Headline: Tech trends making the headlines
With Autumn on its way and London Fashion Week about to tell us what some of us will be wearing next year it got us thinking about which technology trends will continue to take the world by storm over the next 12 months. Some of these have been simmering for a long time and have risen phoenix-like in 2013, strutting their digital tailfeathers~to change the way we do business and IT.
That said, we have announced our support last month for Java Application Monitoring, .Net Application Monitoring and Ruby Monitoring.
Now getting back to the 4 trends that are set to stay:
#1 Mobile Only
Mobile only is a reflection of the mobile landscape and refers to initiatives made possible only because of the increasingly sophisticated nature of mobile phones. Whether it’s using mobiles to engage customers more effectively or to facilitate work productivity, mobile-only initiatives can be seen in the rise of activities such as mobile film-making and apps that enable, for example, field repair technicians to receive call-outs and expedite response times. Another good example follows the case of an auto manufacturer who implanted their transmission engines with smart technology that collected and aggregated data based on the car’s fuel efficiency. This data was then communicated out to mobile devices to prove that the fuel efficiency of their transmission engines was better than for their competitors.
We now live in a time when technologies can help the human network perform much better. Social re-engineering is about using those technologies to break down any barriers that limit human potential and business performance, stripping away any sense of a ‘them’ and ‘us’ mentality. This might involve rethinking ways to motivate customers or bring different teams with an organization together to facilitate collaboration. An example might be using technology to connect~the marketing team with the product buyers and sales staff. Such joining-up has huge benefits when utilizing customer data and insights effectively, while helping to improve internal relations and streamline business practice.
#3 Gamification
While Gamification is no newcomer, the practice of using game-like principles such as fun, challenges and design and applying them to real-life business problems has seen exponential growth throughout 2013. While the name implies games, gamification is really about engaging employees and customer and adapting business behaviour to drive outcomes. One of the most important features of gamification is the ability to introduce micro-changes that can lead to long-term changes through the organization, but it can also~save lives. A collaboration between the University of Washington’s Center for Game Science with the Biochemistry department created Foldit, an online video game about protein folding that invited others to play and compete in working out various protein structures that fit a researcher’s criteria. This led to the gamers unlocking a solution to the structure of the M-PMV, creating a major breakthrough in the AIDS research field.
#4 Data science
Using analytics to drive better decisions through improved insights is gathering speed, but mastering it is still in its infancy for many enterprises. From basic analytics derived from database management tools to visualization tools that go beyond standard charts and graphs in Excel, data science is gaining momentum across~organizations keen to drive their business~forward more accurately, more efficiently and more quickly. The use of big data has also become widely popular, particularly within the pharmaceutical industry where the cost of taking a drug to clinical trial can run to millions. By analyzing the data early-on better predictions can be made as to the therapy’s suitability and opportunities for repurposing its use should it fail. Only 10% of clinical trials result in a new drug, so having this data in advance can save money, lives and time.
Which other trends do you think are here to stay? We’d love to hear.