Publisher's Synopsis
Strategy powers everything! Strategy changes everything! We're pleased to present a summary of our research into IT of the future in this executive brief. This brief is prepared for the C-suite executives to deliver uniquely defined strategies for exceptional performance through the remainder of this decade well into 2020's. In the next 5 years, we'll witness tremendous innovations in technology led by three thought leading companies: Amazon, Facebook and Apple. New application platforms now provide both faster rate of transactions and unprecedented access to customers. The new platforms only accelerate the pace of change. IT organizations are pressed to lead, not follow these changes. The 2020's offer remarkable range of both opportunities and risks; opportunities based on new digital data services, and risks due to rapidly changing technologies that have short shelf life and obsolete fast. More than 70% of executives in our research report that the rate of change has increased and that they expect further accelerated shifts in the next 5 years. We suggest that accelerating the firm's clock-speed is the most effective strategy to leverage new opportunities and mitigate risks in the coming decade. This brief focuses on the future of technology in the enterprise and implications for corporate IT. We have drawn on the expertise of technology innovators, futurists, C-Suite executives and researchers to develop a forecast that will help business and IT leaders identify and prioritize opportunities. The most fundamental shift in IT is transformation. The IT organization of the 2020s is transforming itself continuously as it transforms the firm. The focal point of emphasis shifts from Information Technology to Innovation Technology. What will the enterprise look like in 2020? And how should IT leaders respond? We conducted a comprehensive research and analysis of business models, workforce changes, and consumer behaviors that will have the greatest impact as they combine with the digital shifts in 2020. Collectively, these trends point to 10 shifts areas. Within each shift, there are sub-trends that affect most industries, markets or customer segments. In this executive brief, we review the 10 super trends and six major shifts that affect IT. We offer strategies to leverage these trends and turn uncertainty into opportunity for IT organizations.
