10 Tech Predictions for 2011

Perhaps the most significant thing that has happened this year is that it's ending on a positive note. The economic slowdown was at its peak in the beginning of this year, and seems to be ending as we near the end of 2010. Hopefully, next year should hold a lot of promise, and all market research data is indicating that even organizations are gearing up for growth. Reaching out to new customers and increasing market share are on everyone's mind. Which technologies are going to help you achieve these objectives in the new year? Here's our list of ten, which we've talked about at length in our cover story.

1. Internet tablets will flourish in the new year: Apple's iPad paved the way for a new genre of tablets, and it looks like you'll see more of these coming next year. But should you be considering them for your business? Will they fit in with laptops and netbooks? Read what our Editor Anil Chopra and Mumbai correspondent, Patanjali Pahwa have to say here.

2. The web moves to 4.0 from its current 3.0 phase: And you thought we were still in the web 2.0 era, but with newer technologies like HTML5 and cloud services, it would be interesting to see how the web shapes up in the coming year. Read what our contributing editor, Vinod Unny has to say about it here.

3. New search technologies for your business: Internet search becomes ever more powerful with more real-time results, location based search that organizations can use for focused advertising. Find out more as our Asstt Editor Mastufa Ahmad takes you on a journey into search engine technologies for the coming year here.

4. Groupware will become the most popular application for the Cloud: Says our contributing Editor, Shekhar Govindrajan as he unravels the mystery behind this and many other things like new CMS platforms, open source software, and even content optimization for the iPad here.

5. 3G: With WiMax and 3G merging toward LTE in next 5 years, always connected enterprise is not a distant dream where global integration and local optimization will be the survival mantra of new age enterprise. Our Sr. Technology Analyst, Gurjot Sachdeva talks about how 3G apps for mobile devices will take business to the next level. Read this here.

6. Enterprises will develop entirely new skill sets for delivering social media solutions: Social media needs no introduction, but most businesses are still struggling to understand how to leverage its full potential. Amrita Premrajan, PCQuest Delhi Correspondent provides some insights on how businesses will use social media in the coming year.Read this here.

7. Rise of App stores in India: We saw telecom giants like Vodafone and Airtel introducing their own app stores in the beginning of this year. But due to scarce bandwidth on GPRS, their usage was limited. With 3G coming in, we're likely to see a lot of action in this domain. PCQuest Editor Anil Chopra and Mumbai Correspondent Patanjali Pahwa take us through the journey into app stores in India next year.Read this here.

8. Key server and storage technologies like virtualization, cloud computing, solid state disks, 10GE, hold promise for efficient storage and protection of data in future: New storage specs, storage in the cloud, and data de-duplication take center stage next year. Read what Narayanan B, project manager - storage, American Megatrends India has to say about storage outlook for 2011 here.

9. Data center penetration will increase across mid-to-large enterprises: With the economic slowdown out of the way, organizations are considering to invest in newer technologies. Virtualization and cloud computing are two key technologies being considered in the data center. CyberMedia Labs Technology Analyst Shikhar Mohan Gupta, interacts with Indranil Dutta, lead analyst, IDC and brings you insights into all the action expected in data centers in 2011. Read this here.

10. State of Security in 2011: A special report by lead analysts from IDC - Kamal Vohra and Swaroop Nagaraj talk about security outlook for next year.Read this here