By RAJU CHELLAM

AFTER recession, followed by near-recovery, it is now time for action. This is especially so in the infocomm technology (ICT) sector - now the base line for all economic sectors, since no business can run or prosper without deploying ICT effectively.

And on this note of optimism, a peek into the crystal ball reveals eight technology trends that are set to take centrestage in the year ahead:

• Seed the clouds: Cloud computing is going through a hazy hype cycle, worldwide and in Singapore. Despite promises of any time, anywhere computing at low end-user prices, neither SMEs nor large businesses have taken to the clouds. Would open source - like Linux - encourage more to do so? Should the government seed the clouds by showcasing some proof of concept?
  
  
• Push lean, not green: Like cloud computing, green IT is going through a gusty hype cycle. But unlike cloud computing, no one has a clear definition of what constitutes green IT.
  
  Is it low-energy usage? Is it efficient cooling in the data centre? Is it longer battery life for the notebook? The key to going green may be to push the 'get lean' message.
  
  Technology can be used to cut costs, boost process productivity and achieve a spectacular return on investment. And that's a message that should resonate well with any company.
  
  
• Dote on the data centre: At the heart of the government and large enterprises like banks is the data centre, which pumps data without stopping, and without missing a heartbeat of a financial transaction. Europe will see 25 per cent growth in data centres. It will see four large IPOs from data centre-centric companies in 2010.
  
  Asia's data centre growth is estimated at 33 per cent, with India and China leading on 48 per cent. Singapore has the infrastructure and the environment needed to become the data centre hub for the region.
  
  
• Move from SaaS to KaaS: If Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) was the bread, the butter will be Knowledge-as- a-Service (KaaS). KaaS will extend the SaaS delivery model by adding intellectual property related to a particular horizontal process or industry to the SaaS offering, says research firm IDC. Both run on infrastructure provided by cloud computing. KaaS as a concept will take root in 2010.
  
  
• Go hyperband: The Next-Gen NBN (Next-Generation National Broadband Network) that will zip voice, video and data at up to gigabit speed will be ready to roll in 2011. It will cover 60 per cent of buildings in Singapore by end-2010, at about 100 megabits per second (Mbps). That's revolutionary enough (compared with about 6-7 Mbps now) to offer unique services such as interactive TV, tele-medicine and real-time interactive learning.
  
  
• Tackle financial fraud: Fraudsters can now raid user accounts by even beating two-factor authentication methods based on one-time passwords delivered via tokens and mobile phones, says research firm Gartner.
  
  The solution is: First, set up server- based fraud detection procedures; second, use technology to disallow call forwarding to illegitimate and previously unspecified user phone numbers; and third, educate end-users about security risks.
  
  
• Be sweet to SMEs: SMEs are the lifeblood of any economy. As studies in the US have shown, the recession won't lift and employment won't rise unless banks reopen SME credit lines.
  
  No stimulus plan will work unless SMEs are back in force in the economy. In 2008, about 160,000 SMEs in Singapore bought about US$3 billion of ICT products, says AMI Partners. In 2009, ICT spend shrank 25 per cent.
  
  
• Watch out for Avatar: Avatar, the 3D movie, is about humans having a virtual reality experience. The real Avatar is where machines lead a virtual existence without need of humans. By 2020, there will be 10 e-enabled machines to every human in Asia. That's 20 billion machines potentially talking to each other with or without human intervention.
  
  On the positive side, that promises machine-to-machine applications such as surveillance, smart electric grids, emergency services and environmental sensors, says IDC. On the negative side, will mobile phones band together to target and control some humans? That's something to think of for 2011.

The writer is the managing director of TechTrenders Asia Pte Ltd.

This article was first published in The Business Times.