Mobility | wernerluetkemeier.com

Looking for a new challenge in the IT industry? Here are my Top 5 technology trends that will help you to identify your next job and to get ahead!

1. Cloud

Regardless of the very valid and important Data Security and Data Privacy discussions, the majority of standard IT-services will be migrated to Cloud-based services very soon. This will mark the “end-of-software” era in terms of traditional software licenses as well as it will present a fundamental change to the business models of System Integrators and Value-Added Resellers. They either need to become Managed Service Providers or will be out of business very soon. All in all, the cloud will drive a huge consolidation process within the whole IT-industry.

2. Mobility

Tablets and Smartphones will continue to oust traditional laptops and other personal computers. The average user will use many different devices and expect to have access to his/her personal data and applications whatever device he/she is currently using. Boundaries between work and private life will continue to obliterate. Nevertheless: Full control and manageability of mobile devices, -apps and services will be a key requirement.

3. Big Data

Data have become a key economical asset already and need to be seen equally important than ground, labour and capital in the past. Analyzing huge amount of user-, device- and position data in real time, will become the competitive advantage for companies who want to gain immediate, actionable insights. With that, agile businesses will be in the position to always present the “next best possible personal offering” to each and every individual or business.

4. Multi-Channel Social Digital User Experiences

Whether you call it “Social CRM” or “Digital User Experience”, businessess will have to keep in mind that the “impatient Customer or Prospect” uses a variety of communication- and information channels, including Social Networks, in order to form and express an opinion. The challenge is to find the right balance between a direct, personalized and relevant multi-channel communication approach, or bothersome stupid re-targeting loops.

5. Exponential Growth of Data Volume

Driven by all of the above, according to EMC and IDC, Global Storage Volume will be at 44 Zetabyte by the year 2020. That’s a number with 21 Zeros (2013: 4,4 Zetabyte). Hence, companies who are leaders in Storage and Storage Management should see sustainable growth rates for quite some time…

… Hang on, 21 Zeros? Hard to imagine, eh? So here it comes again:

44.000.000.000.000.000.000.000

It’s CeBIT time again.

Germany’s largest IT fair opens on March 10, 2014 for five days. The show runs Monday to Friday, so no weekend day included. One may think. that this is a clear signal about the target audience: “We welcome Professional visitos, but we are not keen to see thre gift grabbing general public on our holy fairground”.

Cnsequently, there is no main end-user oriented theme for the show this time. “New Perspectives in IT Business”, – that’s the only high level slogan. As main industry trends, the CeBIT web site lists Datability, Big Data, Cloud, Mobile and Social Business –no surprise there at all. Pretty much business as usual at first glance. Nobody really expects a big-bang product launch like in the good old days of the 90’s’ For example, I remember CeBIT 1994 as the exhibition of multimedia and sound cards… we all returned home almost deaf after the show and end-users and the general public made up a big part of the audience.

Today though, looking at global technology trends as a whole, the absence of the “IT consumer” might be to “protect” them from the realisation that they are seeen as an exchangeable element, and not as an individual human being anymore. Although at first glance, the digital world seems to make our life more and more personal and individual, in reality we are all constantly analyzed, scrutinized, categorized and evaluated upon our digital footprint or behavioural patterns.

The “Internet of Things” for sure brings a lot of promise regarding productivity and sustainability. On the other hand there is a lot of risk that people may become more and more dependent and remote-controlled. The more we allow systems and artificial intelligence to control our everyday life, the hareder we will find it to manage on our own those aspects of life that can’t bes upported by machines.

The IT industry has to ask itself the question, whether the “features” we present, really bring value to people’s lives. “Value”, here defined as quality of life and not just as simply as ease and comfort. Instead of “self-restocking online fridges”, we should think about how technology can help us in education, in health-care, the protection of the environment or even in having children and offering them perspectives for an enjoyable life. All this needs to happen with humanity and real social values being always in the centre.

I don’t think that the end-user got excluded from CeBIT to protect them from the realisation that they are seen as an anonymous herd to be manipulated. I truly believe that the organisers intend to provide a real professional forum, which allows us as the specialists to discuss what’s really needed, what is just a nice-to-have and which technological possibilities shouldn’t be a goal simply because they are possible.

When we as IT experts talk about the “social business”, we have to constantly remind ourselves, that we have assumed accountability for the progress of our society, our values, our culture and even the civil rights. Let’s continue to innovate responsibly. I am looking forward to CeBIT.