(This is an answer I’ve provided on a question that was posted on LinkedIn. I’m cross posting it here. For the original question go to http://www.linkedin.com/answers/technology/enterprise-software/TCH_ENT/267314-5439992?searchIdx=0&sik=1216041096360&goback=%2Easr_1_1216041096360)

The question was related to the the application of Siverlight and its direction. I’ve decided to answer this since I’ve already talked about previously in my blog (Silverlight (and RIA) is not a fad !)

This was my answer….

In my opinion, web RIAs (the concept is broad and involves mobile and desktop spaces too) will be the dominant technology in the near future. I see a lot of buzz around these technologies and how they compare to each other. I hear things like, Silverlight is better than Flex, or Flex is better than Silverlight. Same old story when new technologies show up. Ten years ago it was between .NET and Java. Again I don’t think there is or there will be a winner. They will both co-exist, like .NET and Java do today. It depends on each specific case. I think there will be a consolidation on the market and only the strongest will survive (there are other players too, like JavaFX and OpenLazlo), but in this case Silverlight and Flex will be the strongest ones.

But aside from this, I think the most important thing is the RIA concept itself and how it fits concerning other new concepts such as SAAS (Software As A Service), SOA (Service Oriented Architecture), and Cloud Computing. These technologies will enable these other concepts to actually materialize. Most talk I see around Silverlight is concerning its capabilities concerning Rich Media (Video and Audio) and UI.
Something that I don’t see people talking about is where the business value is. Every technology that prevails need to have a good business value and ROI behind it. I guess that’s because most people still don’t really understand how the technology works behind the scenes. In my opinion the greatest value of these type of technologies is related to a shift from a Server Centric processing model to a Client Centric one (see Silverlight (and RIA) is not a fad !). This new paradigm will allow companies to leverage their internal resources, bringing the cost down. No need to be a business expert to know that a company that can do more with less will have a great competitive advantage and the chances to survive in the game are a lot higher.

Another great opportunity is on the Enterprise 2.0 market. This technology integrated with other hot technologies will allow the Enterprise 2.0 concept to flourish inside the corporate world. A great example is the integration of Silverlight with SharePoint. Our company is one of the pioneers in this arena and there’s great potential in this market. I’ve did a couple of presentations about this integration (see Share Point And Silverlight integration slideshare).

All in all, I’d say just think about it on another angle, not only as a simple UI technology. It’s a whole lot more than that and in my opinion the potential it has will change the whole IT industry.

cheers,

AN.