Unveiling a preview of its 10 CIO Resolutions for 2006 Gartner has strongly advised CIOs to expand the scope of the technology toolkit by exploring emerging technologies beyond the regular boundary of the business.

The analyst firm suggested that technology managers should see, touch and use at least three of the following in 2006:

• Web-based micro-applications like writely.com or numsum.com
• Flickr.com
• A new-generation games console such as Nintendo's forthcoming Revolution or Microsoft's Xbox 360
• A head-mounted display
• Google Earth
• An in-house pilot of a consumer technology (e.g. work-from-home over broadband, podcast company communications)

"When the hype around e-business died down in 2003, many made the mistake of either ignoring the quiet advance of internet business opportunities or believing they had mastered it," Gartner explained.

The analyst claimed that the second internet revolution is now unfolding and the power and capability of mature internet technologies, which have penetrated into all aspects of economy and society, are set to create more business upheaval.

"CIOs must ensure that the new disruptive implications of the internet are fully understood, and educate the boardroom on forthcoming threats and opportunities," said Gartner.