Top IT Trends for 2011
In no particular order
Cloud computing
This may not be the newest trend out there but it certainly is one of the most talked about this year. Cloud computing, for those of you who don't know, is having access to all the clout of the services available on the internet without having to invest in the infrastructure that has allowed these sevices to be provided. Cloud Computing has developed from just masses of servers and routers to what is fast becoming a must for every business.
According to Larry Bonfante, CIO of US Tennis association, they are using cloud computing for mainly back office functions which is saving them 1/3 of their hosting costs [1]. Furthermore, Paul Bolt - who is a partner and marketing director of insight, says that many people are alredy using the "cloud" perhaps without knowing it. They use it for storage of emails and backups of important files or documents. Paul also says that this will be especially important for small businesses which simply cannot afford all the infrastructure [2]. Moreover, cloud computing can also be used by the larger companies as a form of providing enterprise-wide services with little to no additional costs as Avnet's CEO Steve Phillips explained [3]. What's more, Gartner expects most large enterprises to have dedicated teams in charge of what is in the cloud [4].
We are not far behind here in South Africa, for example Vodacom has created a state of the art facility in Durban that I visited last year which has all the capability of providing local companies with access to this trend.
According to Larry Bonfante, CIO of US Tennis association, they are using cloud computing for mainly back office functions which is saving them 1/3 of their hosting costs [1]. Furthermore, Paul Bolt - who is a partner and marketing director of insight, says that many people are alredy using the "cloud" perhaps without knowing it. They use it for storage of emails and backups of important files or documents. Paul also says that this will be especially important for small businesses which simply cannot afford all the infrastructure [2]. Moreover, cloud computing can also be used by the larger companies as a form of providing enterprise-wide services with little to no additional costs as Avnet's CEO Steve Phillips explained [3]. What's more, Gartner expects most large enterprises to have dedicated teams in charge of what is in the cloud [4].
We are not far behind here in South Africa, for example Vodacom has created a state of the art facility in Durban that I visited last year which has all the capability of providing local companies with access to this trend.
Green IT
Also called Green Computing. This trend is important for our environment. Manufacturers and users alike are finding ways to be more efficient and use fewer resources than what was previously the norm. UKZN's very own Karunagaran Naidoo - head of IS&T, is heavily involved in the safe disposal of e-waste. Trying to find innovative ways of recycling old technology instead of having them dumped in a landfill, causing pollution.
Patricia Coffey, VP of technology at Allstate Insurance says that their company even has a policy that states that if you don't really need to print it, then don't [1].
I thiink we can all agree that this is a trend that should play a big role in influencing every sector of technology from inception to termination.
Patricia Coffey, VP of technology at Allstate Insurance says that their company even has a policy that states that if you don't really need to print it, then don't [1].
I thiink we can all agree that this is a trend that should play a big role in influencing every sector of technology from inception to termination.
IT Consumerization
IT Consumerization refers to the phenomenon of people bringing their own technology to work and using it to complete their tasks. These devices can include smartphones, PDAs, Laptops and the list goes on.
Tony Scott, the CIO of Microsoft says that this will be a definite trend this year as it allows people to work anywhere, it is an "extension of mobility" [1]. However, Symantec's Director of Project Management says that with the increase of IT Consumerization, so too will increase the likelihood of corporate information being leaked [5]. This can be prevented by having policies in place explaining how and when these devices can be used as Editor in Chief of Techrepublic, Jason Hiner, suggests [6]. These policies should be developed whilst keeping the end user in mind as they are unlikely to adhere to something they do not like or approve of.
Tony Scott, the CIO of Microsoft says that this will be a definite trend this year as it allows people to work anywhere, it is an "extension of mobility" [1]. However, Symantec's Director of Project Management says that with the increase of IT Consumerization, so too will increase the likelihood of corporate information being leaked [5]. This can be prevented by having policies in place explaining how and when these devices can be used as Editor in Chief of Techrepublic, Jason Hiner, suggests [6]. These policies should be developed whilst keeping the end user in mind as they are unlikely to adhere to something they do not like or approve of.
Wireless speed increases
Both mobile and Wireless LAN speeds are on the increase. Im sure all South Africans will know about Cell C's 4G network, if not what this basically means is that the transmission from cell towers use a different frequency which penetrates better, which results in a better signal on your device. Added to this is the significant increase in speed a user can get when using 4G, Cell C claims they offer 21Mbps dowload speeds [7], which is 3x faster than 3G, but still far off from the 100+Mbps speed offered with international 4G networks.
