IEEE CONFERENCE DISCUSSED LATEST DEVELOPMENTS IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
01 July 2000 - European Institute for Research and Strategic Studies in Telecommunications GmbH (EURESCOM)

Information technology today, an economic power engine or a bubble for speculators?

Where do the new possibilities of data transmission take us and how can we apply these technologies in a profitable way?

200 scientists met in Heidelberg to discuss these issues at the „IEEE Conference on High Performance Switching and Routing'.

The latest developments in the fields of computing, multimedia and telecommunication were presented and discussed in 65 workshops.

'We didn't chose Heidelberg as the city to hold this conference meeting in without reason', said Heinrich Stüttgen, conference organizer (organizational head) in his opening address, 'After all, Heidelberg is a renowned research centre that has a lot to offer in the IT field.

The city's mayor, Beate Weber, also emphasized (stressed) Heidelberg's role as a forerunner. Top-class IT companies such as IBM, Heidelberg Printing Press inc. (Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG) plus their only recently lanced Print Media Academy are all located in Heidelberg. Together with research institutions like the German Cancer Research Centre (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum) or the Max-Planck-Institute they are a feature of a city that can count itself among the best locations for high technology research and companies in Germany.

The city council is also keenly aware of recent developments in new technologies: (keeps a close watch on ….) „As head of the city's administration I am especially interested in how new technologies can be applied to administrative work.', Beate Weber continued, „but unfortunately there is very little room for freedom beyond the given financial scope. (framework).'

There was of course unlimited freedom for the scientists meeting in Heidelberg.

The central question (issue) raised was: How can the most successful marketing strategy be found (developed)?

Governments, companies and consumers perceive new technologies from different viewpoints. Considering that the internet's flood of information is almost unchecked by effective laws, governments and citizens focus their doubts mainly on security issues (have doubts concerning security issues), while companies focus (concentrate) almost entirely on profits, true to their motto: 'Think big.'

Also in the IT sector there is hardly a company left untouched by the passion to merge.

In the future the winners will be the companies able to bring both prospects into accord: solving security problems and gaining profits.

The requirements of the market will be decisive, not what a technology can do (achieve).

But what exactly are the market requirements?

„It is difficult to make predictions,' said Dr. Claudio Carrelli, director of EURESCOM, Heidelberg, „it might be possible that there is a trend to a mobile phone with an integrated PC or also the opposite might be possible: a PC with an integrated mobile phone.'

Another conference catchword was: innovation.

Whoever wants to survive in the future must not only have a sound business management, but must also be courageous enough to take the risk and embrace the role of a pioneer. Not the size of a company will determine its status (value) in the future, but the fact of how well it can adjust to the constantly changing requirements of the market.

http://www.eurescom.de

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  • For July 2000
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