As Editor of Network World Canada magazine, my role, as the job title suggests, is that of a journalist, not a tech expert.
However, that warrants some elaboration, because in the last 10 years, the role of the journalist has changed.
Before the proliferation of Web 2.0, the journalist’s role was to tell you a story, and leave you to write a letter to the editor if you had something to say. Now, I’m here to get experts talking to each other. Notice I did not claim the title of community organizer, nor will I until I run for political office.
The whole point of this blog – and the others on IT World Canada’s Web site – is to enable network professionals – like you – to get the answers you’re looking for.
The last 15 years have seen huge changes in networking and how we bring you information.
In 1997, executives started talking about networks as something that would change the way corporations would communicate. Combining video and data on a 12-Mbps Internet was something relatively new.
In 2000, third-generation wireless was still on the drawing board, and the ability to take your desktop environment wherever you go was just a vision.
Today, more companies are trying to combine voice, data and video on to one network This necessitates not only new technologies, but new organizational structures, now that the telecommunications and video security departments need to get smart about IT and the IT guys need to be well versed in both voice and data.
Although we’re here to tell you about the new products and technologies announced by vendors, we’d like to give you, the users, the opportunity to have your say.
I look forward to working with all of you in this Web 2.0 medium.