Feeling tense these days? A bit more jittery than usual? Who isn’t? Business is moving at warp speed, and how that affects you is a fascinating and somewhat alarming issue. I’ve been asked by a lot of CIOs why this market is moving at such a frantic pace. John Gantz, chief research officer at IDC (a sister company of CIO’s publisher), recently presented some compelling data on market trends that may explain why your nightstand has Tums and Pepto right next to the alarm clock.

Gantz says that we are experiencing a world of hyper-disruption because of four key trends:

1. Information explosion: There are approximately 100 exabytes of data stored in the world today. By 2010 this number will rise to about 1,000 exabytes. To understand what that means, imagine a stack of paper going from Earth to Jupiter. That’s 100 exabytes. A thousand exabytes is a stack of paper going to Pluto. Storing, analyzing and managing this galactic, growing tower of data will only get more difficult.

2. Device explosion: The number of mobile devices will double between now and 2010. Although these devices add functionality and intelligence, it will be a massive challenge for CIOs to empower users while controlling how they use the technology.

3. Transaction explosion: As the Web and mobile devices increasingly drive commerce, how can CIOs make sure that the platform works for the business and the customer? Also, as customer loyalty and satisfaction become a major business priority, how can CIOs leverage these new platforms to move the customer connection from a transaction to a true interaction?

4. Mayhem explosion: TJX, ChoicePoint and BJ’s Wholesale—we pray these kinds of security breaches never happen to us. How the CIO keeps the bad guys out while making sure customers feel secure within the virtual marketplace is essential to keeping the top line growing.

So, if you are feeling a bit tense these days, I can certainly understand why. Try to take comfort from the fact that hyper-disruption also means hyper-opportunity, and it will be the CIO who can juggle all these elements (and the Pepto) that will win in the end. Enjoy the journey.

Michael Friedenberg, President and CEO
mfriedenberg@cio.com

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