The internet has changed the world already, but as the internet continues to evolve, we can look forward to many more far reaching changes.

Back when the only way to connect was via a slow dial up connection, websites like YouTube were impossible, they had to wait for technology to catch up. As the volume and speed of data transfer increases, more things become possible, including things that haven’t been thought of yet.

Get ready for more regular use of the buzzwords eHealth, eBusiness, eLearning and eGovernment. These describe everyday activities that affect us all, that are moving onto the internet in a big way.

eHealth: With fast broadband, online diagnosis becomes possible, allowing medical data to be transmitted in real-time, and enabling patients to get consultations from specialists without moving from home. Patients will be able to get online consultations and remote monitoring from a distant hospital through high speed Internet connection.

eBusiness: Fast internet promises increased business efficiency and productivity. Online software delivery and backups deliver benefits like security and mobility. Virtual boardrooms reduce the need for travel, saving time, money and resources. New opportunities will create jobs in different areas, including regional areas.

eLearning: Access to world class education resources is becoming commonplace. Students can learn online at their own pace whenever they get time. People living in remote regions can receive knowledge from specialists and have conversations with the help of video conferencing.

eGovernment: Online government services allow citizens to interact with government agencies freely. Services like ATO and Centrelink can all be accessed at a time convenient to the user. In the near future online voting will become the norm.

2010 will hardly be a revolutionary year for the web hosting industry. Nobody can say for sure, but it is hard to expect that there will be radical changes. In a sense, no news is good news. Similarly to almost any other industry, the development of the web hosting industry will be a function of the economy. This means that if the global economy finally manages to get back in shape, the web hosting industry will also benefit. However, even if the recovery of the economy doesn’t happen the way we like, here are some trends which will most certainly dominate in 2010:

• The wide scale adoption of virtualization will continue. Virtualization has already become part of the web hosting industry. Even now top 10 web hosting companies’ use a lot of virtualization but it can be adopted in many more web hosting companies, which are presently not using it. This will lead to cheaper website hosting, especially cheaper VPS hosting.
• SaaS will gain more ground. The SaaS (Software As A Service) model will conquer new territories – there will be more clouds not only because it is cheaper but also because this model is more efficient. Again, this will lead to cheaper website hosting, which is good for customers.
• Shared hosting prices will hit the bottom of $2-3 a month. The trend for cheap web hosting is endless but for some segments, namely shared hosting, the bottom is near. $2-3 a month from a major web host (i.e. a company from the top 10 web hosting companies) is reasonable and even though there are offers for even less, usually lower than that is at the expense of quality.
• Reseller hosting might become more popular. Reseller hosting is still relatively less popular than the other types of hosting but due to its benefits, such as that it could be a great form of cheap web hosting with many more advantages than just shared hosting, reseller hosting now finally stands a chance. However, since the major market for reseller hosting is web design companies and IT consultants, who later resell to their clients, the overall gloomy business climate might make it hard to find end clients to sell to.
• IDN’s will make their debut. One of the really new and exciting things in 2010 is IDN (Internationalized Domain Names). For many web hosting companies, which offer domain name registration in addition to web hosting, these domain names in world languages will become another source of income. Well, IDN’s will hardly bring in more money than the hosting itself but still it is something new for the hosting companies to try.
• Moderate to no investment in new equipment. 2010 will hardly be the year for major capital expenses. Even if a miracle happens and the economy starts its recovery, web hosting companies will be cautious to spend a lot of money on new equipment.
• Mergers and acquisitions. The process of slow enlargement of web hosting companies will continue but still since many of the Top 10 web hosts are small to midsized companies and bigger is not necessarily better, there is no reason to panic for one man shows and small companies with less than 5 or 10 employees in web hosting disappearing.

2010 might be the last year for the global recession but less optimistic predictions say it might not be so. Since web hosting is not a cheap industry, it is not possible to underestimate the money factor, which inevitably will block many projects. Still, even pessimists will agree that 2010 will be a quiet year for the web hosting industry and no major trouble is to be expected.

*This post has been submitted by a guest contributor.