One of the fundamental tools Futurists use to pre-conceive what comes next is the technology linearities sketch [e.g., where has technology been, where is technology today and most importantly – where is technology going].
At the base of these projections is the rate of change in core computational functionality - what some have come to call, “Technology’s Tri-Fecta”
Processing speed doubles every 18 months Storage capacity doubles every 12 months Bandwidth throughput doubles every 9 months
One need only extrapolate these trends into the not so distant future to conclude that we are not so very far away from a time when every molecule on this planet will be IP addressable.
The business issue is that while technology is exponentially expanding the amount and flow of information, our capacity of managing the expanded information resource is not expanding at a corresponding rate.
In a word, we face an information management crisis. AIIM members are uniquely situated to prosper in the coming days of information abundance.
In the much simpler world of 30 years ago Coca Cola assembled 200 multi-ethnic youngsters on a hilltop in Italy and had them sing. The message - the whole world could be united in its desire for a single product. While the world might be able to coalesce in its desire for a carbonated beverage, it certainly doesn't seem to be able to make up its mind regarding how information should be managed.
Where career success used to be judged by one's distance from the devices of production [i.e., the factory floor], success in the contemporary economy is linked to the intimacy and facility of one's relationship with information.
What will separate world class places to work from the average will be the degree to which a meaningful and multi-dimensional rapproachment can be effected between the three estates of the digital economy: individuals 'supplying' information; individuals 'applying' the information (i.e., the end user-suits); and believe it or not, the machines themselves.
Leading organizations are re-thinking their information strategies. Everyone from Thornton's Dartmouth fraternity brother Jeff Immelt [Chairman and CEO at General Electric] to the local weather girl knows that information plays a major role in how money gets made and how services are provided.
And yet, very few organizations have shown themselves proficient at prospicience -the act of looking forward. Few have mastered the art of extracting full-value from the information assets at their disposal. And only a micro-minority have been successful at applying the behavioral loofa to exfoliate legacy practices and mindsets which have outlived their usefulness. This session will showcase best practices associated with managing the 'what comes next portion of the information life cycle."
