InterDigital Inc (IDCC)

[nieves]

A Top 10 Tech List for 2003



RELATED SYMBOLS: (YHOO)(MSFT)(INTC)(EDS)(T)

Jan 03, 2003 (Internet.com via COMTEX) -- For this 2003 watch list, we've
dispensed with adding companies in place of focusing on some
computing/technology trends we think will break out in 2003. While the list is
by no means complete, we also think brevity in watch lists is itself a trend. We
boiled this one down to a Top 10.

1. Wireless Networking and Wi-Fi

After all the hotspots for the 802.11 family of wireless networking that
sprouted in 2002, watch the Wi-Fi wildfire grow more complicated in its
popularity in 2003. From security issues for enterprise Wireless Local Area
Networks, to the threat that Wi-Fi presents to carriers spending big bucks on
competing 3G networks, wireless networking will be the hot general trend in the
coming year. To quote Gus Venditto, editor-in-chief of the internet.com and
Earthweb networks, look for the gaps between 802.11's broadband hotspots to be
plugged with 3G narrowband; watch for widespread adoption of dual-mode wireless
access on the heels of Intel's release of its wireless-friendly Banias CPU .

2. WLAN security

The Achilles heel of Wi-Fi's runaway popularity, WLAN security is already a hot
topic among enterprise network planners. But they're doing more talking than
spending on WLAN security products as they ponder how to safely throw open their
data and corporate applications to wireless access. Hence, we expect to hear
more about makers of WLAN security, such as Trusted Gateways that provide
authentication and provisioning services for wireless access nodes. Look for
personal Wi-Fi users to get more interested in buying their own LAN security
software products.

3. Outsourcing/Managed Services

AT&T, IBM, EDS and a swath of smaller players are making outsourcing just too
tempting for CIOs that have a mandate to control network costs. With discounting
for these services brewing among India-based outsourcing and managed hosting
companies, we think a price war could be break out in 2003 as IT budgets remain
tight. Companies serving the mid to small-business market could see continued
demand for dedicated server-hosting, monitoring, patching, as well as managed
security and virtual data backup.

4. Networked Storage

This could easily have fallen under the outsourced topic. But with the cost of
storage systems falling, on top of major tech companies helping enterprise
networks virtualize their storage needs, look for the trend to grab its own
share of the tech spotlight in 2003.

5. Open Source Goes Enterprise Wide

With the Linux open source operating system gaining in use among big enterprise
systems (especially among financial services firms), and big names behind the
concept such as IBM, look for an acceleration of open source in corporations.
There's also a major trend among open source advocates to position their
respective software beyond the open source community and on to the enterprise
market. Watch for heady growth of PHP, Apache, Mozilla, Bugzilla, to name a few
open source successes.

6. Paid Content

Since 2002 was the year that heretofore free content went behind a paid
firewall, it makes sense that 2003 will be the year that all those accounts
start to pay off. We've been past believers in the rise of micropayment
technology as payment systems and digital cash evolve. Under the paid content
trend, look for more pro and con arguments about micropayments in 2003.

7. Audio/Video Blogs

This may sound a bit far-fetched but we already hear the din from those
self-styled "true visionary" types about blogs that talk. With all the new
consumer-focused audio/video software in the hands of Joe Q. Public, it's not a
stretch to see blogs talking and dancing in the near future. Can't you see the
result of RealProducer or Microsoft moviemaker in the hands of blog nuts?

8. Enterprise IM

Can this trend get any hotter? If only to watch the battle among AOL, MSN and
Yahoo! to grab a piece of the expanding pie for designing secure IM systems for
enterprise networks, enterprise-wide deployment of Instant Messaging is hot
enough. But there will be much more going on with enterprise IM, as developers
make strides with text-to-speech and video over IM platforms.

9. Interactive TV

A perennial trend list item, we know. But based on the advances that digital
cable systems made in 2002, we see increasing forms of two-way communications
over the tube and with cable modems in 2003, especially with sports programmers.

10. The "Return" of Push

This dovetails with the expansion of speedy wireless networks and networked
mobile devices, all of which deploy "push" technology to send information,
photos and video to the next generation of smart cell phones. Push refers to
more than getting nifty news updates on your PC without having to call for them
with your browser. It's about pushing mini-applications out to mobile devices or
to IM clients that sit on computer desktops at home and work, bypassing clunky
Web browsers. As the multi-messaging (MMS) wave hits America following its
spread across Europe and Asia where wireless networks are more advanced, look
for more companies deploying push technology to share the big Web services
spotlight.


By Erin Joyce, Ryan Naraine
URL: http://www.internet.com

Copyright 2001 INT Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
Republication and redistribution of INT Media Group content is
Expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of INT Media
Group, Inc.. INT Media Group, Inc., shall not be liable for any errors
or delays in the Content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.

-0-


SUBJECT CODE: 3G
802.11
Enterprise
IM

(Wall Street)