Tech trends 2011: the natural convergence of business and IT

• Deloitte LLP

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15 June 2011Deloitte’s annual Technology Trends report examines the ever-evolving landscape of technology put to business use. Topics are chosen based on their potential business impact over the next 18 months, with input from clients, analysts, alliances and our network of academic leaders. This year the authors identified 10 important trends, clustered in two categories: (Re)Emerging Enablers and Disruptive Deployments.

(Re)Emerging Enablers are trends that many CIOs have spent time, thought, and resources on in the past – perhaps multiple times. This year these familiar topics deserve another look due to specific factors in the technology or business environment.

Disruptive Deployments are trends that present significant new opportunities – offering new business models or transformative ways to operate. The technologies themselves are not necessarily disruptive, but when deployed as discussed, they could disrupt the cost, capabilities, or even the core operating model of IT and the business.

The 2011 trends list plays significantly to the convergence of Social and Mobile computing – a convergence that is fundamentally changing how information is accessed and used in business operations and decision-making. ”There’s an app for that” captures the essence of this change, engaging users wherever and whenever they choose, and taking full advantage of the next generation of Cloud Computing. These finished business capabilities within the cloud, for both structured and unstructured information analytics, are changing the role of the CIO and the shape and size of apps. But what isn’t changing is the importance of information security and privacy practices that can stand up to today’s hyper-evolving cyber threat landscape.

All of these trends are relevant today. Each has demonstrated significant momentum and potential to have an impact – and each is important enough to support immediate consideration. Forward-thinking organizations should consider developing an explicit strategy in each area, even if that strategy is to wait and see. But whatever you do, stay ahead. Use the convergence to your advantage. Don’t get caught by surprise.