Book excerpt: Learn all about the major trends and future advancements in ICT! ICT Futures provides an insightful introduction to the major technology trends in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), and to the economic, commercial and societal environment which is shaping them. The experienced author-team, consisting of experts from both industry and academia, addresses: The interaction between people and technology - how ICT affects every day social practices; the rise of social computing; how the way we interact with information and the devices we use are changing; and how trust can be assured over the Internet. The underlying ICT infrastructure - the semantic web and the semantic intranet; the real-time service-oriented infrastructure; the future optical network; self-managing networks and agents; P2P technologies; pervasiveness; mobility and wireless technology; and how all this infrastructure can be made secure. ICT technology and how it is affecting industries as diverse as health, finance, retail and law. The book covers a vast wealth of material, with a strong focus upon the impending changes to the way ICT operates.This reference is a valuable tool for people in managerial roles, CIOs, CTOs, business and technology strategists, and students undertaking technology MBAs, or technology modules in general MBAs. Professionals working in ICT will also find this book valuable.