Gartner technology Hype cycle
This article will discuss top 10 IT trends according to the Gartner’s hype diagram, this graph shows technology trends that are adopted and at which stage they are on this graph represents their level of adoption. Firstly, bring you own device is sitting at the peak of the technology hype graph. This means that many companies all over the world have adopted this trend, internationally and it is catching on locally.
Cloud computing is also at the peak of inflated expectations, this means that companies are adopting cloud computing and that they are seeing the advantages that can be provided by the cloud, which include flexibility, and pay on demand. Locally only 43% of the 100 JSE listed companies have agreed to have adopted cloud computing in their businesses, this is according to the survey by Deliotte in its IP expo in late 2011
Cloud computing is also at the peak of inflated expectations, this means that companies are adopting cloud computing and that they are seeing the advantages that can be provided by the cloud, which include flexibility, and pay on demand. Locally only 43% of the 100 JSE listed companies have agreed to have adopted cloud computing in their businesses, this is according to the survey by Deliotte in its IP expo in late 2011
Top 10 IT trends
1. Big data is The trend that will not go away is the proliferation of personal devices that will connect to data centres via the cloud. Full automation of major IT systems will continue as a major trend. New and improved unified data centre controls that include monitoring of data flow and storage, as well as all the physical facilities will also continue as a trend.
Apple, for example, just opened a huge new data centre (costing about $1 billion) in Maiden, N.C., that one would expect to require a staff of several hundred technicians. In reality, only 50 new full-time workers will be hired. The facility practically runs itself from a few stations, and some of those can be remote if necessary. Good for Apple, certainly; not good for the local economy.
2. Bring your own device( BYOD)
Many companies are allowing their employees to bring their own devices at work, this makes it easier for employees since they work with devices that they are more comfortable with. But this raises security questions in terms of the company data and its network.
The iPad benefited from an evolving trend toward allowing employees to bring their personal devices into their corporation's IT infrastructure. This trend is commonly referred to as bring your own device, or BYOD. But it also came at something of a cost, as IT administrators scrambled to find a way to integrate the iPad into the network while maintaining their organization's overall policies.
3. virtualization:
Cappuccio says virtualization will ultimately drive more companies to treat IT
like a business. The danger during the next few years will be in following a
specific vendor's vision, though it is unlikely that any one vendor's vision
will prevail. Users should have their own visions of architecture control, and
build toward it with a constantly updated strategic
plan.
4. Context aware apps:
The big question here how to do something smart to take advantage of
smartphones. Gartner has in the past said context-based computing will go beyond
the business intelligence applications and truly make a unified communications
environment possible by bringing together data culled from social networks and
mobile-devices.
5. Self service
Self-service will continue as a trend. eBook vending machines in Japan and an iPad-lending kiosk system unveiled at Midwinter.
6. F-commerce -- While only a few brands currently sell directly through Facebook (including Victoria's Secret, 1-800-Flowers.com, and Delta Airlines), look for "f-commerce" to take off in the next year. By allowing Facebook visitors to shop without leaving the site, brands add a social influence to the transaction -- and bring a concrete return on investment to social media.
7. Social networks:
Affordable and accessible technology has let individuals and communities come
together in a new way - with a collective voice - to make statements about our
organizations, the products/services we deliver and how we deliver them,
Cappuccio said. The collective is made up of individuals, groups, communities,
mobs, markets and firms that shape the direction of society and business. The
collective is not new, but technology has made it more powerful -and enabled
change to happen more rapidly Cappuccio said. The collective is just beginning
to have an impact on business operations and strategies but most organizations
do not have a plan for enabling or embracing it. Ignoring social networking is
not an option, Cappuccio said.
8. Compute per square
foot: Virtualization is one of the most critical components being used to
increase densities and vertically scale data centers. If used wisely, average
server performance can move from today's paltry 7% to 12% average to 40% to 50%,
yielding huge benefits in floor space and energy savings. Two issues that need
to be considered going forward are the number of cores per server -- four- and
eight-core systems are becoming common, and 16 cores will be common within two
years -- and overall data center energy trends. IT will also have to address
things like performance/licensing, Cappuccio
said
9. Energy efficiency and monitoring:
The power issue has moved up the food corporate food chain,
Cappuccio said. Nascent tools are beginning to roll out that can use analytic
tools to watch power usage on a variety of levels. With the increased attention
given to power consumption, it has become apparent that many systems are highly
underutilized. At low utilization levels, they use a high percentage of their
total energy draw. An average x86 server that is turned on, but idle, will draw
upward of 65% of its nameplate wattage, for example. IT organizations need a
clear inventory of what compute resources are doing and what workloads there is
the potential for significant waste of
10. Cloud computing
While cost is a potential benefit for small companies, the biggest benefits of
cloud computing are built-in elasticity and scalability. As certain IT functions
industrialize and become less customized, such as email, there are more
possibilities for larger organizations to benefit from cloud computing,
according to Cappuccio.
References
Kolakowski, N. (2012). iPad, Windows 8 Tablets Could Alter the Business Tablets Landscape in 2012. [Article]. eWeek, 29(1), 30-32.
Mansfield-Devine, S. (2012). Interview: BYOD and the enterprise network. Computer Fraud & Security, 2012(4), 14-17. doi: 10.1016/s1361-3723(12)70031-3
Muller, H. (2011). On Top of the Cloud: How CIOs Leverage New Technologies to Drive Change and Build Value Across the Enterprise: Wiley.
Technology trends for 2011. (2011). [Article]. Machine Design, 83(10), 28-28.
Garner top IT trends report, 2012.