Category: Research

Gartner this morning unveiled its list of predictions for the IT sector for 2012 and beyond. If everything they say happens, the IT landscape is going to look a lot different than it does now. For one thing, the weather will be…cloudier. Gartner also expects that the bubble in social networking will burst by 2013, and they see off-shore manufacturing coming back home. (Or at least closer.)

The SAP Research Magazine, published bi-annually, provides the latest updates on current IT trends, research activities and results, and event contributions from SAP Research. This first issue includes a feature article on the Business Web and covers such topics as Future Fleet, Big Iron, Business In Your Pocket (GaRO project), and co-innovation networks.

Learn more about the 2011 Accenture Technology Vision which takes stock of the evolving trends in IT and how they will impact business and society as a whole. For the Accenture Technology Vision 2011, our research team developed some 400 hypotheses based on input from scientists, architects and engineers—from inside and outside of Accenture. Fifty of these were ultimately found to be defensible, and were consolidated into eight trends: > Data takes its rightful place as a platform. > Analytics is driving a discontinuous evolution from business intelligence. > Cloud computing will create more value higher up the stack. > Architecture will shift from server-centric to service-centric. > IT security will respond rapidly, progressively—and in proportion. >Data privacy will adopt a risk-based approach. > Social platforms will emerge as a new source of business intelligence. > User experience is what matters.

There are several steps customers can take to make sure they get the best possible deal on an SAP software license, according to Forrester Research Inc.

Australian CIOs are generally optimistic despite challenging times, according to the first Insights Quarterly report, commissioned by Fujitsu and Microsoft Australia. Surveying 200 Australian CIOs, the report showed that alignment of ICT with business aims remains their primary objective. Many of the CIOs noted that business issues are often stronger drivers than technology issues in the Australian landscape, with business requirements taking precedence over technology. Almost half (46.2 per cent) saw these changing requirements as the most difficult challenge, ahead of protecting and securing the network, optimising and controlling costs, and improving service responsiveness. Virtualisation is shaping up to be the most relevant future technology, nominated by two-thirds of CIOs, followed by integrated enterprise-wide access, with 42.5 per cent saying it was of high interest, highlighting the importance placed on improved access to information. Business intelligence remains an area of significant investment, and while cloud computing was named as one of the most important technologies, it was also regarded as “overhyped”. However cloud remains attractive from the CIOs’ perspective due to its ability to move ICT from capital expenditure to operational expenditure, coupled with flexibility. Other current challenges for CIOs include the trend towards ‘Bring Your Own Device ...

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