The demise of paper in the workplace has been predicted for years but, if your desk is anything like mine, you'll agree that there's still a long way to go.

Yet, new research has found we are actually making small steps in that direction. Thanks to our love affair with internet-connected mobile devices, it seems we are keeping more information in electronic form rather than committing it to paper. Well done office workers everywhere!

According to the number crunchers at research company IDC, printing volumes in both offices and homes is on the slide. IDC says print volumes will decline at at combined annual growth rate of 0.6 per cent from 2011 to 2015. While the numbers in this study came from Western Europe, it's likely similar trends can be found in other parts of the globe.

In a warning to the printer industry, IDC says work habits are changing. Portable devices, combined with cloud storage, are leading more and more people to bypass the printed page altogether. While this is good for the planet, it's not so good if you're in the business selling printers and ink.

IDC points the finger squarely at the rapid uptake of smartphones - around 95 million of the things were sold around the world last year - as the reason clouds are gathering for printer vendors.

Is your smartphone allowing you to avoid printing as many pages as you once did? Do you believe you'll be working in a paperless workplace anytime soon?

I recently sat through a presentation by the owner of a small software firm who was busy pitching a new cloud-based computing offering to sporting clubs.

The sales patter highlighted some key benefits: smoother administration, reduced book work, easier tracking of membership details and faster collection of fees.

The presentation was warmly received by a number of club leaders who were obviously tired of dealing with exactly these kinds of issues.

While many were not sure exactly what cloud computing might be, the benefits it seemed to offer had them queuing for more information at the end of the session.

As I watched, it struck me that this is where a huge growth wave in cloud computing services is going to emerge - micro businesses.

While the IT managers in large, mid-sized and even small businesses are well aware of the benefits of the cloud, there are tens of thousands of micro-businesses that stand to gain just as much from the concept.

Software and service providers that spot this trend stand to make some healthy profits. Sure, each sale is going to be relatively small, but multiply small by 5000 and the number gets interesting.

Have you come across any cloud-based applications aimed at micro businesses? I'd be interested to hear about them.

OK, it's time to face reality. The long, lazy days of the festive season are over, and the work-a-day world is back.

That means it's time for every self-respecting blogger to post their list of the topics they think will occupy the minds of fair-minded people during 2012. So here's mine:

1. Cloud computing: I know .. I know. The marketing hype ventured beyond the bounds of - well - everything last year, but that's not going to stop it topping tech to-do lists. Trust me - you're going to hear a whole lot more this year.

2. SOPA: While the Stop Online Piracy Act has been shelved for now, there are powerful forces determined to see it make its way into US law. Stay tuned on this one.

3. Big Data: The deluge shows no sign of slowing, and it will be the organisations that can deal with the vast amounts of data now being produced that will stand to gain a real competitive advantage.

4. Micro payments: As NFC chips make their way into growing numbers of mobile devices, expect micropayments to change the way retailers operate. This is tipped to grow strongly during the year.

5. Augmented reality: The ability to overlay the real world with data about it is a powerful concept. Currently only of novelty factor, this application will become a powerful tool for many businesses.

So, that's my top 5. What are yours for 2012?

By now we all know cloud computing will dramatically reshape IT infrastructures inside many organisations. What's not so evident is the impact it's also going to have on the way we work.

Clouds

During the past week I had the chance to listen to a fascinating presentation by the chairman of business analyst firm IBISworld, Phil Ruthven. In it, the veteran industry watcher painted a picture of how he sees cloud computing altering the fundamentals of work.

Ruthven points out that it was the industrial age that brought about the concept of the employee. He believes the term will have disappeared by the second half of the 21st century, due in no small part to cloud computing. Just as the industrial age shackled workers to their workplaces, so cloud computing will set them free.

According to Ruthven's views, cloud computing brings the sort of working flexibility once only be available to very few people to a much larger group.

Freed from the shackles of having to work in a particular location (or within particular hours) they will be free to operate as independent business units.

Because cloud-based systems allow people to access data and applications from wherever they happen to be, workers will be free to define new boundaries about how and where they want to work.

The result will be a dramatic rise in the numbers of self-employed people, many acting as contractors to firms for which previously they might have been employees.

There will also be a shift from the concept of the numbers of hours worked to the measurable output of each worker. If you can get you full-time job done in three days each week, go for it.

Ruthven calculates that around one in eight workers already work from home - a number tipped to rise dramatically in coming years, thanks to the use of cloud-based systems.

Does this kind of future sound appealing to you?

If you're looking for a new job in 2012, take time to first clean up your social networks.

New research commissioned by Telstra has found more than one in four employers check out prospective job seekers online before offering them a new position.

Postings to sites like Facebook and Twitter can provide an indication of how people behave outside work as well as their attitude towards their current employer.

The research also found almost 20 per cent of employers use social networking connections to monitor what existing staff are saying about their own organisation. Start sounding off online about that boss you hate and you might get called into his or her office for a "please explain" session.

The results are not that surprising. With the treasure trove of information shared on social networks readily available, why would an employer not check out what you've been sharing?

The bottom line: don't post anything on line that you don't want the world to know about. Even if you think your privacy settings are solid, things still leak out.

And take some time to check back through your earlier posts, clearing away anything you think potential bosses may find distasteful.

Do you think you've ever lost out on a job because of social networking?