Consulting agencies around the world follow and study various technology trends and offer their predictions and forecasts. This is especially common in the area of information technology (IT). Although they can be different and sometimes they even contradict each other, good analysis of IT trends can be used as an indicator of the future that might come and business actions we need to consider right now. Seven such reports, created by five leading consulting companies, were selected and reviewed here.
Although somewhat different in their approach and the way they look at the future, discerned current IT trends offer a very good starting point for identifying at least some major IT developments that might impact the way we do business in the near future. Based on the above brief summary, four different groups of trends and impacts dealing with different business areas are identified. They are:
An attempt was made here to group and list the business areas and related trends in some order of priority and importance. However, it should be kept in mind that, because identified trends come from different company reports and different observations, they do not necessarily represent the best order of priorities, but rather an attempt to bring meaning to multiple factors from possible operational purpose perspective.
For example, it is very probable that from a technological point of view, secure IT architecture, and IT security in general, will represent the most important factor in the future. From customer related trends, many companies and organizations around the world are trying to build and implement “customer culture” – a culture where all the products, services and workflows are devoted to, geared towards, and determined by customers.
In the area of products and services, we are presently experiencing growing demand to increase the value added to everything delivered, closely followed by the comprehensive delivery of results, while taking into consideration the impact of social media and social responsibility. The number of determining factors regarding employees is significant and their importance, viewed individually, is hard to rank by relevance. The introduction of a new generation of workers, with new demands and specific behaviours, is a constant, while ‘liquid workforce’ and remote work are becoming more and more frequent. Learning new skills and continued training are of great significance, especially in dynamic areas such as information technology.
In order to meet expectations and benefit from new IT developments, information managers need to be cognizant of current IT trends and the possibilities that are offered in order to define the best strategies and prepare action plans for their successful implementation in their daily work.
Dobrica Savić
