Trends Identified
CIO Operational Excellence
Improving the “business of IT” by planning for the end-game from day one The global financial crisis had a direct impact on a number of IT trends in 2009. With most IT budgets either slashed or stagnant, and an increased focus on cost reduction opportunities, IT operational excellence became top of mind for many organizations. Revisiting the basics in terms of process effectiveness and overall efficiency of the “business of IT,” was one approach many organizations used to drive quick hits across the cost-cutting spectrum.
2010
Depth perception A dozen technology trends shaping business and IT in 2010
Deloitte
Growing global and EU urbanisation
In 1950 only one in three people in the world lived in urban areas. By 2007 every other person lived in an urban environment. The projected urban share of global population is estimated to rise further to 60% in 2030. The figure in Europe is 2/3 rds of the European population living in urban areas (see graph), and this share continues to grow with nearly 80% living in urban areas by 2030.85 While the situation varies throughout the EU, there are big contrasts between rural and urban communities.
2014
Challenges at the horizon 2025
European Strategy and Policy Analysis System (ESPAS)
Cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology
In 2009, a person or persons going by the name of Satoshi Nakamoto proposed a public distributed ledger system which would rely on cryptography and self-interest to enable electronic transactions. This notable innovation, in the form of a system underpinned by incentives and mathematical proofs, would obviate the need for trust in any one actor or central institution as the basis for preventing fraud and ensuring that the ledgers were kept up to date. Within such a system, every participant therefore works to build a single public ledger of transactions and constantly verifies its validity. That ledger is known as the blockchain. The blockchain works through a competitive process whereby the first to successfully validate a block of transactions and broadcast the solution to the network wins a monetary reward. The proposed block is quickly and independently verified by every participant. If a majority of the network agrees that the block is valid, the block and the transactions it contains become part of the consensus blockchain (see figure A.2). The innovativeness of this system lies in the way in which the various parts combine to create the trust and guarantees that the traditional financial system derives from institutions and regulation. The incentives align the interest of participants towards contributing to the system’s security. In contrast, the traditional system relies on a complex armature of reporting, oversight and implicit or explicit guarantees, ultimately backed by the reputation of the central authority. As such, the blockchain technology presents the possibilit y— a first in the field of finance !— that trust in institutions backed by government can be replaced by trust in computer code.
2018
World Economic And Social Survey 2018: Frontier Technologies For Sustainable Development
United Nations
Geopolitical shifts
In 2012, the Brics countries of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa were reported as being responsible for more than 25% of the world’s GDP based on purchasing power parity and home to 40% of the global population. The axis of the world’s economic and geopolitical power has shifted – and will continue to shift – from west and north to east and south. Poverty patterns and distributions are changing alongside the wider geopolitical shifts, and donor policies are changing alongside them. Declining overseas development assistance to middle income countries and new donors entering the landscape are reshaping the nature of aid. Moreover, there is a risk that some growing political powers restrict the space for civil society action.
2015
Tomorrow’s world: seven development megatrends challenging NGOs
The Guardian
Temporary jobs become the norm
In 2012, the number of Canadians with temporary jobs – often low-paying and with few benefits – was estimated to be 13.6% of the labour force and growing three times faster than traditional jobs. As these technologies evolve, we expect they will increase productivity but may result in more part-time work, short-term contracts, micro-jobs and more foreign “virtual workers” (as described in MetaScan 2). Many have described these jobs as precarious as they lack security in terms of employment, income, skill and career development. As corporations try to reduce costs to increase competitiveness, the number of temporary jobs is growing. Should we look for ways to make these workers more productive? It is interesting to note that the high-income creative class and lower-income temporary workers face similar challenges and have similar needs.
2013
Metascan 3 emerging technologies
Canada, Policy Horizons Canada
Putting Einstein to the test - The nearest supermassive black hole will give astronomers a great laboratory
In 2015, almost exactly a century after he concocted it, Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity got a spectacular confirmation when scientists detected gravitational waves. These undulations, launched by the dances of distant, massive objects, minutely stretch the weft and warp of space time itself (and thereby of experiments designed to intercept them).
2018
The world in 2018
The Economist
So long susy?
In 2017 the idea of Supersymmetry will either be seen to be true, or die
2016
World in 2017
The Economist
Platform-Only Business Models Cede Ground
In 2017, we saw some interesting developments at the world’s most notable platforms, Uber and AirBnB, which indicated a move beyond platform-only business models and into acquisition and partnership with asset providers. This underlined a need to differentiate and overcome some of the challenges that a platform-only model presents, with the objective of increasing the value of both digital and physical assets.
2018
Top 10 Tech Trends For 2018
Forbes
Healthcare Delivery Optimization
In 2018, “I think concerns about disruptive change [related to healthcare] coming from Washington are going to be totally diminished, so people are going to be calmer in the delivery system.” Kocher says. “Health care providers will turn their attention to increasing profitability instead of bracing for large structural changes. And rather than raising prices, they’ll focus on efficiency. Kocher says his firm will continue looking for digital health companies with novel ways to reduce costs and improve outcomes. “We continue to look at things that take economic responsibility for the cost and outcomes of care, and use technology and data to make both of those better and more efficient.”
2018
The Most Important Tech Trends Of 2018, According To Top VCs
Fast Company
Drugmakers will double down on China.
In 2018, that investment translated into pharmaceutical partnerships with leading Chinese companies like health insurer Ping An (Sanofi), e-commerce giant Alibaba (Merck Group) and tech conglomerate Tencent (Novartis). Not only is the country the second largest pharmaceuticals market for many companies now, China itself is rethinking its approach to medicines. It published its first list of rare diseases six months ago, and a new drug approval process may result in new therapies from Chinese drugmakers, too. “Our experiences there are going to drive how we reimagine health care,” predicts Novartis’ Vas Narasimhan, who took over as CEO in early 2018.
2018
50 Big Ideas for 2019: What to watch in the year ahead
LinkedIn