Trends Identified

IPv6 (and this time we mean it)

The backbone of the Internet is straining. And we’re running out of time. Internet Protocol (IP) is how we connect to anyone and anything on the Internet. Every participating device, application, or service has a distinct address – a way to identify itself and communicate with other devices, applications, and services. Today’s IP standard, IPv4, dates back to the 1970s. It allowed for 4.3 billion unique IP addresses, which was more than sufficient to meet the computing demands of the time. Fast forward to 2013, with more than a billion personal computers in use1, a billion smartphones2, many times as many corporate desktops, laptops, network equipment, and servers, and a growing number of non-traditional sensor and actuator devices, including cars, thermostats, aircraft engines, elevators, and vending machines. IP addresses have become a scarce resource, already exhausted in some regions: Asia Pacific (APNIC) ran out in April 2011; Europe (RIPE) in September 2012; and IPv4 in North America (ARIN) will likely be fully assigned by spring 20145.

2013

Tech Trends 2013 Elements of postdigital

Deloitte

Is the influencers marketing boom sustainable?

Influencer marketing has become the industry’s hot go-to strategy – just take a look at the host of celebrities on your social media feeds encouraging you to visit this hotel and try that beauty product. Many brands have invested heavily, attracted by the opportunity to amplify their content and organically build new relationships. But is this buzzworthy trend all that it’s cracked up to be and, importantly, is it set to be a sustainable strategy for brands?

2018

Trends 18

GlobalWebIndex

IT Security Will Respond Rapidly, Progressively—and in Proportion

There is no such thing as watertight IT security. Yet for years, business and technology leaders have acted as if the only alternative to a “fully secure” state is an unacceptable “fully breached” state. This “fortress mentality” is outdated— and no longer realistic or practical. Leading security specialists are devising reflex-like systems whose responses step up with the severity of the breach. In extreme cases, counterattacks may even become part of an organization’s repertoire of responses. We believe that new security solutions and architectures will, like human reflexes, respond instinctively to the growing speed, scale, and variety of attacks. This implies that for the first line of defense, people will not be part of the decision loops; the speed and frequency of attacks dictate that human responses must make way for automated capabilities that detect, assess, and respond immediately. And the increasing “attack surface” – across more devices, more systems, more people, more business partners, and broader physical infrastructure— supports the case for automated capabilities that detect, assess, and respond to external threats immediately.

2011

Accenture Technology Vision 2011

Accenture

IT unbounded - The business potential of IT transformation

As organizations modernize their IT operating and delivery models, some are creating multifunctional teams and breaking down silos across IT. They are also looking beyond organizational boundaries to explore the open talent market and to form new types of relationships with vendors, incubators, and academics. Finally, with technology dominating strategic business priorities, some companies are educating executives and staff to increase awareness and understanding of both core and emerging technologies. For many, embracing this multifaceted approach may require adjustments to org models, IT processes, and supporting systems. The good news is that irrespective of an organization’s legacy footprint, there are systematic approaches that can make the task more manageable. And the outcome may justify the effort: Services become “unbounded” and more efficient, transforming the IT organization.

2017

Tech trends 2017 - the kinetic enterprise

Deloitte

IT worker of the future - A new breed

Scarcity of technical talent is a significant concern across many industries, with some organizations facing talent gaps along multiple fronts. The legacy-skilled workforce is retiring, and organizations are scrambling for needed skills in the latest emerging, disruptive technologies. To tackle these challenges, companies will likely need to cultivate a new species—the IT worker of the future—with habits, incentives, and skills that are inherently different from those in play today.

2015

Tech trends 2015 - The fusion of business and IT

Deloitte

It’s a question of trust

We’ve discussed what CEOs are doing to make their organisations more agile, more appealing and more profitable. To succeed in, and align, these three goals, CEOs know they’ll have to repair the bridges between business and society. CEOs also recognise the important role that business can play in addressing social challenges and improving national outcomes.

2013

16th Annual global CEO Survey

PWC

It’s the green economy

Historical, carbon-intensive models of economic growth are unsustainable. Since the Industrial Revolution there has been a strong correlation of GDP per capita with CO emissions.77 The use of carbon has yielded extraordinary benefits and none of the now advanced economies would have developed without it, but the negative costs arising from the consequent climate change now pose
a rising threat.

2013

Now for the long term - The Report of the Oxford Martin Commission for Future Generations

Oxford Martin School

Jacking into your brain

Of all the ways that we have been aided by technology, forging a direct link between our brains and computers is the most intimate yet. Brain-machine interfaces (BMI) are poised to challenge our notions of identity, culpability and the acceptable limits of human enhancement.

2011

Seven technologies to disrupt the next decade

NewScientist

Jobless growth: will robots and computers destroy our jobs?

Renowned economist John Maynard Keynes predicted nearly 80 years ago that the world would face ‘technological unemployment’ ‘due to our discovery of means of economising the use of labour outrunning the pace at which we can find new uses for labour.’ Most mainstream economists say that the current technical revolution is set to destroy many jobs, but that it will create enough new ones to prevent unemployment from spiralling out of control. This is what happened during previous industrial revolutions. But a growing number of experts believe that Keynes’ prophecy may materialise in the 21st century, although wise government policies may significantly alleviate the process.

2016

Global Trendometer - essays on medium- and long-term global trends

European Strategy and Policy Analysis System (ESPAS)

Keeping it cool

As the planet warms and populations become increasingly urbanised, the demand for cooling is on the rise, but existing technology is outdated and heavily polluting. With the increasing need to reduce carbon emissions, this growing market presents more and more opportunities to reduce the need for cooling and make cooling efficient.

2018

Global opportunity report

DNV GL