Today, the latest contender in the race to bring office spaceinto cyberspace announced the launch of their product. VectivCorp., headquartered in San Francisco, rolled out their StrategicReal Estate Solution, an internet-based solution that promises tohelp the industry "identify, evaluate, acquire and develop newsites…faster, more efficiently and at lower cost." According toDavid Sonnen, senior consultant with International DataCorporation, "Vectiv's technology has the ability to integratespatial data with broker site and supply data."

So, the question is: will the industry buy in? Since theInternet was in its infancy, the lure of doing things better,faster and cheaper has fueled the growth of the tech industry.Already, other sites like RealPrompt are taking aim at the samemarket niche, meanwhile, companies like RentPayment are shootingfor property owners and managers hoping to streamline theday-to-day chores of building management. In addition, new ventureslike Hanover Capital Mortgage Holdings Inc.'s HanoverTrade.com siteare bringing Internet automation to the mortgage industry.

For an industry so firmly grounded in physical space, will theInternet prove to be a boon or a bust? Undoubtedly, there is somefat that can be trimmed from every transaction, and there are nowseveral players in the game who claim to be the best butcher. Thereal question is whether or not there is enough faith industry-widein these exciting, and as of yet, unproven technologies.