The information communications and technology (ICT) marketplace is on the verge of its most significant transformation yet and is poised to hit the $4 trillion mark worldwide by 2016. This transformation is shifting IT complexity into the network cloud, making it possible for the corporate experience to more closely reflect the consumer experience.

Yankee Group predicts that Anywhere IT will change the way people work, and dramatically reshape the enterprise vendor landscape. Even amid the current economic turmoil, Yankee Group analysts advise organizations to begin exploiting Anywhere IT now or risk losing a competitive edge.

Yesterday, Zeus Kerravala and I hosted a webinar where we discussed the impact of Anywhere IT, how it will transform the corporate worker and interactions with the extended enterprise and what companies should do today to prepare for this transformation.

The webinar runs about an hour: audio (mp3) and slides (pdf).

Today, Salesforce.com announced the integration of Twitter. This announcement, coming on the heels of a similar Facebook integration, is part of the forward motion of the industry towards harnessing the power of cloud computing and social connections. The ability to search, monitor and connect with conversations taking place on Twitter and the rest of the web is a marketing paradise for any business. However, fundamental questions regarding value exchange, revenue generation, technology standards and market share remain unanswered.

Yankee Group recently published a report, Energizing the Enterprise, which looked at the trend of the industry towards cloud computing, social media and application mobility. The fusion of these three forces will enable the next big leap forward in the future of enterprise applications that are more open, easily integrated and available in real time.

Businesses today should be embracing this future, looking to formation in the cloud to provide differentiated, and competitive, customer service. The critical information housed in the cloud enables the creation of insightful interactions and ultimately, precise segmentation and marketing.

Yankee Group forecasts the number of consumer accounts across the major social networks to grow to 229 million by 2012. Social networks have developed the power to not only influence customer buying patterns, but also how companies serve their customers. Companies can immediately improve marketing by capturing nuances of social networks to adjust product and brand campaigns. Instead of expensive and lengthy focus groups, instant access from the network can be used to create unique valuable conversations across different social groups. Information could then be acted on and capitalized for service and marketing.

Cloud computing also represents a huge force in the overall market with SaaS, now comprising about 10% of total software revenue and growing 20% annually. Companies are using cloud computing services to enable accessibility from anywhere and 83% are specifically using some for software of as a service.

The future of the enterprise is here. The Anywhere Network provides the foundation for not only how enterprises will work in the future, but also how businesses interact with their customers and partners. By harnessing the capabilities of the network, enterprises can summon creativity and innovation to come out on top in the battle for customer service differentiation.