Convergence and security top the list of "hot" technologies that will have the greatest impact in 2006, according to the results of a new Web poll conducted by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA).

Convergence solutions, such as voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone and unified messaging, were selected as the technology that will have the greatest impact this year. Convergence was selected by 34 percent of the nearly 2,200 voters in the CompTIA Web poll.

Security solutions were a close second in the balloting, chosen by 33 percent of respondents. Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology was the third most popular choice, at 19.2 percent; followed by virtualization technology (9.3 percent); and service-oriented architecture (4.7 percent).

"The poll results are in tune with what we're hearing from our members and the customers they work with," said John Venator, president and chief executive officer, CompTIA. "VoIP and related technologies are delivering real business value; security issues and preparedness are top of mind in most organizations today; and RFID adoption is moving from the trial and evaluation stage to full-scale production deployments."

CompTIA, the world's leading provider of vendor-neutral certifications for individuals in technology professions, currently offers certifications in security and RFID technologies, and is in the process of developing a convergence certification. These certifications, which test and validate a variety of baseline technical and professional skills, are helping the information technology industry to deliver new and emerging technologies in greater numbers and with higher levels of customer satisfaction.