Laptops Arena

Mike Rhodin, the General Manager of IBM Lotus software, talked about the future communication trends that will increase demand for unified communications, reshaping the way businesses and workers communicate and collaborate.

• The virtual workplace will become the rule. Desk phones and desktop computers will gradually disappear, replaced by mobile devices, including laptops. Social networking tools and virtual world meeting experiences will simulate the feeling on being there in-person.

• Instant messaging and other real-time collaboration tools will become the norm, bypassing e-mail.

• Companies will go beyond the initial uses of instant messaging and will integrate IM with business processes and line-of-business applications.

• Interoperability and open standards will tear down proprietary walls within business and public domains. Corporate demand for interoperability and maturing industry standards will force unified communications providers to embrace interoperability.

• Meetings will become increasingly ad hoc and instantaneous based on context and need. 3-D virtual world and gaming technologies will have a significant impact on online corporate meeting.

IDC, the global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets, helping IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make decisions on various purchases and business strategies, estimated that the communications market will reach $17 billion revenue in 2011, meaning 38% growth compared with the year 2007.