Two months ago I began interviewing executives at a number of large multinationals about their global Web sites. As you know, I've been following this industry for many years now, and it has certainly seen its ups and downs along the way.

But I can say now that Web globalization is definitely back on the "front burner," to quote one of the people I spoke with. Granted, most executives still believe that their global Web sites are underfunded and overlook a number of key markets (and I certainly agree). But they also believe that the momentum within their companies is shifting in their favor.

This is good news for globalization software and services vendors and ultimately good news for the companies themselves. Web globalization is inevitable for most companies, so it stands to reason that those companies who embrace it sooner rather than later will gain a competitive advantage.

The results of my interviews, as well as case studies of companies like IBM, Ikea, Wal-Mart and Starbucks, can be found in our latest report: Web Globalization and the World's Largest Companies.

A free report excerpt is avaiable upon request.