We’ve seen the IT priorities for companies for 2017. But what are going to be the main tech trends? Were are about to find out, thanks to a new survey.
It’s the latest part of Computerworld’s Forecast 2017 which the magazine publishes. It shows what while the IT priorities for companies might be set in stone, IT professionals keep their eye on the overall trends and are ready to act on them, as well.
For example, 47% of the 196 respondents (mostly IT managers) say they plan to increase the spending on security tech next year. 14% even say security is the most important tech project at their organizations at the moment.
That’s good as security is one of the main tech trends for 2017. With the latest news of more than a billion users’ data being hacked over at Yahoo, keeping company and customer data secure is more important than ever. A potential data breach might wreak havoc on your organization. At the very least it will be very damaging to your reputation.
Security needs IT guards
Sadly, only 15% of the respondents say they expect security to be the top challenge for the leadership. Another 15% say they are already testing enterprise security technologies. Finally, 19% say their goal is to meet their security, privacy and/or compliance goals.
The main problem is that most companies still don’t believe they will get hacked. Most security companies say it’s not a question of “if’, but “when”. Even so, firms only do so much. While it’s important to invest in proper security tech, good overall security means investing in the employees as well. Everyone in the company should have at least a basic security training and should follow overall guidelines which would at the least minimize potential damages from hacking attempts.
Still, one-quarter of the survey respondents with hiring plans ranked security as the most difficult skill to hire for, Computerworld notes. So, you should invest in your people. It’s a similar boat for the other tech trends.
Analytics and services rule
Analytics is another top trend. 38% of respondents say they plan to increase spending on data analytics for 2017. 21% of organizations are already testing big data projects. Almost 30% see analytics as a disruptive tech which will make an impact. Again, there are not enough skilled workers. Honing these skills though is a tough challenge.
Another key trend is “things as a service”. This includes Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), platforms (PaaS) and infracturcture (IaaS). They are going to be important for between 24% and 29% of respondents depending on the type of service. 29% even expect cloud or SasS to be the most disruptive technology to their business over the next 3 to 5 years.
Don’t forget the mobile and…
The fourth tech trend is mobile apps. 35% of participants plan to increase spending on mobile systems. 10% are testing them already and 21% will hire more people who can crate and manage apps. It’s a good time to be a software developer, especially if you have some of these skills. And these, too.
Finally, the fifth trend is a bit of a surprise. The Tech Forecast 2017 says Virtualization will be a top trend once again. This comes in light of other claims that Virtualization has reached its peak. Even so, those who already use it, seem to plan to expand on it. 18% of respondents say they plan to hire more people with such skills. Desktop systems and Storage are the top two virtualization initiatives.
All of these different techs have a similar goal, though. 48% of respondents say their main goal is to use technology to improve their customer satisfaction.