Top Ten Trends for 2013

By SiliconIndia | Friday, November 9, 2012 | 1 Comments

Bangalore: The job of CIOs was never a stroll in the park. But with the surge of neoteric trends, it has been transformed into a ‘survival of the fittest’ where farsightedness, creativity and innovation are the traits which assist the CIOs in this technology jungle. From mobile devices and applications to cloud and big data, the numerous trends that have spawned over the years have made strategies to formulate all the more challenging. As such, it is imperative for CIOs not only to identify but also to analyze the futuristic trends that might break or make an organization’s fortunes, reports Don Reisinger of CIO Insight.

In this regard, Gartner has come to the rescue of the distressed CIOs as it points out the top ten strategic technology trends at its annual IT/expo in Orlando.

“We have identified the top 10 technologies that will be strategic for most organizations, and that IT leaders should factor into their strategic planning processes over the next two years,” said David Cearley, Vice President and Gartner fellow. “This does not necessarily mean enterprises should adopt and invest in all of the listed technologies; however companies need to be make deliberate decisions regarding how they fit with their expected needs in the near future.”

Nevertheless, here is a brief of the top ten trends identified by Gartner to watch out for in 2013:
1) Mobile Devices – Gartner predicts that mobile devices are likely to become the most preferred equipment for employees to access the internet, overwhelming the conventional PCs.
2) Software Development – With HTML5 fast becoming the yardstick to measure the quality of video on the web, and the ever emerging mobile applications, CIOs should shift their focus to software development in the coming year.
3) Cloud Computing – Consumers are increasingly becoming more inclined on storing their data through cloud. This should signal the CIOs to incorporate some amount of official data in the cloud which in turn will encourage the employees to turn towards cloud for solutions within an enterprise.
4) Corporate App Stores – Gartner also predicts that corporate app stores, where vendors deliver applications through corporations, will be in vogue by the latter half of 2013.
5) The Internet of Things – This trend gives testimony where more and more products rely on the web to make their presence felt. However, this might give rise to security issues as employees can easily be tracked.
6) Hybrid IT – Hybrid computing is yet another trend to watch out for as IT departments across various organizations are exploring the realms of controlling offline and cloud-based data simultaneously.
7) Big Data – Services like Hadoop are making their mark as companies are finding it difficult to organize the increasing amount of information As such, handling of big data becomes a vital factor in 2013.
8) Analytics – CIOs shouldn’t overlook the role of analytics in the forthcoming year, considering the co-relation it presents with big data.
9) In-Memory Computing – Considering the ability of In-Memory computing to process data in a few minutes or seconds, which under normal circumstances takes hours, it will not come as a surprise if this particular trend becomes the pet of CIOs.
10) Integrated System – For successful functioning to take place, IT must discard the idea of acting solo; rather it should strive to build an integrated matrix where systematic communication and co-ordination will ensure a smooth run through 2013.