Goodbye 2007, Hello 2008!

As the year comes to a close, I find myself contemplating the significant achievements for the year, and looking forward in anticipation of what next year will bring.

During 2007, I noticed a subtle shift towards increased availability and use of online IT services. I know, online services have been around for a long time in various forms. But with the advent of Internet based services and the (relatively) new "software as a service" paradigm, online services are now simpler and more affordable for both home and business users.

So, what does this mean for the year to come? Let's take a look at some of the high (and low) points of 2007 and some predictions for 2008.

• Google — Perhaps the most aggressive player in online services, Google has been quietly advancing in this area. They enhanced their Google Pack offering with Sun's StarOffice (Word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, database and drawing) that competes with Microsoft Office. Their Google Apps offering provides home users and small businesses with an organized collection of online collaboration services including documents, calendar, email and chat. Expect more online services from Google in 2008.

• Zoho Office Suite — Another major player in online services, Zoho has a wide range of applications. I've only had a limited look at their offerings, but they have all the standard applications (email, chat, word processor, spreadsheet, presentation and database), plus a few extras like web conferencing, notebook, planner, project management, CRM and wiki applications. The best part is that, except for a couple of prod features, the applications are free. They even provide for offline use with browser plugins and a desktop widget. I plan to take a closer look at Zoho over the next few weeks and will report on them in the near future. Meanwhile, visit their site (zoho.com) and have a look for yourself.

• Wireless Broadband — I had an opportunity to sample Sprint's EV-DO service earlier this year. I was quite impressed with the speed and availability of the wireless broadband service. What impressed me most was having Internet access just about everywhere without having to find a Wi-Fi hotspot. Next year, wireless broadband availability should be greater and cheaper as Verizon, Sprint and AT&T continue to rollout their 3G services. As Internet access becomes more available outside the home and office, online services will become even more practical.

• WiMAX — Similar to wireless broadband, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX for short) can provide wireless Internet access over a long distance (50 km) at high speeds (typically 2-10 Mbps or more). WiMAX is available in both fixed and mobile applications, and is comparable to high-end DSL, cable or T1 wired services. WiMAX promises to bring broadband access to areas where it was previously economically unfeasible. Currently, WiMAX is only deployed in limited US markets (WiMAX is used more outside of the US) with expanded US deployments likely next year. Although aimed at business customers as an alternative "last mile" connectivity option, home users will also benefit from lower costs resulting from competing providers. This is the one to watch in 2008 for advancing the use of online services!

• Microsoft — The software giant has recognized the move to online services and announced intentions to provide online versions of their Office Suite. So far, their online services have missed the mark (at least in my book). Microsoft seems to be concentrating, instead, on moving into the home server market. Although network attached storage (NAS) servers have been around for years, Microsoft is posing their offering as an "innovation" in home storage. This seems to be a step backwards. After all, who wants to maintain and debug a home server. We'll need to see how their approach pans out in 2008.

Obviously, the biggest drawback to online services is that they are only useful if you are, well, online. The solution is to either increase online availability or provide an offline alternative.

Online service providers are aware of this limitation and some do offer offline solutions such as synchronization with other applications or an offline copy of the data. Ideally, an online service should provide at least some functionality when you are offline.

With the increased availability of broadband access everywhere, online services will fast become the norm. We can only wait to see what the future will bring.

By Harry Hiles, HBH Technology LLC — 29 Dec 2007