This is due to the fact that as pointed out before the attainment of tangible benefits requires a "critical mass" of actors using interoperable ICT systems is a necessary precondition for reaping the benefits of these technologies and thus, so far, SMEs have failed to fully benefit from better ICT integration and innovation.
How can we reap the potential benefits of these technologies without turning ourselves into cyborgs?
However, today's software stacks have high overheads that make it impossible to reap the full benefits of these technologies.
If we are to maximise the benefits of these technologies, and the speed at which they arrive, we probably need a new prescription.
And what, if anything, can be done to let society keep reaping the benefits of these technologies, while protecting it against the risks?
Until we can look at all the data, on more than one site and more than one technology, I think the jury is still out as to the impacts and benefits of these technologies on wildlife and the environment.
After analyzing the synergies among HPC, Grid and Cloud computing, we argue for an architecture that combines the benefits of these technologies.
If we do not acknowledge and take on board people's valid concerns, we risk seeing the potential benefits of these technologies lost under a mountain of fear and negative press.
"We are still in the early days of exploring the costs and benefits of these technologies for society and business and perhaps a more cautious approach is needed," says George Roussos, a professor of pervasive computing at Birkbeck College, University of London.
Persistent controversy over GM crops and foods, longstanding in Europe and on the rise in the United States, indicate that legitimate public concerns about the benefits of these technologies could not simply be wished away.
