Understanding the Future Internet

This book is a primer on the Future Internet. It demonstrates how the Internet is evolving into a societal operating system that will permeate every aspect of the enterprise. The original Internet has been a revolutionary force in business and society, but is nearing its limits in infrastructure and performance. The Future Internet represents the next generation of this critical infrastructure. In the future, enterprises will increasingly operate using "business webs" that link people, applications, and infrastructure. These dynamic digital networks will evolve constantly, manage massive volumes of data in real time, behave like social networks for the enterprise, and be always on and always accessible from mobile devices. But this vision also poses major challenges including security, trust, privacy, scalability, and performance. This book helps business leaders and public officials prepare for the future and its inevitable disruption. These changes will spawn new opportunities and threats. They will give birth to new business models and innovations and drive those who fail to adapt to extinction. Every enterprise must ask itself a key question: Will we be disrupted by a competitor or will we disrupt ourselves? This book prepares businesspeople to confront these questions and seize new opportunities before their competitors do.