2013 Technology Trends

2013 Information Technology Trends

Which Matter and Why

Introduction………………………………………….3

Cloud Computing.....................................4

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)……..……….9

•  A Look Into BYOD (Infographic)……14

Big Data………………………………………...…..15

Conclusion…………………………………………..21

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduc)on

With the way informa)on technology evolves, you could find many different trends that may change the way business is done across the world. Among all these changes, 3 trends seem to be at the forefront of the informa)on technology movement: Cloud compu)ng, bring your own device (BYOD), and big data. While these are by no means the only trends affec)ng informa)on technology today, they can be considered the 3 things that can have the biggest impact on business over the next few years.

2013 Tech Trends

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Defini&on: Internet-‐based compu2ng in which large groups of remote servers are networked so as to allow sharing of data-‐processing tasks, centralized data storage, and online access to computer services or resources.

CHAPTER 1: Cloud Computing

2013 Tech Trends

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According to an ar)cle by InfoWorld, there are 7 key areas of cloud compu)ng: 1.   SaaS: This type of cloud compu)ng delivers a single applica)on

through the browser to thousands of customers using a mul)tenant architecture. On the customer side, it means no upfront investment in servers or soNware licensing; on the provider side, with just one app to maintain, costs are low compared to conven)onal hos)ng.

2.   U)lity compu)ng: The idea is not new, but this form of cloud compu)ng is geQng new life from Amazon.com, Sun, IBM, and others who now offer storage and virtual servers that IT can access on demand. Early enterprise adopters mainly use u)lity compu)ng for supplemental, non-‐mission-‐cri)cal needs, but one day, they may replace parts of the datacenter.

3.   Web services in the cloud: Closely related to SaaS, web service providers offer APIs that enable developers to exploit func)onality over the Internet, rather than delivering full-‐blown applica)ons.

4.   Pla@orm as a service: Another SaaS varia)on, this form of cloud compu)ng delivers development environments as a service. You build your own applica)ons that run on the provider's infrastructure and are delivered to your users via the Internet from the provider's servers.

5. MSP (managed service providers): One of the oldest forms of cloud compu)ng, a managed service is basically an applica)on exposed to IT rather than to end-‐users, such as a virus scanning service for e-‐mail or an applica)on monitoring service.

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6. Service commerce pla@orms: A hybrid of SaaS and MSP, this cloud compu)ng service offers a service hub that users interact with. They're most common in trading environments, such as expense management systems that allow users to order travel or secretarial services from a common plaYorm that then coordinates the service delivery and pricing within the specifica)ons set by the user.

7.   Internet integra)on: The integra)on of cloud-‐based services is in its early days. OpSource, which mainly concerns itself with serving SaaS providers, recently introduced the OpSource Services Bus, which employs in-‐the-‐cloud integra)on technology from a liZle startup called Boomi. SaaS provider Workday recently acquired another player in this space, CapeClear, an ESB (enterprise service bus) provider that was edging toward b-‐to-‐b integra)on. Way ahead of its )me, Grand Central -‐-‐ which wanted to be a universal "bus in the cloud" to connect SaaS providers and provide integrated solu)ons to customers -‐-‐ flamed out in 2005.

Today, with such cloud-‐based interconnec)on seldom in evidence, cloud compu)ng might be more accurately described as "sky compu)ng," with many isolated clouds of services which IT customers must plug into individually. On the other hand, as virtualiza)on and SOA permeate the enterprise, the idea of loosely coupled services running on an agile, scalable infrastructure should eventually make every enterprise a node in the cloud. It's a long-‐running trend with a far-‐out horizon. But among big metatrends, cloud compu)ng is the hardest one to argue with in the long term. (InfoWorld)





Why it Matters As other technologies such as BYOD and big data con)nue to be adopted at rapid rates, it’s impera)ve that cloud technology keeps pace. Employees and customers want access to more and more informa)on and want it to be as easy as possible to harvest that informa)on. Giving employees and customers the ability to access whatever informa)on they want, whenever they want it, will lead to increased produc)vity of employees and increased sa)sfac)on for customers. According to a Gartner Vice President, “We are just at the beginning of realizing the benefits of cloud.”

