2007 Predictions for Information Technology

The last few months have seen many predictions for 2007 so I thought why not add my own but of course depending on how radical they are they could come back and bite you (if anybody remembers what you said). Anyway here are my thoughts and in no particular order of importance: -
* Electronic Data exchange will continue to grow as Companies seek ways to streamline process and move towards the paperless office
* Efficiency will continue to figure and as a result Business Process Re-engineering/Improvement will grow coupled with the use of BPM (Business Process Management) tools to deliver the gains identified
* Microsoft SharePoint will finally come of age with the 2007 version and will start to be used more for business process portals both internally and externally
* Governance and Best Practice will remain centre stage with Companies introducing best practice frameworks such as ITIL in the UK
* Collaboration tools such as Wikis, Blogs and Podcasting will be used more and more as companies look for a differentiator but I don't think they will break into the mainstream this year, as there are still difficulties with the technology (some networks block the content type, edit issues in Wikis, Blog abuse etc)
* Online communication will become more and more important again based on the efficiency element but also service. Lack of common exchange standards for extranets will be a problem as companies are faced with different solutions for each different business partner. Push technologies and Instant Messaging will be explored further with some companies experimenting in this area.
* Outsourcing won't go away but smaller more flexible contracts are likely to be the norm.
* Windows Vista will be important but take up may be slower than expected
* Wireless technology will grow further particularly in the public domain but also with companies as concern over security eases
* Software licences will remain complicated
* Remote/ flexible working will grow as more people work from home.