At AdvizeX last year, we talked a lot about Cloud, BYOD/Mobility, and Managed Services.
Last year, Cloud Services grew 43%. By 2017, 17.6% of Software will be delivered through the Cloud. Mobility surged with 90% of the workforce accessing company information from uncontrolled devices, such as, smartphones and tablets. Companies were trying unsuccessfully to slow down BYOD because of security fears. Managed Services continues to grow as customers need help managing older technologies like Unix, Databases and New Technologies like Oracle Exadata and SAP HANA. The advisory service was one of the fastest growing services. Customers want help transforming their IT departments so they can provide services more quickly at a lower cost.
What are companies looking for in 2014? Companies need to transform their IT to allow them to deliver customers direct access to their internal IT systems. Customers want to be able to access information anytime, place and way they choose. Customers want the ability to decide how to communicate with companies whether it is in person, by phone, website, or by social media like Twitter or Facebook.
The consumer market continues to drive the commercial market and businesses are looking for the same things that consumers are. Employees, like consumers, want access to company resources anytime, anyplace, and from any device. This is driving IT to include security and management for mobile devices within their infrastructures.
In 2014, we foresee building on the momentum of last year, with a focus on Mobility, Big Data, Managed Services, and IT Transformation. Here’s a quick look at each of these focus areas for 2014.
Mobility
BYOD is not going away. Companies are coming to terms with BYOD and the business requirements involved in data being accessed from personal devices. The focus is now on developing an end-to-end Mobility Strategy that includes mobility security, device management, network infrastructure, compliance, and mobile applications. Strong BYOD and Mobility plans must be in place. Over 50% of companies today do not have a Mobility Strategy. We are helping customers develop their Mobility Strategy. Using the strategy, we help customers design and implement their end-to-end Mobility solution that includes Connectivity, Mobile Device Management, Security, Mobile Data Management, Regulatory & Policy Compliance, and Mobile Application Development.
Big Data
We are still early in the Big Data adoption curve, but those implementing Big Data solutions are recognizing the benefits. Our Big Data Focus is on the Volume, Velocity and Variety of Data. Volume – Over 2.5 Quintillion Bytes of Data are created every day. New types of database technologies like Columnar Databases are required to deal with this massive volume of data.
- Velocity – the data needs to be analyzed in real-time to provide value to customers. New types of technologies like In-Memory Databases are required to provide real-time analytics.
- Variety – Big Data needs to deal with a variety of data types. Over 90% of data created today is unstructured. Traditional databases do not handle unstructured data very well.
While there are a variety of new technologies required to handle Big Data, the business payback can be very large. The Financial Services industry uses Big Data to predict their customers’ behaviors. The Retail industry is using data to get customers to spend more in stores AND online. The Healthcare industry uses Big Data to decide the best locations to build new hospitals and to measure outcomes, which has led to the trend in preventative healthcare. Big Data use and adoption will continue to grow in 2014.
Managed Services
Managed services is a multi-billion dollar industry. Companies are looking to gain skills and knowledge they don’t have in house by using Managed Services both remotely and onsite. This way they don’t have to invest in new hires and training and face the risk of attrition. As technology changes are coming fast and furious, Managed Services is an easy way to stay ahead of the technology curve and to support older technologies. Our customers are leveraging Managed Services to support new technologies like SAP HANA or Oracle Exadata that they might not have those skills in-house. Customers also use Managed Services to support old technologies like Unix that they may no longer have the skills in-house.
IT Transformation
Another trend for 2014 is companies will continue to strategically plan their IT infrastructures. Data Centers and Infrastructure continue to be redefined by software. AdvizeX can help customers leverage the Software-Defined Data Center to reduce their server, storage and networking costs by nearly 50% while providing better certifications. AdvizeX is unique in the industry with our ability to provide services to plan, build, and manage your IT environment. Using our trusted Advizer tools we find the best solution to align your IT goals with your business requirements and build an IT infrastructure that is personalized for your company’s specific needs and goals.
Whatever your IT goals are for 2014 you can trust AdvizeX to be your guide in planning, building, and managing an IT infrastructure that aligns perfectly with your business requirements. We have the experience and trusted partners to exceed your goals and make your ideal IT infrastructure a reality. ▪