In Top 10 IT Trends for 2009, Samuel Greengard listed the following 10 trends:
- Software as a Service (SaaS)
- Virtualization
- Enterprise mobility
- Energy-efficient data centers
- Security, risk, and compliance
- Social networking
- Web 2.0
- Document management and e-discovery
- Project management and project portfolio management
- Web and video collaboration
I wasn’t too surprised to see SaaS as #1 on the list. “(SaaS) is growing at an annual rate exceeding 40 percent… it is expected to command a 23 percent share of the $120 billion U.S. software market by 2010, according to RBC Capital Markets,” Greengard wrote. That’s incredible, and confirms that the move of software online, and the use of the Internet as a platform, is both well established, and the future of software. There are many examples of highly successful SaaS companies, including Salesforce.com, 37signals, and everything Google. Our ADS AppSuite is delivered using the SaaS model. There are many advantages to both customers and vendors to provide software in this way, not the least of which is lower costs for everyone.
Virtualization has been used in data centers for many years. It’s use is now increasing inside companies, allowing better utilization of servers, many of which have idle capacity. It is also going much further, extending out onto the desktop. And wouldn’t you know it, thin clients are making a comeback.
Enterprise mobility means real-time or near real-time access to data anytime, anywhere. Near real-time is today’s reality, and real-time is almost at hand. Using SaaS makes it much easier. The challenge is still keeping everything in sync. At ADS, we keep as many of our systems online as possible, so they can be accessed from anywhere. This makes managing a business that much easier.
Social networking is near and dear to my heart. I’m an avid user of Twitter, LinkedIn, and to a lesser degree Facebook. Companies are using social networks to get closer to their users, establish new relationships, and crowd-source. Companies also use internal wikis and blogs for knowledge management and distribution.
Tim O’Reilly coined the term “Web 2.0,” and later clarified what he meant in an article titled What is Web 2.0. To summarize, Web 2.0 includes:
- The web as a platform
- Harnessing collective intelligence
- Data as the next Intel inside
- End of the software release cycle
- Lightweight programming models
- Software above the level of a single device
- Rich user experience
“Adds Tim O’Reilly…’We are seeing the Internet become a preferred platform for application development’.” Most of the trends on the top 10 list confirm this. We can get RSS feeds for many online data sources, mashups, blogs and wikis have made their way into the enterprise, using agile techniques SaaS providers can deliver software more often, and technologies like javascript and Adobe Flex deliver rich user experiences.
In today’s economic climate, project management (PM) and project portfolio management (PPM) are extremely important. High transparency in projects allows you to see whether or not they are on-track and on-budget. PPM helps to identify critical projects that should be targeted for investment. Knowing which projects to focus on and which to delay ensures delivery of effective business value, and helps companies adapt to changing business and market conditions.
Web and video collaboration should be in the toolbox of every company. We use GoToMeeting for sprint reviews, and to keep in touch with our customers, most of which are well outside of driving distance. Skype helps our team keep in touch with each other. When you can’t get together in person, video conferencing is the next best thing. Advances in telepresence make meetings seem like you are in the same room. It’s getting awesome.
2009 Outlook
With the economic recession expected to reach far into 2009, lowering costs while maintaining effectiveness is crucial. While many companies may cut costs by reducing their workforce, innovative companies that can leverage SaaS applications, better utilize hardware using virtualization, provide data to a remote workforce, get closer to their customers and establish new relationships, invest in projects that deliver the most business value, and increase communication between staff and customers, will become more competitive and make it through.