that by 2010 there will be 1 billion people (almost a third of the world’s population) accessing the Web via a mobile screen. This is obviously game-changing. The social-community-based approach of Web 2.0 will increasingly become part of this mobile landscape in 2008. Ultimately, mobile communities can be connected with location-based services. You’ll not only be able to access a person’s MySpace or Facebook entry, but you’ll also be able to find out where they are–if they want to be found.

SaaS, Web as Platform & Cloud Computing. Software as a service (SaaS) is fast becoming a viable option in more markets, and larger enterprises are now evaluating where service-based delivery may provide value. Meanwhile, leading-edge companies are evaluating Web-based platforms that provide service-based access to a range of infrastructure services, information, applications, and business processes. As these Google-like “clouds” evolve and mature over the next 2-3 years, we’ll begin to see them strongly influence the next phase in enterprise datacenter architecture.

Web 2.0 Mashups & Composite Apps. Web mashups are fast becoming the dominant model for the creation not just of so-called “situational apps” but of full-blown composite enterprise applications built on leading-edge SOA (service-oriented architecture) foundations. Small and medium businesses, as well as enterprise customers are now formulating enterprise mashups. Widgets, small reusable programs based on Web 2.0 techniques, are rapidly emerging as the reusable, loosely-coupled components of the programmable Web. 2008 will be the year when we begin to see SOA join forces with increasingly popular Web 2.0 standards and technologies in the enterprise. Combining Web 2.0 for the agility and ease-of-use it brings to applications and services, and SOA for the rigor and governance it instills across the enterprise, is surely the best of all worlds.

IS SIP HERE TO STAY?

Will it be SIP (Session Initiation Protocol)?  A lot of big companies use the protocol for videoconferencing, IM, push to talk, and more – so people are wondering if this will stick as TCP/IP did.  Some think it’s too early in the adoption process while others are running to assure the standard. It’s got great momentum as manufacturers enable SIP devices and Microsoft and Cisco support the protocol. There’s lots of discussion going on and I’m one who thinks it’s got legs and think that the stakeholders are betting on it being the standard.  What are your thoughts?  Check out GigaOM comments today: http://gigaom.com

Ustream.tv – very cool!

Ustream.tv, it’s a free streaming platform for casters of all kinds.  If you’re into dorkdom you’ll enjoy seeing and listening to Leo Laporte and Chris Pirillo ( http://ustream.tv/channel/leo-laporte-live, http://www.ustream.tv/channel/chris-pirillo-live) or any other subject matter that you might fancy viewing. You can start your own cast pretty simply and partner with others to broadcast together at the same time if you want – very cool!

Check it out and Happy WEBCASTERING  in 2008.

Cisco’s Chief Development Officer Leaves for Silver Lake Partners!

Charles Giancarlo, Cisco Systems Inc.’s chief development officer and heir-apparent to CEO John Chambers, resigned Thursday to join the investment firm Silver Lake Partners. With the capabilities of IP there’s a lot happening with telephony, software and IT. Silver Lake owns Avaya, IPC Communications and a number of other interesting tech companies. They really get the big picture of where things are going in the world of IT and Telephony conversion. Seems like Charles Giancarlo liked what he heard. Your thoughts!