As we enter the third wave of internet interaction, we note how it exists in the context of me, what I need, when I need it, how I need to access it, and how it relates to everything else going on in my world. Armed with AI to create the correlations we enter the third wave, a practical, pragmatic approach to bringing me everything.

Former Citrix CEO Mark Templeton often spoke about “any time, anyplace computing”– giving users the ability to run any application on any platform across any network at any time from anywhere in an environment where you live, work, and play.

Templeton envisioned the opportunity for people to enjoy a fully integrated life with better work-life balance in which the lines between both were sufficiently blurred to make transitions between the two feel effortless. His vision predicted what is now the third wave of the internet.

The First Wave – Search

From its very beginning, the first major driver of internet adoption was the ability to find specific information in this global utility. The major applications of this first wave of internet popularity included Yahoo, AltaVista, YP (the yellow pages) and others. Some were simply constructed as a table of contents. Others leveraged new search capabilities to “crawl” the new World Wide Web.

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The Second Wave – Self

After the dot.com bubble burst, the year 2004 saw the emergence of websites like MySpace and the Facebook on which everyone could identify themselves and share information about themselves. Other sites, including Twitter, LinkedIn, and scores of others, each attempted to re-invent or re-structure this celebration of self. This made the driver of the second wave of internet growth the sharing of the self.

The Quiet Arrival of the Third Wave

As the social networks matured, many other technologies emerged, most especially artificial intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), cognitive technologies, and the internet of things (IoT). This combination of developments has resulted in the internet becoming the intermediary of our ability to obtain almost anything at any time from anywhere, fulfilling Templeton’s original vision.

AI-based devices including Amazon Echo, Google Home, Apple Siri, Samsung Bixby, and others give us voice control access to much of what we used to control with hard-wired switches. Home automation lets us turn lights and other devices on and off, control our thermostat, operate home entertainment, secure our doors, and so forth. We converse with these devices and sense that they are reasoning before providing answers.

Similar devices, called Industrial Control Systems (ICS) do much the same on a larger scale operating building-wide heat, cooling, lighting, and more.

Going even larger we see the rapid emergence of Smart Cities in which lampposts are equipped with scanners that allow the city to reduce costs by lighting and darkening unoccupied areas, monitoring civil safety, delivering a wealth of wi-fi-based services and more.

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The driver of this third wave of internet adoption is simply easy, interactive access to everything.

Leveraging the Third Wave to Remain Competitive

No company can afford not to be part of the “everything” the internet gives everyone access to. Marketers speak of “omni-channel” marketing in which their print efforts, broadcast, mobile efforts and more are closely linked to their online systems tasked with forming the return connection for customers. This makes purchasing all but effortless.

Online interfaces between companies and customers offer the opportunity to obtain far more information about customers than ever before. Many companies are now employing recommendation engines to compare customer data with product information to automatically determine and promote specific products to specific consumers. Search engines post advertisements on social media pages based on the user’s recent searches. Digital displays in retail stores look back at the viewer to determine their age, gender, sizes, and more. Smartphones provide an unparalleled source of information about individuals.

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Continuing Templeton’s legacy and vision, the Citrix Workspace facilitates easy, secure access to a world of resources, providing a consistent, excellent user experience wherever and on whatever network they may be, enabling greater efficiency, higher productivity, and improved job satisfaction.

Think of the word “single” as your guide to the advantages of the Citrix Workspace. A single user interface no matter what device or on what network a user may sign in. Single sign-on to simplify secure access to all applications. A single platform to manage and secure cloud, on-prem, and hybrid environments. A single resource for assuring security of all data and communications. A single process for installing, updating, and upgrading all software as needed. One single interface for connection to all cloud resources.

Your users fundamentally stop using your network and start interacting with it in more instinctual, more productive ways than ever before creating their own singular relationship with their information and their work.

Remaining truly competitive in a market where everyone else is leveraging these technologies and more becomes nearly impossible without adopting them yourself. There are two key tools you must employ to get started. The first is your own innovative capabilities. The other is to find experts to advise you. So much new technology is emerging so quickly that it requires someone who tracks it all full time to properly advise you.

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