| Today's competitive business landscape is bristling with innovation and change. Tomorrow will be different—it will be heightened and even more forceful. Therefore only the most durable and robust business models will survive. In this brutal environment, the IT strategy must be vigorous enough to stand out, yet flexible enough to evolve in an e-business on demand world. CIOs and IT management must be attuned to this shifting reality and aim to implement the technologies that directly address this actuality. New technologies are rapidly emerging, and new versions of existing technologies will continue to be released. To keep pace, businesses need to quickly adapt their existing applications to new technologies and business requirements without losing their investments in current systems. The ultimate scope of autonomic computing will go beyond just the corporate world. The technology of autonomic computing is based on sensors and effectors. (See Chapter 8 for more explanation.) When sensors are embedded in other devices, exciting things can happen. For example, Chrysler has long been perfecting Antilock Braking Systems (ABS) to ensure driver and passenger safety. The ABS is comprised of electronic sensors and solenoid valves in the wheel hubs. These sensors and valves use the concept of autonomic systems to prevent the wheels from locking when cars go into a skid. Goodyear and Michelin have created "Run-Flat" tires that allow drivers to drive safely for a few more miles after a tire puncture. Besides having a reinforced sidewall in the tire that acts to maintain the chassis level when a tire is deflated, Run-Flat tires also have sensors that relay information about the air pressure to the dashboard of the car so that drivers can monitor the pressure levels and act accordingly. Sensors and embedded computers already exist in most industrial environments, but they are typically reserved for use on small numbers of expensive pieces of equipment. What happens when these devices make their way from the few mission-critical components to the multitude of equipment all around you? Just one benefit alone, such as real-time awareness of potential component failure, can save a utility from costly downtime, which in some cases can cost up to $1 million each hour. Prototypes of smart homes are being built and tested. Smart homes are equipped with a network of sensors that track and monitor everything from cooking habits to purchasing activities to level and quality of physical movement. One potential outcome of this research is the early detection of the onset of dementia by monitoring changes in activity patterns and levels. A broader goal is to use the sensor data to build technologies that support and enhance people's ability to conduct normal daily activities, by providing an appropriate level of support without making people prematurely dependent on technology-based assistance. Once sensors are placed in everything, computing will be truly pervasive. Already we have sensors and chips in cell phones to refrigerators and toasters. In the future, sensors in shopping malls will pick up your preferences as you enter the mall. This trend will run in parallel with the adoption of autonomic computing in the corporate world. Autonomic computing in the corporate world is needed. There is not much of an alternative. |