"The biggest step forward in wireless standards for many many moons", Paul Bolt claims is 802.11n. This technology provides an increase of
throughput fom 54Mbps to around 600Mbps [2]. Any company that has a high use of wireless information sharing will do well to build their network around this technology, and it needn't stop there, companies that are currently using wired networks solely because of speed will have the opportunity to transfer to this rapid technology.
"The biggest step forward in wireless standards for many many moons", Paul Bolt claims is 802.11n. This technology provides an increase of
throughput fom 54Mbps to around 600Mbps [2]. Any company that has a high use of wireless information sharing will do well to build their network around this technology, and it needn't stop there, companies that are currently using wired networks solely because of speed will have the opportunity to transfer to this rapid technology.
TV out - Downloads in
I'm sure most of the people reading this post barely watch TV anymore, well not in the true sense of the word, myself included. Genereation Y, as we are referred to by Michael Arndt - editor of Bloomberg Businessweek's innovation and design coverage, says that people in their 20s hardly buy print newspapers, music CDs or even watches anymore [8]. This is no to say that they do not have uses for these things, the delivery medium is just different. Take me for example, I prefer to watch movies or "TV" series on my laptop where I can choose to have my own schedule and skip all those irritating adverts that conventional TV is subject to. This however can potentially have a "vicious cycle" effect on the entertainment industry as the adverts are what bring in so much of revenue for the networks to afford to produce the shows, if the adverts are not viewed then the advertisers will stop buying their slots and the networks will not be able to produce their shows. Leaving me, and you, without one of our favourite passtimes.
Social everything
From networking and collaboration to media and marketing, adding the word social in front of any of these words is making increasingly more sense. Facebook and twitter are well known social networking tools, however, readers of my blog will
know that Facebook may soon be coming to an end due to pravacy issues and hacktivist group Anonymous [9].
Sap.info's Frank Volkel says that social marketing is very important with the large amount of users on the social networking sites [10]. Small and large businesses alike can use the social platform as a two-way communication between themselves and their customers rather than just the unidirectional conventional media, this is also known as social feedback. Social networking analysis uses complex algorithms on networking sites to discover people and their relevant expertise [4]. Social
collaborating and publishing, which are sites such youtube and wikipedia allow content to evolve and be accessed by large amounts of people.
These social tools can be used to get the most up-to-date news and views from all over the world, straight from the horse's
mouth as it were.
know that Facebook may soon be coming to an end due to pravacy issues and hacktivist group Anonymous [9].
Sap.info's Frank Volkel says that social marketing is very important with the large amount of users on the social networking sites [10]. Small and large businesses alike can use the social platform as a two-way communication between themselves and their customers rather than just the unidirectional conventional media, this is also known as social feedback. Social networking analysis uses complex algorithms on networking sites to discover people and their relevant expertise [4]. Social
collaborating and publishing, which are sites such youtube and wikipedia allow content to evolve and be accessed by large amounts of people.
These social tools can be used to get the most up-to-date news and views from all over the world, straight from the horse's
mouth as it were.
Edge to replace Flash
Adobe's Flash player may find itself becoming obsolete as it is now possible to create the same sort of effects using HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript. The difference is that this one has been developed using open standards and dubbed Adobe Edge, as Richi Jennings, creator of computerworld's IT Blogwatch, says [11]. What this means is that edge can run run on virtually any browser withou the need for downloads or plugins, very cool indeed. As an added plus this comes with the brand recognition of Adobe, the leaders for so long. Adobe says that Flash will coexist with edge as they both have their strong points, Flash is better for gamed streaming while edge will be more suited for advertising and interactive web design [12].
More data = more analytics
In today's world we certainly have no shortage of data, infact some may say there is just too much. However, I believe that more data is better, it just needs to be organised and presented in a useful manner. Frank Volkel suggests that real-time analysis of data is the answer, by combining historical key figures with trends on a computer's working memory. As oppose to the current norm which yields analysis that is atleast two hours old [10].
