Why CIOs need to know about Ajax and mash-ups

Ajax, mash-ups, location-aware software and sensor mesh networking are among the key emerging technologies that are set to have a significant impact on businesses over the next 10 years, according to Gartner.

Web 2.0 is one of the major themes identified in Gartner's emerging technologies hype cycle, especially around user-generated content and web services.

Technologies under the web 2.0 umbrella that are predicted to have a high impact on businesses and reach maturity in under two years are Ajax (developer techniques for enhancing the responsiveness and usability of web applications) and mash-ups (the joining together, or 'mashing up', of multiple online applications to create a new service).

Location-aware applications that use GPS and mobile networks to locate users are also tipped to hit mainstream adoption in the next two to five years.

Another area that businesses should be paying attention to is sensor mesh networking, especially in manufacturing and the supply chain - although the technology is still proprietary and around 10 years away from broad mainstream adoption.

Jackie Fenn, VP and Gartner fellow of emerging technologies, said the small low-cost nodes in a sensor network will be able to provide information on things such as whether a product has been dropped on its way through the supply chain, which would prevent damaged goods being sent out to customers.

She told silicon.com: "It's a way to get a much more real-time insight into what is happening with your assets."

Other developments on the longer-term radar include the application of semantic web technologies to corporate web content. Gartner claims the corporate semantic web will cut costs and improve the quality of content management, information access, interoperability and integration.

One of the key themes of the emerging technologies hype cycle is the growing consumerisation of IT, and Fenn said companies need to work out how to incorporate consumer technologies in a secure manner to provide business value for the enterprise.