2013 Tech Trends

Issues The biggest issue associated with the cloud compu)ng movement is the issue of data security. According to the Informa)on Systems Audit and Control Associa)on (ISACA) ninety percent of US consumers who use a computer, tablet or smartphone for work ac)vi)es feel like their privacy and security are being threatened. Because of this, business owners need to make security a top priority when evalua)ng their cloud provider choices.

“90% of US consumers who use a computer, tablet, or smartphone for work ac)vi)es feel like their privacy and security are being threatened.”

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What to Expect According to the Accenture Technology Vision for 2013, it is es)mated that by 2016 enterprises will devote 14 percent of their overall IT spending to cloud, up from just 5 percent in 2011. This increase in spending is due to mul)ple factors, a few of which are:

Pay-‐as-‐you-‐grow subscrip)ons: Companies of all sizes are embracing cloud technology for their everyday business processes. This has led to a shiN in subscrip)on models that allow companies and individuals to only pay for the services and storage capacity that they need.

Heavier emphasis on security: As men)oned above, businesses and consumers share the common worry of security when u)lizing cloud technologies. This worry will lead cloud providers to focus stronger than ever on ways to increase their security and give businesses and consumers peace of mind.

Disaster recovery: Losing precious data is a concern of all businesses, both large and small. The ability to u)lize cloud service to add another line of defense against data loss will be one of the major draws of cloud compu)ng going forward.





Defini&on-‐Short for Bring Your Own Device. A phrase that has become widely adopted to refer to employees who bring their own compu2ng devices – such as smartphones, laptops and PDAs – to the workplace for use and connec2vity on the corporate network.

CHAPTER 2: BYOD





BYOD is one of the hoZest trends in the business world today. As technology progresses, workers are demanding more flexibility from their employers with regards to remote work. In most industries (especially the tech industry) organiza)ons must do everything necessary to aZract and retain the best and brightest workers in order to stay compe))ve. One way these organiza)ons are doing this is by offering a more flexible workplace and allowing users to use their own devices at work as opposed to company mandated devices.

Why it Matters

Something from the infographic?





use and would allow them to always have access to their work documents and email at all )mes.

Adop)ng a BYOD policy can provide many benefits for organiza)ons. Some of these include:

2013 Tech Trends

Cost Savings: Organiza)ons that choose to allow employees to bring their own devices can realize cost savings if they aren’t required to purchase any equipment at all for those employees. Currently 60% of organiza)ons s)ll claim their BYOD policy includes them purchasing the device for the employees in addi)on to paying the monthly network fees associated with them. If organiza)ons require employees to purchase the devices and only pay the monthly fees, they will be much more likely to see a true cost savings from BYOD.

their own devices and would require a smaller learning curve for new workers. In addi)on, a BYOD policy would allow workers to work remotely with liZle effort. BYOD would not require employees to carry around mul)ple devices separately for work and personal

www.workplaceflexibility.com.au

Increased Flexibility: As stated above, BYOD is a major factor in providing flexibility to the workforce. Employees are more familiar with

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their own devices in some way. As tech organiza)ons fight for top talent, BYOD is just another incen)ve candidates can have when deciding between compe))ve companies.

2013 Tech Trends

them at all )mes gives them the opportunity to always have access to whatever they need, whenever they need it. Taking away inhibitors to produc)vity will allow workers to have an “office” wherever and whenever they need it.

ARrac)veness to Job Seekers: According to one study, 44% of job seekers find an employer more aZrac)ve if they let them use

Increased Produc)vity: Allowing workers to have their devices with

“44% of job seekers find an employer more aZrac)ve if they let them use their own device”

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Data Security: As with cloud compu)ng, data security concerns accompany BYOD policies. Finding ways to secure and monitor employee’s devices without invading personal privacy is a tough line for employers to walk.

Cost: BYOD can be a cost savings for organiza)ons, but the 60% that s)ll pay for employee devices are not likely to see much cost savings. Employers that are willing to let employees pay the bulk of their device cost will be much more likely to realize the cost savings from BYOD.

Privacy: Employees are wary of bringing their own devices due to the worry of privacy invasion. Almost everyone accesses their twiZer and Facebook accounts from their personal devices, and giving their employer access to their device can give employees pause for concern. Being able to assure their workers that their privacy will not be compromised should be a top priority for businesses looking to u)lize BYOD.

