The nearly $1 trillion IT market is in the midst of a fundamental restructuring, driven by the challenges of mobility, convergence, security, and globalization, according to the recent IDC release. These challenges and their impact on the years ahead will be the focus of IDC's Directions 2005: Blueprint for the Next Decade.

IDC's Chief Research Officer, John Gantz will present a portrait of the ten-year landscape, including the most highly anticipated advances as well as some unexpected challenges.

"The second half of the coming decade will be more dynamic and high growth than the first half," notes Gantz. "But to succeed in the long term, companies must first navigate the short term, which is why a blueprint of the years ahead is crucial to any successful strategy."

According to another research authority, Keynote Systems (www.keynote.com), the competition among online retailers is getting more intense as consumers become savvier about online shopping.

In the research released this week The Internet Performance Authority®, is provided a competitive benchmarking of leading retail Web sites.

According to the study, the Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and Circuit City Web sites provide the best online shopping experience for consumers.

The rankings are based on research with 2,000 customers as they interacted with leading retail Web sites.

Another survey was presented by IBM (www.ibm.com) this week. The new global survey of over 100 retailers and consumer products reveals a major disconnect between the views of retailers and the priorities of consumer products companies.

Consumer products companies are facing a dramatic shift, moving from the consumer as the primary focus to an expanded view that elevates their retail customers to a place of equal importance, survey says.

"Having historically focused on the consumer as their only 'customer,' consumer product companies must now seek ways to better understand and provide added value to their retail trade customers as well," said John Breuer, Consumer Products Industry Partner, IBM BCS.

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