prediction

End-users will decide as much as half of all software, hardware and services acquisitions made by IT

The rise of the Internet and the ubiquity of the browser interface have made computing approachable and individuals are now making decisions about technology for personal and business use. Because of this, IT organizations are addressing user concerns through planning for a global class of computing that incorporates user decisions in risk analysis and innovation of business strategy.

Gartner Highlights Key Predictions for IT Organisations and Users in 2008 and Beyond

Overheard: I’m declaring that 2008 will be the year of the thin client

Either HP sells thin clients, or someone else does. Sometimes, you have to eat your own children. IDC analyst Bob O’Donnell as quoted in HP Thinks Thin

I’m hereby declaring 2008 as the Year of the Thin Client. In 2008, laptop vendors will begin lining up ducks as we all get ready to move to the cloud.

Andy Greenberg does a really great job explaining why the time for the thin client is now.

PC manufacturers pay their bills by selling new machines year after year with ever more impressive loads of storage and memory. But as the U.S. economy sputters and companies transfer their IT needs from the desktop to virtualized data centers and to the Web, one computer giant is moving its enterprise products in a new direction: slimmer and cheaper.

The only thing I think he got wrong is when he said “one computer giant is moving its enterprise products in a new direction.” I think they all are. I also predict they’ll come up with a new name to replace “thin client.” It’s too 90’s.

Overheard: Datacenter in a box coming to a batcave near you

“Sun and a consortium of other businesses are going to lower Blackbox self-contained computing facilities into a Japanese coal mine to set up an underground datacentre, using up to 50 percent less power than a ground-level datacentre.” Chris Mellor, Sun to set up datacentre in coal mine

Sun Microsystems promoted their ”datacenter in a box” concept earlier this year. The datacenters are basically 20-foot shipping containers with racks of pre-configured servers and storage. The idea is that you’d be able to build a datacenter as big as you need because the Blackboxes are modular units — and because they’re self-contained shipping containers, you could ship them  just about anywhere – including outer space.  

When I first read about Project Blackbox, I was thinking military.  But I hadn’t thought about using caves and abandoned mines for commercial use. Genius.

In the Japan project, the coolant is going to be ground water — a little controversial, but they’re working on getting away from water altogether.  Since the cave’s temperature is a constant 59 degrees F,  the cost of running the underground center is expected to be $9 million less than if it were above ground.  

Overheard: It’s not your father’s joystick

“Though many popular games still employ a standard controller, the most popular games are using outlandish controlling devices that are so far-fetched, you’ll feel silly for trying, but won’t be able to put down.” Triston McIntyre, Guitar Hero, Wii and DDR usher in new era of gaming

I predict that Guitar Hero a PlayStation 2 game whose controller is a two-foot-long plastic guitar, will be the big buzzword this holiday shopping season. Guitar Hero III was released in late October and sold 1.4 million copies in the first six days. It’s kind of cool hearing Guns ‘n Roses around the house once more. The fun part about this game, though, is looking at all the ways people have modified their controllers.

I don’t know whose mod is in the photo…I came across it on an MTV blog, uncredited. If you know who this is, please let me know so I can credit source.