Parallel lines meeting? Time to zoom ahead…

The standard knowledge on parallel lines is that they meet only at infinity. Rarely do we question what is normally seen to be the basic fact. Do we ever stop to ask the question – are they parallel lines in the first place? There are many situations when the first feeling on the task appears impossible to achieve, like “how could it ever be?”… However as we dig deeper, question the assumptions, validate the concepts… We start to notice it, feel it, live it and begin to see the impact all around us… Last year or so has really increased the tendency of parallel lines to meet much more closer than what we know infinity to be…

Take any example around us. Did we imagine iPhone to be ever supported by Enterprise IT departments, when it was first launched?  How could Facebook be getting more visitors in 2010 than Google? Look at Salesforce.com – how could companies not want to own software and use it in services model?… How could a highly successful company like Netflix change its entire business model from a mail-order DVD company to a streaming video company?… Why is China considered primarily as a manufacturing giant when they are global number 2 in R&D with $153.8 B investment and the fastest R&D growth country over the last 3 years?… Wikileaks… How could it be that such highly classified state dept. conversations are widely available on the web?…

On the regional powers, India’s global prominence through a fast pacing economy is certainly on the rise and it was no co-incidence that the Heads of States from all UN Security Council  countries visited India, all in One year – 2010. Something like this, to the best of my knowledge has never happened before. While foreign policies and relationships between the host and guest countries were important, business and trade were the biggest focus for the visiting global leaders. Over $50 Billion worth of deals in defense, industrial, infrastructure, energy etc. were signed with these 5 nations showcasing India as a major international market. The sheer magnitude of rise in India’s economic power is of great significance in the coming decades.

For 2011 and beyond, the tendency of parallel lines meeting will be even more frequent… While some will be evolutionary, higher chances are to see more “super swoosh” and disruptive innovation that will very closely impact our daily lives… Some of the major ones would be… We will see the Internet of Things in a big way… Mobility will be pervasive in nature and will connect all kinds of devices – be it consumer electronics, telecom, medical devices, home automation, smart devices, automotives and  industrial appliances and more… It is very important not only to bring these devices together for a common purpose or task but also to impact user experience through enhanced and intuitive user interfaces, thereby substantially increasing adoption… We will also see adoption of Cloud increase both through private and public level, though rapid expansion will take place when public cloud is leveraged  securely… Social networking will find its way inside companies and it has potential to eventually be a successful collaboration tool for enterprises, much that its evolved rapidly for consumers now… And LTE and 4G technologies will make sure that video and mobile applications are never constrained due to lack of bandwidth…

R&D Investment is amongst the most important attributes for any company or country. Intellectual investments and continuous innovations are the only way for sustainable growth. Combined with social development, they define the future for most economies and hence play crucial part in long term development. With the improved and somewhat stable business climate in 2011, it will be important for increased investment commitment towards R&D, both from the industry and the govts… This is the time to zoom ahead thru investments in innovation… That has direct bearing in growth for all…