Introducing Computing 5.0

Seeing as I've introduced a new term, I really should define it. Computing 5.0 is the convergence of several trends that are set to cause massive changes to the way we do IT - for enterprises and for consumers. Computing 5.0 is tomorrow's world of a virtualised infrastructure overlaid with a dynamic flexible process-oriented service computing framework. Computing 5.0 is what I have described as a "phase change" in IT. It's the point where we abstract a large set of technologies (and their associated problems) and move from the current application-centric paradigm to one where we think in terms of workflow and process first, and component implementations second. Key elements of Computing 5.0 are:

• Virtualised infrastructure
• Loosely-coupled service architectures
• Open standards
• Process-driven middleware
• Context-sensitive user interface
• Strong identity management
• Intelligent network storage
• Workflow languages

There are associated concepts:

• Interface-first design
• Ethnography as a development tool
• Web services
• Open file formats
• Rich Network Applications
• "Long" transactions
• Multi-modal user interface
• Federated operations
• Strategic architectures

What interests me is the speed at which these concepts and technologies are evolving. In future entries I'm going to go into these concepts in more detail, and also look at the development of Computing 5.0 companies.