When we consider the revolution in communication amongst consumers which we commonly call Web2.0, it is often seen by CEOs as purely that – a new way for consumers to use the Internet, with little real relevance for the business world.

However, it is a sad fact that too few CEOs make the connection this current wave of the Internet and any change in the way business works. This I believe is a pity and it could cost businesses money.

At Cisco, it has been my experience since taking over the reins of the Australian and New Zealand business in August last year, that one of the key trends to emerge in business has been the consumerisation of technology, and the amazing gains in collaboration which it has brought about.

Let’s look briefly at the history of this second Internet wave. The first wave, of course, was the rise of email and web browsing in the 1990s. The Internet hit somewhat of a wall as a commercial industry in the tech-wreck of the early 2000s but since that time it has re-emerged as one of the most fundamental drivers of societal change since the invention of the printing press.

The second, or current wave of the Internet revolution is all about people connecting in real time over the Internet, often using instant messaging, but also via video. In fact, video in general is another key element of this second Internet movement.

For many CEOs, I would suggest, this trend is one which they understand only tangentially – perhaps when they see their home telecommunications bill if they have children – or when they meet one of their generation Y employees, who cheekily ‘demands’ instant messaging or an iPhone as part of their salary package.

But again, for the CEOs of today to consider the impact of collaboration and Web2.0 as only a limited element of their business would be folly. And that is not only because they might risk losing the best and brightest of tomorrow from their workforce if they don’t provide them with the best-in-class tools. Quite simply, it is the platform of networked based colllaboration tools, created on the public Internet but increasingly being adopted in the workplace, which will set apart the successful businesses of the first two decades of the 21st century.

When a business works out how to use collaboration tools properly, it can open up an entirely new way of improving resource allocation, driving innovation, getting closer to customers and partners, taking costs out of the business and reducing time-to-market. Collaboration, based on the network as the platform, is even able to help reduce the impact of business on the environment.

At Cisco, for instance, we are increasingly adopting collaboration and Web2.0 technologies to help improve the way we do business. Our suite of video based, real time communications tools has both helped us reduce the impact of our business on the environment, and increased the speed of effective and productive decision making. Cisco TelePresence, an immersive video based real time communications system using high definition television screens and superb audio, has now been deployed in more than 260 locations across the Cisco global network. We use these systems in most of our major Australian and New Zealand offices now, and globally, they have helped Cisco reduce the impact of our carbon emissions significantly – we have taken off the road the equivalent of more than 10,000 cars.

We also use a range of other collaboration tools, including Cisco WebEx, an Internet based communication suite which allows document sharing, instant chat, audio and video.

What Cisco WebEx and TelePresence have in common is that they are both part of the wider revolution of Web2.0 type communications tools – real time, video based, document sharing facilities which enable work to be done across great distances more effectively. These technologies don’t take away the need for travel entirely, of course, but they do help improve our productivity and increasingly, our customers and partners are adopting them too.  As the leader of the Australian and New Zealand business, I take great joy in knowing that the these Internet-based technologies are transforming way business is carried out.