This is a print copy of my weekly video commentary. You can see the commentary when it is posted on Monday, March 3. The commentary explains why I am going over to Germany in the winter instead of somewhere much warmer like the south of France or Santa Barbara.
Each year I go to the big tech show called CeBit in Hannover and this year Europe matters more to U.S. vendors and customers than ever before. Here’s why.
While Brazil, Russia, India and China are big emerging markets, the European Union is a big, growing, economically vibrant market now. How many other regional federations can you name where there is a list of countries waiting to join? If you are not successful in Europe, you will not be successful period. That is one reason I think Microsoft will pay a recent $1.4 billion EU antimonopoly fine without protesting too much.
The big technology trends including wireless computing, open source and green environmental technology concerns are unfolding first in Europe. Europe is setting much of the technology agenda for the rest of the world.
Europe, once seen as a bastion of bureaucratic, conservative technology implementation is changing. A recent study by the consulting firm Accenture found that while U.S. companies are spending their IT dollars on security for older systems, tech execs in Europe and Asia are spending their dollars – or Euros as the case may be – on deploying new systems from the ground up.
Do you think I am right or wrong in contending CeBIT and Europe matter more than before? How about some tips on new products and news events that I should make sure to catch while I am the show. You can always email me at Eric.Lundquist@ziffdavisenterprise.com
Keep watching the eWeek home page for our news reports from CeBit.