Who says IT does not matter anymore?<\/p>\n
Zatni Arbi, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
During the recent OracleWorld event in San Francisco, one
\nperson in the audience asked Larry Ellison, Oracle Chairman and
\nCEO, this question: \"Now that so many of the application
\ndevelopment tasks have been automated, are we database and
\napplication developers supposed to get worried about our jobs?\"<\/p>\n
It was a legitimate question, of course, especially as changes in
\nthe IT world are so fast and so far-reaching that even IT
\nprofessionals sometimes find it hard to keep up.<\/p>\n
Responding to the question, Larry aptly reminded the concerned
\ndatabase developer that upgrading skills and finding new
\nspecialization was the only way to survive.<\/p>\n
\"It is inevitable that a lot of our jobs get automated over
\ntime, and we just have to move on and acquire new skills and
\nknowledge.\" What does this mean? It means that the IT revolution
\nhas obviously not reached the end of its life-cycle. In fact, it
\nstill has a long way to go.<\/p>\n
And, if acquiring new knowledge and skills are the order of
\nthe day, what do software developers and other IT professionals
\nhave to learn today to ensure that they will always be able to
\nearn a living? Obviously, skills in computer security will
\nprovide a vast job market for a long time into the future. It is
\nnot difficult to understand why, as we all know that one of the
\nmajor trends today is the digital threats that just escalate
\nevery day: Viruses, worms, ID theft, Denial of Services attacks,
\nyou name it.<\/p>\n
The IT world will continue to have to deal with these real
\nthreats, and certainly the world will require specific skills and
\nknowledge to protect mission-critical IT systems as well as
\npersonal computers from them. It is no difference from a war
\nagainst disease (can you say SARS?). So, if you are looking for a
\nskills set that will guarantee a long term employment, just learn
\nwhat the people in the computer security companies such as
\nMcAfee, Network Associates, Symantec, Trend Micro, Aladdin
\nKnowledge Systems Check Point Software Technologies, TrueSecure,
\nInternet Security Services (ISS), Computer Associates and so many
\nothers do.<\/p>\n
And what are the other trends in IT today? Obviously, wireless
\ntechnologies-3G, Wi-Fi and others are some of them. In my recent
\ntrip to San Francisco, I asked for a room with Internet access,
\nand I was lucky to get one on my second day at my hotel. The good
\nnews was that the Grand Hyatt San Francisco charged me only
\nUS$5.95 (around Rp 48,000) per day.<\/p>\n
By the way, before I left I had specifically made sure I had a
\nnew notebook computer with both 802.11b and Ethernet connections
\nbuilt-in. When in the room, I hooked up to the Internet using the
\nEthernet connection. Inside the Moscone Center, I just used the
\nwireless access provided by Oracle. During the entire trip, I was
\nable to remain fairly productive although I was away from my home
\nPC. I could still access all the materials I needed to finish the
\njobs I had not managed to finish before I left. Besides, I saved
\na lot of money, too, as I was able to communicate with the folks
\nback home via e-mail instead of making an international phone
\ncall. You know how exorbitant hotel surcharges can be if you make
\nthat kind of telephone call from your room.<\/p>\n
Staying connected regardless of where we are has already
\nbecome a must, especially with the help of the growing number of
\nwireless hot spots. As the $5.95 daily Internet access charge
\ndemonstrated, the cost of staying connected is getting more and
\nmore affordable, and the wireless technologies are still
\nbeginning to make it happen.<\/p>\n
What about the device that we use to stay connected? New
\nfeature-rich PDA models are emerging as fast as the news of
\nviolence on our TV broadcasts today. However, the PDA and the
\ncellphones are not the only means to stay connected. Thanks to
\ntheir falling prices, notebook PCs are fast replacing desktops.
\nSome years ago I wrote that I did not expect this to happen. I
\nwould think then that a notebook would only serve as a secondary
\nmachine for every professional. It turned out that the notebooks
\nnow have the same capabilities as their desktop brothers.<\/p>\n
Acer, for example, announced that a substantial increase in
\nits sales of notebook PCs in the last quarter. Other vendors also
\nreport an encouraging growth in the notebook PC sales.<\/p>\n
The addition of 802.11x capability in the latest generation of
\nnotebooks has obviously played an important role in driving the
\nsales figures up. Although none of us would predict that the
\nnotebooks would one day completely replace the desktops, in many
\ncompanies, the notebooks are the only computers that the firm
\nprovides for its employees.<\/p>\n
The cellphones and the digital camera battle is also heating
\nup. While most of the cellphone handsets sold in Japan are
\nalready equipped with a CMOS digital cameras, reports have it
\nthat more capable digital cameras are now embedded in high-end
\ncellphones. One example is the MovaSO505 from Sony-Ericsson.
\nThis phone, which looks more like a digital camera than a
\ncellphone, is offered by NTT DoCoMo and has been popular among
\nthe Japanese.<\/p>\n
By 2005, it is expected that we will see cellphones with
\ndigital cameras capable of capturing five megapixel pictures. It
\nmakes sense, because otherwise we would have to wear pants with
\noversized pockets to carry all our gadgets around.<\/p>\n
Still in the area of cellphone handsets, the latest trend is
\nto use fuel cell batteries. Fuel cells are even used in notebook
\ncomputers. NEC announced on Sept. 17 that it already built a
\nprototype of a notebook powered by a fuel cell. Currently, the
\nnotebook can run for five hours per charge. Commercial products
\nare expected to hit the market next year. In two years, says the
\ncompany, we can have a notebook that can run for 40 hours on the
\nfuel cell batteries. All we have to do to recharge it is to
\ninject more methanol fuel.<\/p>\n
These are just a very small scoop of what is going on in the
\nIT industry. Now, with so much R&D activity going on in this
\nindustry, it is difficult to understand why one would ever
\nconclude that IT does not matter anymore.<\/p>",
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