5 significant trends to watch in 2011

Trends come. Trends go.  Some stick around and others pass just as quickly as they came. Often tech advancements and trends create new ways to save money or improve efficiency.

That being said, I’d like to share an important lesson about tech trends: Don’t be swayed by the hype. Don’t jump on a new trend just because everyone is jumping on that trend. If you follow a trend without first figuring out how it will help your company, you’ll waste time and money.

With that point in mind, I’d like to share a good Computerworld article entitled, "5 significant trends to watch in 2011." I believe many of the trends mentioned in there are pretty spot-on, and will play a big role in the business world within the next couple years.

However, the second item on that list seemed a bit odd to me. Not that it isn’t important, but shouldn’t cost-saving technology be a trend every single year? Sure, virtualization, cloud-computing, and business analytics are hot topics right now, but there are many more ways to save money with technology today.

For example, this company combined old parts found in their supply closet with new technology to make an eCommerce site that generates millions of dollars. They may not have used a hot new "trend," but you can’t argue with the results.