Technology

Top Technology Trends and CIO Priorities for 2013

by
I have been regularly writing about emerging Information Technology trends on this blog. The CIO priorities for future are often linked to these trends but they also do influence the Information Technology trends in return. Gartner who is at the forefront of research in this space has recently released their research report outlining their top 10 strategic technology trends for 2013. The complete report can be accessed here but a brief summary of this research along with my own summary comments are as follows:
  1. Mobile Devices Battles – Windows 8 is here. Is your organisation going to deploy it? If yes, what will be the impact on your BYOD policy. Windows 8 tablets and smartphones will gain in prominence. What does this mean for your iOS and Android support model?
  2. Mobile Apps and HTML 5 –  Mobile app and web technologies are fast maturing and are influencing native application development too. How will you manage the hybrid web / native development frameworks?
  3. Personal Cloud – Online applications and services are transforming consumer technology. How will this effect your organisation? Windows 8 with Skydrive is an example of this trend.
  4. The Internet of Things – Becoming more mainstream now. What innovative business models will you create in next three years to benefit from IoT?
  5. Hybrid IT and Cloud Computing – As Cloud Computing evolves and matures new business and operating models are emerging. IT departments of large oranisations will be expected to act as service brokers in such hybrid models.
  6. Strategic Bid Data – Big Data has become a major driver of IT spending recently but going forward the trend will be to integrate this better with Data warehouses and Data Integration Infrastructure
  7. Actionable Analytics – Business needs real-time decision making and forward looking analytics. How can you embed this in real time applications?  
  8. Mainstream In-Memory Computing – How will In-Memory Computing disrupt the application architectures and how will your manage the operating and data governance requirements?  
  9. Integrated Platforms and Ecosystems – How do you balance vendor lock-in with benefits of integrated platforms?
  10. Enterprise APP Stores – The success of consumer App stores will drive organisation’s own enterprise App stores but this needs to balanced with security and support concerns.
Deloitte has been a recent welcome entrant in the Technology Trend publishing business with it releasing its fourth annual technology trend report recently. The folks at Deloitte have taken an interesting approach to this as they have grouped trends in two classifications or categories:  “Disruptors” are opportunities that can create sustainable positive disruption in IT capabilities, business operations, and sometimes even business models. “Enablers” are technologies in which many CIOs have already invested time and effort, but which warrant another look because of new developments or opportunities. Deloitte lists trends such as Influence of Mobility, Social, Analytics, Cloud as Disruptors while listing as Gamification, Refocussing on ERP and Security focus as Enablers. 

In one of my previous blog posts I had written about five forces shaping the CIO agenda. Very briefly, they were listed as, Business Services, Application Services, Cloud Computing, Consumerisation of Technology and Business Analytics. If above published 2013 trend research is taken into account then I would like to redefine them as follows:

  1. Evolution of Cloud Computing – Private, Public, Hybrid, Community, Personal
  2. Consumerisation of Technology – Windows 8, Tablet, Smart phone adaption
  3. Mainstream nature of Data Analytics – Big Data coming to Data Warehousing 
  4. Proliferation of Web APPs – Enterprise APP stores on the line of Mobile APP Stores
  5. Increasing Integration of Platforms – e.g. Rise of Appliances such as EXADATA
I think that the business and application services are slowly merging into the APP Store philosophy while the business analytics has gone mainstream since 2011. Cloud and increasing integration of platforms is a trend which has matured since past few years and is probably going to get through further rounds of evolution in coming years. It is interesting that no one is yet talking about explicit influence of Social as much as any of above trends. 

The Project Business Model SWOT

by

This post is the sixth in a series of ten about real life experiences of using business model thinking as a foundation for planning and delivering change. Writing this post I’ve had the help of a true friend and admirable colleague (Eva Kammerfors) whom I’ve shared many of the referred to business model experiences with. […]

The Project Business Sprintlines

by

This post is the fifth in a series of ten about real life experiences of using business model thinking as a foundation for planning and delivering change. Writing this post I’ve had the help of a true friend and admirable colleague (Eva Kammerfors) whom I’ve shared many of the referred to business model experiences with. […]

Cloud and Continuity of Supply Risk

by

This rather amusing article in Slate appeared in my LinkedIn feed – Google Reader Joins the Graveyard of Dead Google Products. The article invites you to leave a flower on the grave of your favourite dead Google product. The startling thing is how many there are: 39 by their count! The lesson that I draw […]

Agility Through New Technologies

by

Without the capability of linking application development with the infrastructure such as servers, middleware and network your organization will most likely be in more trouble than the decision-makers think. Information technologies have a profound impact on the organization’s ability to reinvent its business model(s) and the products it produces and since organizations in various industries […]

Love in the Time of Cholera: How to do Business in a Recession

by

A consultant posted a plaintive cry on an online consultancy user forum recently asking for ideas on how you can motivate staff when you have nothing to offer in the way of cash, promotions or training and when they might even face redundancy. Tough indeed. But common enough in the current environment. We’re in the middle (yes, I think it’s still […]

Our relationship to technology isn’t only utilitarian. It…

by

Our relationship to technology isn’t only utilitarian.

It is also emotional.

Technology empowers us, it amplifies us in the world, and gives us super powers.

Maybe productivity is a not just a function of the design, but also of our attachment to it.

And maybe that emotional connection best expresses itself aesthetically – in personalisation, decoration and symbols of individuality.

And just maybe the reverse applies and standardising, commoditising, and depersonalising technology degrades the productivity of those who have to use it.

SOA for Profits

by

If you look for a great book on how to deal with the implementation and adaption of an Service-Oriented Architecture the book SOA for Profits is what you are looking for. The book was published back in 2007 but is still highly relevant. The focus is on handling the needed interaction with stakeholders to collaborate […]