Social networking and mash-ups top list of disruptive technologies

Social networking technologies and the use of web mash-ups are among the top 10 disruptive technologies that will make headway in enterprises in the next four years, according to research firm Gartner.

David Cearley, Gartner Fellow, said that business IT applications will change and mirror the features found in popular consumer IT applications, such as Facebook and Myspace, as firms look to improve employee collaboration and harness the community feedback of customers. "Enterprise social software provides a platform that encourages participation and feedback from employees and customers alike," he said. "The added value for businesses is being able to collect this feedback into a single point that reflects collective attitudes, which can help shape a business strategy."

By 2010, Gartner predicts web mash-ups will be the dominant model (80%) for the creation of new enterprise applications.