No.64   May 1, 2003   Systems Integration Technology in the Ubiquitous Network Era   Hideaki NAKAMOTO and Makoto SHIROTA       The arrival of the ubiquitous network age has also seen the emergence of various technologies that support this new era. While expectations for the realization of new information systems continue to increase, changes are also urged with respect to the infrastructural architecture that supports information systems and the methods to develop such systems. There are many issues that should be addressed. These include system configurations that can handle the enormous volume of data as well as backup systems at the time of connection errors. Moreover, these trends have led to an increased need for flexibility in quickly responding to changes in the business environment and to the speed of such changes, and for developmental methodologies that allow for long-term reductions in development costs. In short, the key requirements to meet these goals include the establishment of a system development technology and system development culture that are predicated on a modularized approach to the work functions that constitute a system, and the re-utilization of such modules.    However, we should not become overly enraptured by the novelty of individual technologies. A more productive approach to the development of information systems and ultimately to success in business in this new ubiquitous network era can be found in pursuing a flexible conceptual framework. This will enable us to discover the possibilities of new technologies on the basis of user needs. Contents I IT Infrastructure in the Ubiquitous Network Era 1 Arrival of the Ubiquitous Network Era 2 Element Technologies Supporting Ubiquitous Networks II System Architecture in the Ubiquitous Network Era 1 Changing System Architecture 2 Systems in the Ubiquitous Network Era III System Development in the Ubiquitous Network Era 1 Greater Awareness Needed 2 Shift to Module-Type System Development 3 A Development Framework for Efficient Application Creation IV The Impact of Ubiquitous Networks: What Changes and What Doesn't Change 1 What Changes and What Doesn't Change 2 The Increasing Complexity of Operations Technology 3 The Increasing Importance of Security Technology V Towards IT Solutions in the New Era 1 IT Navigation 2 IT Integration 3 Reconfirming the Need for User-Oriented Developments GO to PDF