November 2003

The future is in wireless. So say the pundits and lately, the editor of eWeek imagines the day when anyone anywhere can walk up to any terminal, any computer, any wireless, give an authentification token and access his or her own documents on his or her own computer—work on them and print them out from some generic station.

The days of carrying around laptops and even handhelds are clearly numbered. So don't spend a whole lot of money on your next acquisitions. Cleveland is a hotspot of pushing for widespread, simple, free wireless access. It's on the way here and in many cities. Cleveland's Cardinal Commerce already has the sophisticated authentication software out there (working with credit card companies, banks and merchants around the world). It's going to happen...and soon.

Opportunities will exist for those who want to get in the business of installing public terminals (some already exist in airport terminals). I see somebody like maybe the telephone companies getting into this.

But what might this mean to your business? Possibly shifting some of your IT expenditures from portable devices to authentication software (fee per use perhaps, like ATMs?) and subscription fees for public terminal access. The nice thing is, you won't have to replace a boatload of hardware every 18-24 months. Should save money in the long run.

And maybe a lot of people's arms and shoulders from lugging laptops