Here are my views of the top-5 technology and market trends for the coming year.

Industrial Wireless:

Wired systems keep getting more expensive and difficult to install, while wireless monitoring keeps getting cheaper and easier. Wireless is shaping up to generate significant new automation markets, and stimulating visions of growth.

Machine-to-machine (M2M) communications:

The convergence of smart devices with the Internet is creating a new inflection point. M2M is focused on the issues of how machines communicate, how they are managed, how the data and information within them can be utilized to add significant new value.

Security Services:

Most of today's automation & control systems use the same hardware, operating system and communications as widely deployed personal, office and administrative networks. Worms and trojans can enter plants and factories via the Internet and through Intranets, plus deliberate intrusion through wired or wireless networks. Automation systems security has become an urgent issue and will be a major growth arena.

Complex Adaptive Systems:

At the input/output level, most of today's systems are clumps of I/O connected in deterministic, hierarchical systems, prone to failure when complexity increases. By contrast, programmable, intelligent, autonomous I/O systems with algorithmic (rule-based) response mechanisms have no theoretical complexity limit. During the next decade, this type of system will improve performance and robustness (failure-proof) at a fraction of the cost of conventional systems.

Disappearing Software:

Just as today's firmware is not external and separate, software will become part of the product. The only external software needed will be in the browser. Everything else will be "applets" and similar "client-side" operations, triggered by "objects" and "agents" that reside within the system.

2008 Pinto's Pointers - Technologies & Markets:

http://www.jimpinto.com/writings/pointers2008.html

ISA InTech eNews - Top trends for the next decade:

http://listpilot.net/c/ISA/3aDib/w/isa.org/intechnews.cfm?id=7576