Sensors and activators

Intelligent networks are another area in which Spittle believes that it is possible to transform business operations.

"It's a lot less sexy than virtual worlds but sensors and activators for handling, assembling, transmitting and routing information, in order to make sense of data, will be enormous," he enthuses.

Spittle anticipates automated networks that can report back on their status so that factory equipment can tell administrators when they need maintenance duties to be performed; silos can send alerts for their need to be refilled; or oil exploration systems can "squirt the bird", that is, relay status signals via satellite.

In line with IBM's recent deal to buy Cognos, Spittle is also keen on the possibilities of business intelligence.

"Being able to distinguish the signal from the noise is really key in business today, and business intelligence instrumentation, for example through dashboards, is a good example of how you do that," he says.

Also, going forward, Spittle is optimistic about the fabled promised alignment of business and technology, noting that young people coming into the workplace have a stronger understanding of technology than ever before.

"You have to understand the business processes in order to instantiate and we're in transition to a different form of understanding where we're getting technology DNA into everybody's system," he claims, adding that so-called Web 2.0 tagging, commenting, rating and other tools are helping fulfill the promise of collaboration.

Power to the user

"With Web 2.0 we're seeing that step change between the web as a passive repository and an active resource that supports collaboration and puts an enormous amount of power into the hands of the user. People are a lot less tolerant of bad user interfaces. They expect a button to go back and go forwards and these are the new table stakes that we all expect to see there."

So is it possible that Web 2.0 will equal Knowledge Management 2.0, with companies able to get over the usability and change process hurdles that have been so challenging in the past?

Spittle is optimistic, noting that "one of the problems with knowledge management was that it was monolithic and very technical and demanded skills that prevented others from joining in." Indeed, he is confident that the confluence of technologically-savvy people entering the workforce, Web 2.0 mash-ups, and improved matching of IT and lines of business will lead to a perfect storm of improvements.

"Let's not underestimate speed," he advises. "People still want to get first-mover advantage and it's all about the linkages between what is possible with technology and the problem that needs solving."

As for Spittle himself, he embodies the geographically diverse, flexible world of business today.

"This is my office today," he says, waving to the plain cubicle in IBM's concrete palace, "but really the network is my office." Pointing to an Ethernet port, he adds, "That's my connectivity and the people I work with."

Outside, the weather continues to torment tourists and office workers who are buffeted by high-speed winds and torrential rain. Inside IBM, a venerable stability presides and all is calm.