Doctoral Candidate in Technology Management

Invisible, ubiquitous or pervasive computing has made steady progress since it was first conceptualized almost two decades ago. While the original vision of pervasive computing itself was very radical and elegant, the reality as it has played out in the realm of everyday products and services is quite different. There are still multiple perspectives on what truly constitutes a pervasive computing environment, and the delineation between its various facets is one fraught with definitional and operational challenges. This brief paper presents the idea of an emerging value chain comprised of (1) info-structures, (2) devices, (3) interfaces, and (4) smart spaces, which together form the core elements of a pervasive information environment. We believe that a shared understanding of this framework by numerous stakeholders will accelerate the deployment of pervasive information systems in today’s service-oriented organizations, and lead to increased productivity, interactivity and customer satisfaction. What is Pervasiveness? Being pervasive means to be “diffused throughout every part of ” – a system, context, or environment. In technology, pervasiveness refers to a resource so widely available that it is almost invisible to the end user. Businesses can also be pervasive by utilizing the emerging technologies enabling them to offer ubiquitous service experience to their customers. Th