On, to some, a more important point: enterprise technologies are adopted, in virtually every case, because of user pull or the messy results thereof. Why enterprise databases? Because departments installed databases on their minicomputers, and information wouldn’t move among them? Why erp? Because information management software in various departments couldn’t easily be used for a more synoptic view. Why internet email? Because usage overwhelmed all other systems. Why a corporate LAN? Because users set up local networks in their areas.

(btw, you can tell the slashdot nerds some of this; they imagine that like Minerva from Zeus, infrastructure sprang whole from their bodies).

User pull will lead to wikis being a standard offering on the enterprise network too. Unfortunately, in this case it’s hard to predict which if any vendor will flourish because of this (wikis encompass very little technology).

But, social bookmarking and tagging, and social networking as well, will influence enterprise software architecture enormously. Still below the horizon, they will nonetheless overtake wikis as an issue within 18 months. I recommend taking a good long look at http://www.connectbeam.com for more on this. (disclosure: I am helping them and own some of the company — don’t let this dissuade you)

This comment is too long already, so I won’t initiate a lengthy explanation of why the above. Simply pose the following to yourself: I’m having a meeting in Paris in two days on one of our products. i know that the key person in the meeting will want to know how my product integrates with X. How do I find someone in my company who a) understands this particular product of ours, b) has worked with X, and c) if possible is located somewhere near Paris?

The problem of *agile access* to information and people who have information is not addressed in current generation enterprise software. It is the next step — companies like connectbeam are taking that step (sorry for the shameless self-promotion)

I spent four years at Groove Networks. The first year or two we had our own DrKW — it was Ford Calhoun, the CIO at GSK. We eventually got some additional ones, but (frankly) not quickly enough.