IT Services ? 2017 Trends to Watch For
The New ?Buzz? Phrase is “Contextual Data?
One dominant force in 2016 will be contextualized data analytics, as the spotlight is being shined on the need for more precise decisions made possible by bringing relevant data into important contexts. In a simpler sentence – the right source for the right analysis. Data points – device, social network, location, influencers, language – will help businesses develop improved customer insights, and, in turn, more personalized products or services.
For instance, telematic data will help automobile manufacturers improve the durability of vehicle components and pinpoint potential problems ? they are then able to notify drivers well before trouble occurs. This technology will also provide insurers with better information for managing risk, thus enabling them to offer drivers a better product in the form of more usage-based, personalized policies. To take this a giant step further, this kind of data revolution could eliminate the concept of risk pooling as it would enable insurers to underwrite down to the individual level.
There Will Be More Cybertargets
More contextually-rich data is more valuable ? to businesses and, unfortunately, also to cybercriminals. Increasing risks of cyberattacks will push the development of next-generation technologies for risk and information management, network security, and identity access protection. Public clouds will become more and more involved in the integration of contextual data and will need to be included in security system architectures.
APIs Will Continue to Gain in Importance
Businesses of all kinds have already discovered the power of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) and will continue to utilize them. Through APIs, different systems can access and exchange information, and they often serve as ?wrappers? around legacy systems. APIs will increasingly play a key role in providing contextual information and will cause a move away from an in-house IT mentality. Instead, there will be an increasing embrace of off-site infrastructure, cloud computing, and ?as-a-service? options offered by IT services firms.
The Role of the CIO Will Continue to Develop
The Chief Information Officer will increasingly take on the task of enhancing the value of technology and information to their company. The CIO is uniquely positioned to head up the development of appropriate digital business innovations which will then lead to improved decisions and the introduction of competitive products quickly and at scale.
Consolidation of Enterprise Platform Players Will Continue
As the recent news of a Dell/EMC ?mega-merger? illustrates, there will continue to be convergence and consolidation of enterprise infrastructure competitors. This is being propelled by the demands of the market which wants more complete, standardized, and agile solutions. Because converged infrastructure is trending toward public cloud solutions, look for more specialization to create specific workload approaches in specific industries. For instance, new telematics platforms will arrive on the scene to collect and manage data from connected automobiles, financial services platforms will integrate to create core banking services, and social and mobile platforms will converge
Conclusion
The only thing you can say for certain about the future of IT, is that some previously unthought-of innovations will appear in 2016 or beyond. This makes IT an exciting and stimulating field to be a part of. To help you make sense of all these new developments and to stay ahead of your competition, please contact us.