According to Gartner, mobile computing and connectivity can positively impact operational decisions and provide real-time analytics on individual business actions, however this will require a significant change in operational and business intelligence infrastructure [4]. Regev Yativ, President and CEO of Software Enterprises Americas, also says in his blog on Computerworld that business intelligence will look toward mobile computing but not with regard to new technology, rather just new adoption [13]. I believe that a mixture of both new technology and adoption of both new and old will be the way of future business intelligence.
According to Gartner, mobile computing and connectivity can positively impact operational decisions and provide real-time analytics on individual business actions, however this will require a significant change in operational and business intelligence infrastructure [4]. Regev Yativ, President and CEO of Software Enterprises Americas, also says in his blog on Computerworld that business intelligence will look toward mobile computing but not with regard to new technology, rather just new adoption [13]. I believe that a mixture of both new technology and adoption of both new and old will be the way of future business intelligence.
Mobile computing
Computing on the fly certainly does have its benefits but it is also not without its drawbacks. Security is the main concern for big companies to fully accept this type of computing. another concern is gaining user acceptance, if the interface is poorly designed, there will be many users simply refusing to use the technology. Yegev Rativ suggests that companies should wait for mobile
platforms to be validated before adopting them [13].
Processors within mobile devices i.e smartphones and tablets have increased drastically when compared to desktop processors, this provides companies with a whole new marketing opportunity to expand their businesses.
Gartner estimates that there are over 1.2billion handsets worldwide capable of handling rich, mobile commerce [4]. This will no doubt increase the amount of sales through websites and moreso, mobile sites.
platforms to be validated before adopting them [13].
Processors within mobile devices i.e smartphones and tablets have increased drastically when compared to desktop processors, this provides companies with a whole new marketing opportunity to expand their businesses.
Gartner estimates that there are over 1.2billion handsets worldwide capable of handling rich, mobile commerce [4]. This will no doubt increase the amount of sales through websites and moreso, mobile sites.
Apps replacing software
Software usually consumers a lot of resources and this will ultimately slow down a computers processing speed. The new trend of replacing bulky software with light apps will, in my opinion, be the next big thing for companies to either fall into the haves or the have-nots. Frank Volkel says that in the near future, apps will be compatible with the latest Web technologies such as HTML5 and CSS3 [10].
Apps can offer a wide range of uses while being extremely streamlined and still not use much of a computers resources. What's more is that these apps can be used interchangeably and it is likely that you will find more than one app providing the same function, so users can pick and choose the app best suited for them.
Apps can offer a wide range of uses while being extremely streamlined and still not use much of a computers resources. What's more is that these apps can be used interchangeably and it is likely that you will find more than one app providing the same function, so users can pick and choose the app best suited for them.
References
[1] http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/hiner/video-top-cios-speak-out-on-hottest-it-trends-and-2010-spending/3323
[2] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oX9B-YPvBC4
[3] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eHu1WvdWGI
[4] http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1454221
[5] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aL3H8SsNQc
[6] http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/hiner/five-technology-trends-to-watch-in-2010/3473
[7] http://comm.ae/2010/02/01/cell-c-to-bring-first-4g-network-to-south-africa/
[8] http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/next/archives/2010/07/gen_y_unplugs_cable_tv.html
[9] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXLxiMemYc0
[10] http://en.sap.info/smart-grid-enterprise-cloud-mobile-app-2/21376
[11] http://blogs.computerworld.com/18719/adobe_flash_killed_by_free_html5_tool_edge
[12] http://www.pcworld.com/article/237043/adobe_edge_what_you_need_to_know.html
[13] http://blogs.computerworld.com/17473/ten_it_trends_to_watch_in_2011
[2] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oX9B-YPvBC4
[3] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eHu1WvdWGI
[4] http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1454221
[5] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aL3H8SsNQc
[6] http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/hiner/five-technology-trends-to-watch-in-2010/3473
[7] http://comm.ae/2010/02/01/cell-c-to-bring-first-4g-network-to-south-africa/
[8] http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/next/archives/2010/07/gen_y_unplugs_cable_tv.html
[9] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXLxiMemYc0
[10] http://en.sap.info/smart-grid-enterprise-cloud-mobile-app-2/21376
[11] http://blogs.computerworld.com/18719/adobe_flash_killed_by_free_html5_tool_edge
[12] http://www.pcworld.com/article/237043/adobe_edge_what_you_need_to_know.html
[13] http://blogs.computerworld.com/17473/ten_it_trends_to_watch_in_2011