26. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS.docx

TOOL 26 – INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS


The today’s rapid changing world, which is becoming more and more global, demands companies to respond in a quick way. This includes being aware of developments arising in the field of information technology. This is a continuously process which may lead to a gain in competitive advantage, a more streamlined organization or even the creation of a new business form.

In the table below an overview of recent IT developments and trends can be found.

IT developments & trends

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IT TRENDS: 7 GROWING PRIORITIES FOR 2010

•Use social networks to sell products

•Use alternative productivity apps

•Telework / Virtual Office, etc.

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TOP 10 SERVER TECHNOLOGY TRENDS FOR THE NEW DECADE

•Mobile computing

•Virtualization

•Web-based Applications, etc.

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GARTNER IDENTIFIES IT TRENDS FOR 2010

•Cloud Computing

•Social Computing, etc.

Business and IT Trends Institute

•Business IT alignment

•Trends in IT 2010-2011


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•Software as a service

•Virtualization

•Enterprise Mobility

•Web and Video Collaboration

•Social Networking, etc.

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IT TRENDS AND STRATEGIES

•IT Helpdesk Management Series

•Data Network Outsourcing Trends

•Data Center Automation, etc.


To show how IT developments and trends can be implemented in practice, an IT developments-model is constructed. This model describes the process from an overview of IT developments and trends towards an overview of relevant and useful ones from a business perspective.

The main steps of this model are presented in the table below.

Step / phase

Explanation

Classification

(link to tool)

During this step the IT development team classifies all IT developments in the quadrant (see tool). Keeping in mind the organizational vision, the team can discover the value of an IT development.

Prioritization

Using the following questions, the team can prioritize the IT Developments:

- Does the development lead to sustainable competitive advantage?

- Can the development be applied globally?

- Does it expand your current user segment?

- How does the development affect the value chain?

- Which (extra) competencies and capabilities does the company need?


Based upon this analysis, the IT development team should come up with a list of relevant IT developments and trends from a business perspective.

The classification-phase is represented in a tool (link to tool) that can be used by managers.