The final predictions for 2015 have been made. All bets are on the table. We are amid the current year and are realizing that virtually 100% of the growth in IT is related to third-platform technology. The technical basics of the third platform are mobile computing, cloud services, big data and analytics, and social networks. In the view of IDC head analyst Frank Gens, the industry has now reached the point it has been working toward since 2007. Cloud computing, social apps, big data and the Internet of things are no longer science fiction. As Gartner elaborated at the IT Spending Forecast Webinar in 2015, SaaS will have pushed out most stationary systems by 2020. While SaaS was at 5% in 2000, it’s now approaching the 80% mark.
However, the cloud is not the only innovation catalyst, according to IDC. The following technologies will impact the industry in the coming years:
- Internet of Things (IoT) — Attendants were offered a taste of future opportunities in this area at the Consumer Electronic Show earlier this year. Cars, homes and even wallets are becoming intelligent. And that is only the beginning.
- Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Software — Capturing and analyzing the content of large amounts of data and messages are not tasks for an ordinary office computer. Powerful cloud solutions and advanced systems will take on that responsibility.
- Robotics — In the future, not only business and production processes will be increasingly automated. Robotics will also enable novel solutions in the consumer area.
- 3D Printing — What for many today is merely a new toy with limited usability will be capable of processing more materials in multiple dimensions a few years down the road. 3D printing will change the way we produce and consume.
- Organic interfaces — Abstract tools such as computer mouse and keyboard are progressively making way for touch, speech and movement.
- Optimized Security Solutions — All these developments will bring about new security solutions on various levels.
These innovation catalysts are built on the pillars of the cloud, mobile devices, social networks and analytics. This is consistent with many of the predictions by big analysts regarding the top IT topics for 2015. Gartner had already nominated the importance of mobile devices, artificial intelligence, IoT (Internet of things) and cloud-based infrastructures as mega trends.
