Happy Birthday – Network World

Recollections and Projections – 25 year anniversary of Network World

Working at an expansion stage Boston venture capital fund, I have to constantly follow the latest developments in the technology world. For reliable, up-to-date news and analysis on IT infrastructure, networking and telecommunications, I have always found Network World to be the best publication. This month, this venerable publication is celebrating its 25th anniversary. When compared to the typical tenure of a publication, the 25th anniversary should be considered a minor milestone, but in the fast evolving world of information technology, such a period of time can witness dramatic upheavals in the market.

The folks at Network World have put together two really interesting articles that both look at a 25 year time period. One, aptly titled “25 tech touchstones” walks down memory lane, highlighting key events that mark major turning points in the technology world in the last 25 years, which of course have been the most dramatic quarter of a century ever for technology and telecommunication development. I find a few very interesting things to note here, besides usual mentions of tech titans such as Microsoft, Google, and major tech failures or scares such as Worldcom and Y2K.

First is IBM’s longevity and remarkable rebirth within the last 25 years. From being the “evil” empire of the early technology world in the 80s, to the PC powerhouse of the 90s, and now, the software and technology services leader, the company has seen all and is stronger now than ever in the last 25 years.

Second is that security concerns were present from the very beginning. In fact, the first internet worm was created in 1988, a year before Tim Berners Lee invented the hypertext Web.

Third is that within such a short span of time, so many careers and fortunes were created and lost! So many technology battles, struggles between products and standards that at the time appeared to consume all of our energy and attention. In retrospect, they were no more than bumps along the upward sloping road that is reaching ever higher.

The second article discusses “25 ways IT will morph the next 25 years“, and is more or less an enthusiastic exercise in futurology. I do agree that a large portion of the 25 proposed “ways” are actually probable and possible in the next 25 years, but I do take issues with the fact that most of the discussion centers around the “end user” or “consumer” experience. Many are variations on the theme “How will humans interact with computers” in the future, and “How increasingly powerful computers will pervade human lives”. What about enterprise applications? Will there still be kludgy, hard to use, complicated ERP systems? As fast as technology is moving and changing the world, there are distinct sectors of the market that are moving slowly – such as old fashioned EDI, healthcare informatics, and good old ERP/Supply chain management systems. Will they be revolutionized? Will they actually be functional and autonomous, rather than just transactional as they are today? Let’s check in again in 25 years.

Happy birthday, Network World!