Trends Identified
Architecture Will Shift from Server-centric to Service-centric
Information technology is evolving from a world that is server-centric to one that is service-centric. Companies are quickly moving away from monolithic systems that were wedded to one or more servers toward finer-grained, reusable services distributed inside and outside the enterprise. The evolution is being driven by the ongoing maturation of supporting tools, frameworks, and methodologies. There is still much to be done to decouple infrastructure, systems, applications, and business processes from one another. This shift has major repercussions for all levels of the enterprise architecture stack, from infrastructure to applications. Decoupling will enable components to operate independently while making software architectures reconfigurable during run time to adapt to various environments and design objectives, which will increase the flexibility of application deployment and maintenance. Although dynamic reconfiguration is not a new concept in academia, advances in cloud technology at all layers of the stack create a burning platform for such architecture.
2011
Accenture Technology Vision 2011
Accenture
Infrastructure in transition
Infrastructure comes in many forms: transportation, buildings, services and communications technology, among others. There is a high probability that infrastructure of every kind will be influenced by the technologies explored in this foresight study.
2013
Metascan 3 emerging technologies
Canada, Policy Horizons Canada
Innovation in the cloud is prolific
Innovation in cloud product offerings has been prolific as cloud providers compete to gain market share. Two significant advances over the past year are the integration of time series databases and the introduction of parallel streaming in milliseconds, giving companies a comprehensive view of activity like never before. Specifically, Apache Spark is a fast, in-memory data processing engine with development APIs to allow data workers to efficiently execute streaming, machine learning or SQL workloads that require fast, iterative access to datasets. Apache Kafka is a community distributed streaming platform capable of handling trillions of events per day. Both technologies are available in the cloud, and will be foundational for next generation surveillance, risk management and generally keeping up with the high-speed information on trading and clearing systems. It is notable that the cloud providers are embracing and supporting open source alternatives in addition to the enterprise software and proprietary solutions that are available currently. Importantly, customers are benefitting in terms of better availability and cost effectiveness of product. Some cloud providers have conceived of products that extend their offering to the customer’s premises. Other offerings allow large customers with many accounts the ability to give their employees autonomy while still maintaining control. Regulatory compliance is a key consideration for companies, and concerns about data residency are driving some global players toward a true multi-cloud offering. One implication of GDPR, for example, is that companies may not be willing to cross borders with their products and data if a cloud provider has not built out in Europe and in the company’s region. In many firms, the multi-cloud strategy is still taking shape, and the fear of traditional vendor lock-in is ever present. That said, open source foundational technologies as well as emerging ones such as Apache Kafka may be adopted across all major cloud providers. For now, firms appear to be adopting the leading cloud provider in their region plus a second one, but the right cloud strategy is a matter of perspective. For technology providers, having a multi-cloud strategy is important for product distribution and customer reach. Many financial firms, however, are still operating in a hybrid cloud mode, focusing on connecting to one cloud provider as well as their own data centers. Nasdaq will continue to monitor progress in this area.
2019
NASDAQ DECODES: TECH TRENDS 2019 -The technology trends that are driving the world of markets forward
Nasdaq
Social sciences and humanities
Innovation in the service sector (75% of the EU economy) and social innovation are largely dependent from findings in Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH). SSH also allow understanding the changing multicultural, multi-ethnic and multi-religious European societies faced by issues like inequalities, including gender inequalities, and ageing of population. SSH as such and SSH integrated in interdisciplinary research (e.g. on health, climate change and food) play a key role in long-term EU growth and quality of life. 50% of tertiary graduate students in Europe are coming from social sciences and humanities.
2015
Preparing the Commission for future opportunities - Foresight network fiches 2030
European Strategy and Policy Analysis System (ESPAS)
Measured Innovation
Innovation is shifting from “eureka” to an institutional discipline Innovation has long been accepted as an important driver of modern economic development. From economist Joseph Schumpeter’s work in the 1940’s1 to Clayton Christensen’s more recent research2 to conventional wisdom about technology’s meteoric impact on our daily lives. Corporations have taken note – recognising that effective innovation can create new market value, drive efficiencies, extend the lifecycle of products and services, and help launch new business models. Emerging technology is a continuing source of potential for innovation in business, and the CIO is the executive to deliver on that opportunity. Sounds great. But how?
2012
Tech Trends 2012-Elevate IT for digital business
Deloitte
Innovation
Innovation will create new opportunities and generate value, by successfully exploiting new and improved technologies, techniques and services, overcoming cultural and process barriers. It will occur when invention reduces costs to a point where an explosive growth cycle is realised or where a new market is created.
2010
Global strategic trends - out to 2040
UK, Ministry of Defence
Everything the same, but nicer
Innovation will increasingly come in new forms beyond novel technologies like iPads and Twitter. Look for businesses to invest more heavily in “soft innovations,” which will offer affluent customers premium products and services as substitutes for common consumer purchases, better products commanding higher prices and a greater variety of niche products. Estimated contribution to global GDP by 2020: $5 trillion.
2011
The great eight: Trillion-dollar growth trends to 2020
Bain and Company
The construction of 3D-printed homes
Innovations in robotics, AI and building materials may change both the look and the construction of new homes. The advent of large-scale 3D printing means that homes could be built more rapidly and with nano-enhanced materials, making them even stronger and more energy-efficient than they are now. It could also mean lower costs and greater flexibility in home and urban design.
2013
Metascan 3 emerging technologies
Canada, Policy Horizons Canada
Health innovations will shape health outcomes
Innovations in the health field will bring together the technological process of inventing new drugs, vaccines and diagnostic tools, with profound impact on the health systems of developing countries.
2011
Africa in 50 Years’ Time
African Development Bank
Prepping for the next big thing
Innovations tend to cluster in waves, and five potential platform technologies—nanotechnology, genomics, artificial intelligence, robotics and ubiquitous connectivity— show promise of flowering over the coming decade. In many cases, developments across technologies will be mutually reinforcing. For example, advances in nanotechnology will enable the enhanced computational power necessary for breakthroughs in artificial intelligence. Estimated contribution to global GDP by 2020: $1 trillion.
2011
The great eight: Trillion-dollar growth trends to 2020
Bain and Company