Anyone interested in the top business technology trends for 2014 should refer to some of the discussions and analysis that took place amongst industry professionals at the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo held during the second week of October 2013. There were ten different trends that were the focal points of the discussions among IT executives and industry experts meeting at the expo. Gaining a matured understanding of these developing trends can be an effective advantage for business managers and owners looking to stay ahead of the proverbial curve.
Evolving Mobile and Internet
Some of the trends that will be of interest for innovative enterprises during the year 2014 include the growing diversity and management functions of mobile devices, improved mobile applications and apps and an enhanced era of connectivity as the Internet of Everything continues to evolve. In conjunction with improvements to Java and HTML5, there are an increasing number of tools being created to develop more complex and comprehensive mobile apps. More employers will begin establishing wireless parameters in order to minimize the increasing data footprint of the rapidly growing mobile workforce.
Clouds, Software and Scale
Some of the other tech trends upcoming for 2014 include newly designed cloud platforms shifting towards more IT oriented services, advancements in the cloud/client architecture, software defined anything (SDx) and the prominence of the personal cloud. Web-scale IT will also be a growing interest for large enterprises that need cloud and IT services deployed over massive dimensions. Software defined anything is raising the standard of compatibility for vendors across several different industries. The personal cloud will become the primary hub for many consumers in 2014, replacing the PC has the longstanding preferred choice.
3D Printing and Smart Machines
Much of the excitement for 2014 is due to the potential that industry experts see in smart machines and 3D printing. Intelligent systems and autonomous machines are expected to be some of the most progressive innovations leading into 2020 and beyond. As they may be deployed effectively on both a personal and industrial scale, analysts expected smart machines to herald in the most disruptive era in IT history. Analysts expect increased investment in these types of devices in an effort to improve consumerization. The 3D printing industry is expected to grow 75 percent in 2014, and double the number of shipments the year after. Consumer interest in additive manufacturing has increased significantly within the past few years.
Embracing these innovative trends for 2014 now may prove to be paramount for enterprises that are interested in gaining an edge on the competition. Learning about investing in more options relating to cloud infrastructure, mobile applications, 3D printing or smart machines is enough to improve the bottom line and create new options for expansion in nearly any industry. Executives and business owners will benefit from creating initiatives now with their IT teams in order to get an early start on the discovery phase of this 2014 venture.
