CW@60: Powering progress – the unsung hero of innovation
On 22 September 2026, Computer Weekly turns 60. To mark the milestone, we asked some of our friends - experts, trusted contacts, IT leaders and suppliers - for their perspectives on how tech has changed their lives over six decades
By
Gordon Thomson, Cisco
Published: 26 Jun 2026
On 22 September 1966, the launch issue of the world’s first weekly technology newspaper was published – today Computer Weekly is the UK’s oldest business IT title. What's changed the most for you since then? Here, Gordon Thomson, the European president of one of the most influential tech companies of those 60 years, reflects on the changes he has seen.
Over the past 60 years, enterprise technology has transformed almost every aspect of how organisations operate. We’ve seen the rise of connected workplaces, the evolution of the datacentre, the shift to cloud, the expansion of digital security, and more recently, artificial intelligence (AI) as a force reshaping industry. Each wave of innovation has changed how businesses connect, collaborate, and compete.
Yet as we reflect on six decades of technological progress, one truth stands out. None of these advances have delivered value in isolation. Because, behind every major shift in business technology sits its powerful enabler. Connectivity.
Connectivity is no longer simply the infrastructure that powers transformation and innovation. It’s the critical infrastructure for our next wave of innovation.
From supporting infrastructure to strategic foundation
In the early days of enterprise computing, connectivity was viewed largely as a technical requirement. Yes, it was important, but rarely strategic.
When founded four decades ago, Cisco was often described as the “plumbers of the internet”, building the digital pipes that connected networks and laying the foundations for what would become the modern internet.
Consider the technologies that have transformed how we live and work. Smartphones, cloud computing, collaboration platforms and digital services all rely on seamless, resilient connectivity to deliver their value. Remove the network, and even the most advanced technology becomes little more than untapped potential.
Connectivity has evolved from a technical capability into essential infrastructure. Like electricity, it is now so deeply embedded in our economies and daily lives that we often only notice it when it’s unavailable.
When networks fail, operations stop. Supply chains and service industries stall, collaboration breaks down, customer experiences suffer, and it hits businesses’ bottom line.
That reality has ultimately changed how organisations view the network - not as background infrastructure, but as a strategic foundation for resilience, innovation and growth.
The network has become the platform
The role of the network has changed dramatically. Historically, the challenge was straightforward, connecting point A to point B with greater speed and reliability. Security was often layered on afterwards. But that model no longer works.
Today, connectivity and security are absolutely inseparable. In an increasingly distributed world, every connection represents opportunity but also risk. And the threat landscape of today is more complex than we have ever experienced before.
This is why the modern network must be secure, resilient, and intelligent by design.
I don’t have a crystal ball, but if the last six decades were defined by connecting people and systems, the next will be defined by what those connections make possible
Gordon Thomson
It’s also become the platform that enables business success. It underpins hybrid work, powers digital experiences, supports operational resilience and provides the visibility organisations need to adapt in real time.
Increasingly, business outcomes depend not simply on having connectivity, but on having the right platform to deliver it securely, simply and at scale.
The critical infrastructure of today
And now we are at another major inflection point - AI. Yes, we see that much of the conversation around AI focuses on models and applications. But its success ultimately depends on something more fundamental.
While the world moves at pace towards AI, we move AI by providing the secure, high-performance infrastructure that turns its potential into reality. The infrastructure is what makes it all possible.
Why does that matter? Because AI is only as effective as the data it can access, the speed at which that data can move, and the security that protects it.
Whether organisations are building AI-ready datacentres, creating intelligent applications or enabling new digital experiences, none of it happens without modern networking capable of delivering high performance, low latency, deep observability and built-in security.
This is why the network has now emerged as the critical infrastructure for businesses of today. For many organisations, it is, however, exposing an important reality. Yesterday’s networks were simply not designed for today’s AI-driven demands.
Modernising network infrastructure is no longer about keeping pace with refresh cycles. It is about building the digital foundation needed to unlock the full potential of what is at our feet today, tomorrow and beyond.
Those organisations investing in network modernisation today are not simply upgrading technology. They are creating the resilient, secure, and intelligent platform required to innovate faster, adapt more quickly, and the ability to compete successfully.
At the same time, networks themselves are becoming more intelligent. With AI-driven insights, automation and embedded observability, organisations can move from reacting to issues to anticipating and resolving them before they even impact the business.
The network is no longer a transport layer but instead an intelligent platform ready for action.
Looking to the next 60 years
I don’t have a crystal ball, but if the last six decades were defined by connecting people and systems, the next will be defined by what those connections make possible.
We’re now entering a period where success will depend on how effectively organisations harness connectivity to unlock insight, resilience and innovation. For business leaders, this requires a mindset shift.
The network should no longer be viewed as a utility to maintain or refresh only when absolutely necessary. It should be recognised as a strategic platform for growth.
Investing in modern, secure, and intelligent networking is no longer simply about upgrading infrastructure. It is about building the critical infrastructure for the time we live in and making sure it can drive long-term business success.
The future will be more connected, more distributed, and more intelligent than ever before.
The organisations that thrive will be those that remember what has underpinned every major technological advance of the past six decades. And the innovations of the future will be powered by the networks on which they are built.
