On the horizon: technology has been the driving factor in changing how we do business. So what's next?

• Author: Andolsen, Alan A.

At the Core

This article:

* Examines emerging technologies that will impact records and information

* Lists the top five areas of technological development in the next two years

On a rainy morning in the city of Richmond near Vancouver, British Columbia, a worker from the city sewer system receives an alert on his Blackberry wireless device. The alert concerns a problem with a pump along the Fraser River. The pump, equipped with a wireless transmitter, has sent an alert to a central database that monitors the need for preventive maintenance. The central system receives, evaluates, and prioritizes the alert, then instructs the worker on the specific repairs that are necessary. Within hours, a potential problem that could cause flooding has been averted.

This type of application for wireless technologies is one of several that will increase productivity, reduce paperwork, and restructure business. There are a number of emerging technologies that will impact records and information management (RIM) professionals quickly and others that can be expected.

When looking at the next two years, the top five areas of technological development include the explosion of wireless communications, the maturing of content delivery -- particularly over the Web, the development of distributed storage approaches across enterprises, the introduction of natural language processing, and the commercial introduction of flexible transistors.

The Wireless Frontier

Although society has become accustomed to cell phones, the extension of wireless communications to other devices will add additional complex layers to business communications. The major development is the expansion of 802.11-enabled devices. The marketers have renamed this technology Wi-Fi. Appropriately outfitted PCs, personal digital assistants (PDAs), printers, and scanners can now be connected to a wireless local area network. With no further need for complex wiring schemes, a business can now configure its computer resources to reflect the actual operating processes rather than being forced either to work around its existing network wiring or to spend substantial sums in modifying it.

Wi-Fi technology is not limited to the office environment alone. With the proper broadcast technology, it can become an extensive wide area network, permitting an enterprise to link its staff together through a virtual private network across a corporate campus or across the country. Beyond the networks controlled by individual companies, others are emerging in airports and other commercial enterprises. For example, Starbucks intends to establish Wi-Fi capability in all of its stores. Thus, users will be able to surf the 'Net while enjoying cappuccinos.

While Wi-Fi technology communicates over longer distances, another competing technology, Bluetooth, is effective only over a distance of six to eight feet. It is envisioned as a way for computers and PDAs to synchronize themselves and communicate with printers. This technology has been much slower in developing, but the next two years should show substantial increase in both the availability of Bluetooth-enabled devices and the software applications required to communicate effectively. The unique feature of Bluetooth technology is that it does not require active intervention. When Bluetooth devices come in close proximity to each other, a recognition sequence takes place. Thus, if a PDA is placed next to a PC and they are both Bluetooth-enabled, the devices will recognize each other and can initiate automatic synchronization if they have been so instructed.

Two existing communication modes that will be deeply affected by the increase in wireless technologies are instant messaging and short message systems. Instant messaging is familiar to many users through AOL and now Microsoft. Short message systems (SMS) have been implemented in many digital cell phone systems. In fact, in Japan, SMS has become one of the major communication modes. The opportunities to use both of these communication modes will be greatly enhanced by the exponential expansion of Wi-Fi environments. In particular, as voice recognition technology continues to improve, instant messaging may become a more common form of workgroup interaction, particularly when some of the members of the group are in transit or working at other locations.

In all of these developments, there are implications for records and information managers. Wireless communications multiply both the number of storage formats and the storage locations. The challenge to RIM professionals will be to develop effective digital records management systems that can capture, classify, and preserve both the content of the communications and their formats and metadata. Records and information managers must pay careful attention to the timing and scope of wireless implementations in their enterprises or risk creating a mountain of undifferentiated and irretrievable data.

Delivering the Content

The second emerging technology that will have a major impact over the next two years is the delivery of content over the Web. There are a variety of providers in this arena. At the core, there are those who assemble content, organize it, and make it available. A second group that protects the digital rights of the content complements these providers. A final group aggregates the content from a number of providers into a portal that permits wide ranging searching and retrieval.

The content providers are an interesting group. Many are old-line information providers that have now moved their offerings to the Web (e.g., EBSCO, Dow Jones, The New York Times). Others have developed to respond to the demand for easy access to audio and video materials. However, the most interesting developments in this area are the emerging...