Well, perhaps things won't get that dramatic in the network industry, but this year will be full of surprises. And while it's always dangerous to predict the future, that's never stopped us before.

We've taken our best and brightest minds, stuffed them into a time warp and asked them to let you in on what to expect in the coming year. They found that yes, customers will start to roll out Windows 2000, but that Active Directory will prove to be the "gotcha." IPv6 is closer to reality than you may think - and this will be a huge year for digital subscriber line service and wireless data. And you know how everyone's been bashing all those complex and expensive network and systems management platforms? Well, demand will jump this year for consolidation of point management products. What's more, the pace of mergers and acquisitions will continue unabated - not that that's really a good thing. Read on for a glimpse into the year ahead.