Is the age of innovation over for IT?

16% Yes

84% No

The Big Question is an initiative between Computer Weekly and recruitment consultancy PSD. Each week we put the Big Question to top IT professionals to get their take on a current talking point.

The age of IT revolution and innovation is not dead, according to IT professionals polled for this week's Big Question. But some respondents observed an evolution in innovation.

Alan Marsh, IT director at Allmi-Care, said IT innovation was still happening at a phenomenal rate, but the type of innovation we are seeing is changing. "We are now seeing less rapid advancement in terms of processing power and complexity of computing systems, but more change in the way computers, and especially the internet, are being used," he said.

Marsh pointed to new web-based services for companies and consumers, such as hosted software from Salesforce.com, or Google search services, saying they were still in their infancy.

Similarly, a consultant from LSH Consulting said, "IT will always remain innovative, but the pace is always dictated by consumer demand and the key technology players."

Although in the minority, those less optimistic respondents pointed to increased specialisation of innovation.

One IT contractor said, "I feel the advances in technology are becoming less exciting and, more importantly, less relevant. Apart from in niche sectors, product enhancements are often pretty trivial."

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