And the dissolution of these containers is the key that unlocks the IT dungeon and lets CEOs and CIOs begin to dismantle the sprawl of servers and networks and databases and middleware and workarounds and expensive integration requirements that, until very recently, were believed to be the inexorable price to be paid for life in our modern, mobile, and consumer-driven world.

FORBES: Cloud Computing's Greatest Danger--and Richest Opportunity

The company's algorithm draws on information from more than 100 databases and social networks, looking at an array of variables such as users' locations and the number of personal connections.

WSJ: Bad Credit? Start Tweeting

Why on earth in this day of deep relational databases and high-speed international computer networks do we need printed passports?

FORBES: One man, 8 Reps, 466 miles, 1 iPhone, $400 = 1 U.S. Passport

Handheld computer users want access to their corporate e-mail, applications and databases, she says, and cellular networks provide near-ubiquitous connectivity.

FORBES: How Palm Lost It

And, thanks to social networks, we now have those databases.

FORBES: Data Privacy Commissioners Discuss Ubiquitous Tracking

Colleges offer students access to exclusive job posting databases, alumni career networks, workshops, job fairs and individual counseling.

WSJ: Tap Your School for Job-Hunt Help

With electronic storage and fiber connections getting better and cheaper, EDS and EMC are working on the ultimate in redundant computing: networks that will "mirror" databases up to the latest transaction thousands of miles away.

FORBES: Scare Tactics

Running on these mobiles, and also on home and wide-area networks will be increasingly intelligent software, able to learn behaviour, predict needs and integrate with a growing number of databases, such as transport updates from major providers.

BBC: NEWS | Technology | Predictions for the mobile future