We're all seeing and feeling the crunch of the current economic downturn.  But with every crisis there are always opportunities.  If you don't believe this, just ask Warren Buffett.

As a fan of fast food, I can tell you that companies like McDonald's, Panera Bread and Dunkin' Donuts are thriving.  You can see it first hand by the activity in their stores, or if you don't believe it just check out their strong, growing revenues.

Another opportunity area rapidly building momentum is IP video.  Look at what's going on in the market.... In the past sixty days venture capital companies have invested over $75m in young emerging companies.  This is another example where innovation is thriving in the face of economic downturn.  Meanwhile video-centric companies like TANDBERG, Polycom and Harmonic have all recently reported strong double-digit revenue growth in the third quarter of 2008 - boosted by video.  Even an established network equipment player like Cisco is rolling out a new video growth strategy to help maintain their pledge of long term double-digit growth. 

Like the fast food industry, IP video is providing opportunities for growth -- even in the face of the current economic downturn.  The reason...we are in the early stages of a fundamental shift in the way people communicate over the internet.  In fact, we're in the midst of moving from a data and voice-centric model to video.  "Video is the new voice."  If you don't believe this, just go online and look at what's happening....the shift to video is changing everything ranging from: the way that we share information, to the many ways that we communicate, to how we're entertained and how we conduct business.  This fundamental shift will create significant opportunities....for those with the vision and means to reap the benefits.

(Note: I am often asked how to monetize the video opportunity.  Tune in to my next blog for an example.)