Predicting the Next Software Decade
CEOs and investors predict what the next decade will bring for the enteprise software industry. Take our survey and see how your predictions stack up.
By M.R. Rangaswami, Sand Hill Group
Aug. 06, 2007
Microsoft as open source partner... Oracle as application vendor... Bangalore as development leader... The Internet as a secure corporate network...
Unless you've just climbed out from under a rock, you're well aware that the sofware industry is undergoing massive change. From buyer behavior to emerging technologies to new delivery models to global development to investor activity, nothing about today's software business is the same as it was ten years ago.
At the tenth anniversary of the elite, invitation-only Enterprise 2007 conference last month, the software CEOs, investors and thought leaders in attendance were prompted to reflect on the evolution of the last ten years and to predict how the next ten years will play out. A survey of attendees revealed surprising insight on the most important industry influences of the past - and the future.
The Decade that Was
Ten years doesn't seem like a long time - but consider this: during the first Enterprise conference in 1998, many attendees didn't believe that the Internet would have a significant impact on enterprise software. By Enterprise '99, more than half of attendees said the Internet would impact the industry within the next year. That's how fast things changed.
A look back at specific events of the past decade reminds even the most astute software observers of where we've been - from Y2K through the "bubble" to the emergence of new models to what may be a new bubble forming even as we speak.
Ten Years - Ten Questions
Enterprise 2007 attendees answered a series of questions on the past and future decade in software. Ten of the questions are reproduced in this article. After choosing your response, click to the next page to see how your responses stack up against those of the CEOs, investors and other industry leaders who attended the conference.
The Leaders of the Past Decade
The first set of questions asked attendees to think back to the past decade and focus on which people and companies had a significant impact on the evolution of the industry.
Question 1: Which software industry leader has had the most impact on the enterprise software industry since 1997?
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Unless you've just climbed out from under a rock, you're well aware that the sofware industry is undergoing massive change. From buyer behavior to emerging technologies to new delivery models to global development to investor activity, nothing about today's software business is the same as it was ten years ago.
At the tenth anniversary of the elite, invitation-only Enterprise 2007 conference last month, the software CEOs, investors and thought leaders in attendance were prompted to reflect on the evolution of the last ten years and to predict how the next ten years will play out. A survey of attendees revealed surprising insight on the most important industry influences of the past - and the future.
The Decade that Was
Ten years doesn't seem like a long time - but consider this: during the first Enterprise conference in 1998, many attendees didn't believe that the Internet would have a significant impact on enterprise software. By Enterprise '99, more than half of attendees said the Internet would impact the industry within the next year. That's how fast things changed.
Enterprise Software Industry Timeline
Source: SandHill.com
A look back at specific events of the past decade reminds even the most astute software observers of where we've been - from Y2K through the "bubble" to the emergence of new models to what may be a new bubble forming even as we speak.
Ten Years - Ten Questions
Enterprise 2007 attendees answered a series of questions on the past and future decade in software. Ten of the questions are reproduced in this article. After choosing your response, click to the next page to see how your responses stack up against those of the CEOs, investors and other industry leaders who attended the conference.
The Leaders of the Past Decade
The first set of questions asked attendees to think back to the past decade and focus on which people and companies had a significant impact on the evolution of the industry.
Question 1: Which software industry leader has had the most impact on the enterprise software industry since 1997?
- Bill Gates
- Larry Ellison
- Hasso Plattner
- Marc Benioff
- Linus Torvalds
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