Technology

Technology today is revolutionizing the way people conduct themselves socially and in business.

The conversion of analog voice, music, graphics, and video files to digital formats collapsed barriers and elevated multimedia. Meanwhile, common standards for computer networking allowed for the integration of disparate computational devices, with the Internet protocol triggering a worldwide communications and knowledge-sharing phenomenon.

Globalization, outsourcing, and advances in technology continue to shake the software industry in ways that alter how everyone does business. There are now about 12 million programmers worldwide (Evans Data Corp. projects 17 million by 2009).

The U.S. is the world leader in information and communications technology (ICT) products and services, representing almost 30% of global spending. U.S. spending on ICT has increased almost 21% since 2000, to almost $1.13 trillion in 2005. At $3,800, the U.S. is one of the world’s largest per capita ICT spending nations.

Greater Washington has become a hub for business, science and technological innovation and is the prime location for firms seeking to provide goods and services to the federal government. For the twelfth consecutive year, the Greater Washington region has the largest number of fastest-growing private companies in America, according to Inc. Magazine. This year, the region had 45 area companies on the 2008 Inc. 500 list.