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ince the turn of the century, when H.G. Wells wrote War of the Worlds and more serious analyses, technology forecasting has been a growth industry. Lately forecasters have zeroed in on communications as the nexus of our technological future. You'll be able to send messages to your household toaster, asking it to lighten up. You'll call home from your dog sled at the North Pole - for just pennies. You'll have interactive birthday parties on the Internet, socializing with friends who can't be there in person.

In the following pages, we've tried not to look too far down the road to tomorrow. Instead, we've sorted out the developments and trends that are making a difference in government today.

As a result, many of our "9 Trends for '99" won't come as a surprise to you. You know that communications technologies are multiplying; you use e-mail, voice mail and fax machines, as well as telephones, every day. You don't need to be told that security is a concern; your agency's World Wide Web site probably has been attacked by malicious hackers already - whether or not the attack succeeded.

If you already are experiencing these trends, why are we reviewing them here? Although the technology is exploding rapidly, the news too often is reported in the form of product announcements and in the language of technology. But most Government Executive readers are not looking for in-depth information about switched Ethernet, OC-12 backbones or proprietary encryption algorithms.

Instead, you want a strategic perspective on what's happening in the federal environment and the marketplace. That perspective is what we aim to provide in this special section. We've also found examples of how federal agencies are dealing with the fallout from the trends we've highlighted. We hope this special report helps you make sense of the bewildering options you'll be encountering in the months ahead.

- Nancy Ferris

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