The big news of today: Microsoft acquires Groove Networks.

Groove is known for its excellent yet sometimes cumbersome peer to peer group collaboration software. This purchase signify Microsoft interest in ad-hoc remote team collaboration (Groove software doesn't need any server installation).

This make sense. We are just in the beginning of a distributed, loosely connected, creative, ad-hoc, decentralized teams that operates in different physical location, time zones and accross language and cultural barrier.

There is no place in the world that are not connected to the Internet. (a slight exaggeration, but will be less so as time advances)

If you think outsourcing is amazing, you should see the next trend of “cell” oriented collaboration networks. The technology is catching up and the practice is being experimented globally in business or any other legal or illegal human endevours. You already can send money anywhere in the world for a long time, through multiple means.

New Management practices will rise on the face of this beginning trend. This phenomena will impact on how your project are managed, decision created, budget created and concensus reached.

Where you are will matter less and less because you can always go anywhere, work with anyone and settle at any place.

This vision is nothing new, but before it was just a vision, soon enough, we will see more of this trend to accept it as reality.

Welcome to the age of the modern nomads.