CLOUD COMPUTING

Tech Trends Report Reveals What's Next in IT

Rebecca Kutzer-Rice | Date: 12-16-11 | Comments

A recent report from IBM predicts what will continue trending in IT--and how trends could affect the job market.

As 2011 comes to a close, many businesses are wondering what's in store for IT in the next year. A new report from IBM identifies the biggest game-changers for current technology. Here are the top three technology trends to get behind now.

Business Analytics: As businesses in all industries face more data than ever before, analytics technologies are vital for efficiently parsing information. According to the report, 49 percent of companies hope to increase business automation. While 36 percent want to improve their analytics capabilities, 37 percent want to get more use from the analytics tools they already have in place.

With new analytics technologies constantly emerging, IT employees will need to gain analytics-related skills to help companies create and maintain systems. Those with the most experience and knowledge of analytics will likely succeed in the job markets of coming years.

Mobile Solutions: With smartphones and tablets growing more capable by the day, most companies are craving better mobile technology for business purposes. According to IBM, cross-industry enterprise applications are leading the trend, with 34 percent of businesses seeking to develop them. Industry-specific applications are close behind, at 33 percent. Additionally, 31 percent of companies are interested in expanding mobile capabilities to core applications.

Application development and programming knowledge are likely to be high on employers' lists of desirable skills. IT workers with knowledge of a variety of devices, such as iPhone and Android, will be most able to develop compatible tools.

Cloud Computing: While many companies have already implemented cloud technology, 25 percent seek to develop new applications in it, and 21 percent want to extend existing applications to the cloud. Private cloud options, in which 22 percent of respondents indicate an interest, will likely be more popular than the public cloud, which had a 13 percent response.

Flexibility and scalability, at 58 percent, was the most popular reason for interest in the cloud. Reduction of operating expenses (45 percent) and efficiency (42 percent) were also common reasons.

What do you think will be the next big thing in IT? Let us know in the comments section below!