Seven Disruptive Trends Driving the Digital Revolution

Researchers from CSC report on the seven disruptive technologies of the digital landscape. Google, Microsoft, Salesforce.com and Amazon.com lead the revolving cast of characters in a play about the wireless Internet, semantic Web, SAAS, cloud computing, virtualization social networks and other areas affecting the Web services world.

Consultancy CSC has created a list of top trends to watch. Many of these you may have already seen in practice, while some work their magic behind the scenes, quietly biding their time for when the market is ready for them.

Of course, with the current recession, no timeline for the emergence of new technology trends is safe. Nonetheless, Computer Sciences Corporation researchers Alex Fuss and Paul Gustafson, who spent a year working on their report, discuss what is driving this Internet economy forward. What do these trends mean for the world?

"They will stimulate the formation of new industries, extend the tremendous gains in productivity brought about by the Internet, and challenge existing social, economic, political and cultural norms," Fuss and Gustafson wrote.

No pressure, then. You can read the 96-page CSC report here, (PDF) or check out the synopsis below.

New Media: The Internet has become the ultimate breeding ground for content consumption and creation, often by the same people. What some call Web 2.0 is all around us in RSS feeds, blog posts and wikis from MindTouch and Socialtext, among others.

YouTube has become the second-hottest search site after its parent Google, while corporations such as Cisco Systems use video to train or inform their employees. Businesses also license Brightcove's video software.

All of these tools are inspiring new methods of corporate collaboration.

Social Software: New media social networks such as Facebook and MySpace.com have racked up over 200 million users and show no signs of stopping. Viral microblog sites such as Twitter play host to consumers who appreciate "snackable" content.

Enterprises are getting in on the action, if not via Facebook or Twitter, then via secure social software suites such as IBM Lotus Connections and business-centered microblogs such as Yammer and SocialCast.