Issues





2013 Tech Trends

A Look Into BYOD

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CHAPTER 3: Big Data

Defini&on-‐ Big Data is the massive amounts of data that collect over 2me that are difficult to analyze and handle using common database management tools.





Why it Matters

The reliance on data and sta)s)cs for decision making is something that is becoming very popular in various avenues. From professional sports to weather predic)ons and business decisions, massive amounts of data are influencing everyday life. Organiza)ons specifically are u)lizing big data to change the way they do business. They are now collec)ng massive amounts of data on their customers. Instead of relying on assump)ons and es)ma)ons for decisions, businesses can now iden)fy purchasing behavior and customer preferences beZer than ever before. This allows organiza)ons to focus all efforts on specific areas of improvement while also giving them true valida)on for their efforts.





Too Much Data: The saying “Too much of a good thing isn’t always a good thing” can be applied to big data. While it can be extremely beneficial for businesses to accumulate massive amounts of data, it can also cause more harm than good if not managed correctly. Businesses could poten)ally encounter “informa)on overload” and acquire more data than they know what to do with. The key to big data is having the means to organize the data and make sense of it.

Issues

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Disorganized Data

Managing and organizing big data is a necessity for businesses to make informed and successful fact based decisions. Because of this, specialized employees are needed to capture, store, organize, mine, and interpret that data. The problem organiza)ons tend to run into is the lack of qualified individuals to do so. Since big data is s)ll a newer trend, the number of candidates qualified to manage it all is s)ll rela)vely small. Employees are learning as they go or being trained on the necessary skills needed. While this is a logical approach, the learning curve for employees could cause issues in the short-‐term.

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2013 Tech Trends

Security One other issue that may be encountered with big data is security. Just like BYOD and cloud compu)ng, the security risks are s)ll present with big data. If customers feel uneasy about giving certain companies their informa)on, they’re less likely to buy from them. As consumers become more aware of the amount of data that exists about them, they will likely be more cau)ous when sharing their informa)on un)l they can be re-‐assured that their personal informa)on won’t be seen by any unauthorized par)es.

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What to Expect Over the next few years more and more companies will use big data to make major business decisions. Those organiza)ons that may be reluctant to dive in for various reasons will eventually realize the true benefit of having large amounts of data to analyze and draw conclusions from.

IT decision makers are already star)ng to embrace big data. A study by Gartner revealed that 42% of IT decision makers have invested in big data technology or plan to over the next 12 months. As this rate con)nues to grow, more jobs will be created all around the na)on and world.

According to Gartner, by 2015 there will be 4.4 million IT jobs globally to support big data, with 1.9million in the US alone. These numbers point to the importance organiza)ons are placing on big data and how in-‐demand big data skills will be for workers in the near future.

“…by 2015 there will be 4.4 million IT jobs globally to support big data, with 1.9million in the US alone”





Conclusion Some industries and organiza)ons may take longer to adopt these technologies than others. Some companies may be more reluctant to commit significant resources to any specific areas un)l the technologies are more proven. No maZer what organiza)ons may decide, there’s no ignoring the impact that the cloud, BYOD, and big data have had on businesses thus far. This impact will only become more significant as processes become more efficient, and the companies that are able to harness the power of these technologies will be the ones to lead the way into an even more technologically advanced business world.


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References


•  hZp://www.accenture.com/SiteCollec)onDocuments/PDF/Accenture-‐Technology-‐Vision-‐2013.pdf

•  hZps://www.isaca.org/About-‐ISACA/Press-‐room/News-‐Releases/2012/Pages/ISACA-‐Survey-‐90-‐Say-‐Online-‐Privacy-‐Is-‐Threatened-‐Yet-‐Risky-‐Behaviors-‐Persist.aspx

•  hZp://www.infoworld.com/d/cloud-‐compu)ng/what-‐cloud-‐compu)ng-‐really-‐means-‐031

•  hZp://www.misco.co.uk/blog/news/00777/adop)on-‐of-‐big-‐data-‐technologies-‐to-‐accelerate-‐in-‐2013

•  hZp://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/2207915


