We all know what buzz is: It's noise. And here at InfoWorld, one of our self-appointed tasks is to extract the signal from that noise, to separate the stuff valuable to IT professionals from that which is popularly considered a big deal.

This mandate is the inspiration behind InfoWorld's list of top 10 emerging enterprise technologies of 2009. We believe this is an amazing time in IT, with a swarm of new technologies that have the potential to reduce costs, change the way we work, and open up new frontiers. So we decided to brush aside the high-level trends trumpeted by analysts and ask ourselves: Which enterprise technologies shipping now, but not yet widely adopted, will have the greatest impact?

[ See InfoWorld's top 10 emerging technologies of 2009 in our slideshow. ]

The result is the collection of actual, vapor-free technologies you find here. In case you're wondering, we used no scientific method in our selection process (other than drawing on the endeavors of the InfoWorld Test Center for inspiration). Our list is based entirely on the collective judgment of InfoWorld editors and contributors.

We have purposely avoided specific product mentions or recommendations, because we have set our sites on long-term potential rather than current implementation (for the year's best products, check our next Technology of the Year Awards, for which the 2010 edition is only six weeks away). If it's your job to concoct your organization's technology strategy and decide where to place your bets, then our top 10 emerging enterprise technologies is for you.

[ For recommendations on the best enterprise products, check out InfoWorld's Technology of the Year Awards. ]

Narrowing down the candidates to the final 10 wasn't easy, especially after we received so many excellent responses to the call for nominations we made in September. We don't expect you to approve of all of our selections. In fact, if history is any guide, a certain number of you will disagree violently with our conclusions.

Well, that's what article comments are for. We welcome your input and invite you to join the discussion. But if you're looking for broad pronouncements on "the cloud" or other fashion statements, allow us to refer you to the latest edition of Gartner's Hype Cycle. Everyone else: Read on.

10. Whitelisting
Keeping up with malware signatures is becoming unsustainable. In 2008, for example, Symantec put out more antivirus signatures than it did in the company's previous 17 years of existence. Not only are there more viruses, worms, and Trojans, but an increasing number have the ability to morph into variations that avoid signature detection or cloak themselves using encryption.

Ultimately, the only answer to the increasing proliferation and sophistication of malware may be whitelisting, where the only executables that can run on a system are known, good executables.

[ In the InfoWorld Test Center review "Whitelisting security offers salvation," Roger Grimes tries out five whitelisting products and turns up a clear winner. ]