Gartner's top 10 technology trends for 2015: All about the cloud

From Tech Republic

“Gartner analysts suggest you keep a close eye on the items listed in its latest trend report. Michael Kassner examines the technologies on the list and finds a common thread: cloud.

Since 2007, Gartner has been predicting the top strategic technology trends for the coming year - not an easy task considering the volatility of the IT market. David Cearley, Gartner vice president and fellow who analyzes business and technology trends, has been involved with this research project from the beginning. "We have identified the top ten technology trends that organizations cannot afford to ignore in their strategic planning processes," he said. "This does not necessarily mean adoption and investment in all the trends at the same rate, but companies should look to make deliberate decisions about them during the next two years."

In this year's report, Gartner Identifies the Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2015, the analysts describe their focus this way: "Factors that denote significant impact include a high potential for disruption to the business, end users or IT, the need for a major investment, or the risk of being late to adopt. These technologies impact the organization's long-term plans, programs and initiatives”."

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You can’t hand off risk

From ABA Banking Journal

“In light of increased outsourcing and third-party involvement in bank activities, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Reserve recently issued separate guidance on managing third-party relationships and outsource risk. The guidance highlights the potential risks arising from the use of service providers and describes the elements of an appropriate third-party risk management program.

With their recent guidance, regulators have warned that failure to have an effective risk management process in place that is commensurate with the risk and complexity of a bank’s third-party relationships might be an unsafe and unsound banking practice. Banks need to promptly evaluate their current third-party risk management programs in accordance with the new guidance in order to avoid regulatory criticism and potential additional consequences in their next examination.”

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Avoid "Bring Your Own Cloud" syndrome

From TechRepublic

"Just as one-off spreadsheets and databases have created headaches for IT leaders for decades, so, too, will cloud applications forcibly introduce unplanned and non-integrated tools into the application portfolio.

With the advent of cheap, ubiquitous cloud services that require little more than a credit card and 30 minutes to provision, many IT leaders have experienced the moment of dread when they discover a business unit has adopted a cloud application unbeknownst to IT. Perhaps there was a help desk call for support of the application, or a sudden request for an interface or report.

"But we don’t use SuperCloud 3000," you might have quipped, only to matter-of-factly be told that not only does the company use it, but it has been deployed for nearly a year, with hundreds of users. Oh, and by the way, it’s now deemed a “business critical” application, and you are expected to support it without any additional resources."

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2013 Tech Trends - The Business of IT

From the “Deloitte CIO Journal”

"When it comes to supporting business performance, IT has a thirty-plus-year record of delivering what's needed. First it was the transition from manual processes to technology-driven solutions. Then, from standalone systems to integrated offerings. And now, IT is striving for similar returns from information, digital and innovation.

In the years ahead, however, IT's value proposition will likely increasingly be shaped by how well it addresses its second mandate: to improve operational efficiency in the business of IT itself.

For many CIO organizations, operational efficiency is not a rosy story. As IT has focused on making line-of-business operations efficient, the underlying mechanics of the business of IT have often been ignored. From how solutions are built and managed to how resources are deployed to how accomplishments get measured and reported, it's time for CIOs to invest in their own shops. That means driving tools to capture, report and manage their full portfolio of projects, vendors and resource pools -- across planning, implementation and ongoing operations."

2013 Tech Trends CIO as the Postdigital Catalyst

From "Deloitte CIO Journal"

Five macro forces - analytics, mobile, social, cloud and cyber - are hard at work enabling and disrupting organizations of many shapes and sizes. The Postdigital Enterprise provokes and harvests these disruptions by changing operating models, capabilities and perhaps even business models. Industrialization wasn't complete when we entered the post-industrial era; it had simply become the new basis for competition. The same holds true for these digital forces in the Postdigital era.

CIOs are in a unique position to be the harbingers of change. To serve as catalysts across the executive suite, helping others understand the boundaries of the possible. To force thinking beyond veneering existing solutions and processes. To stand accountable for realizing transformation.

What's at stake may very well be the future of the business. Tomorrow's leading CIOs are likely to be those who rise to the challenge, perhaps reframed as the Chief Digital Officer, forging new identities as a postdigital catalyst -- an agent to provoke or speed the move to the Postdigital era.

What we are reading … 25th March 2013

Banking on cloud http://www.finextra.com/Community/FullBlog.aspx?blogid=7474

7 Ridiculously Simple Social Media Fixes For Financial Marketers http://bit.ly/148OV3t

RBS to put £700m into upgrading its aging retail banking operations http://dld.bz/crWAW

How Banks Can Compete In the Mobile Shopping Market http://twb.io/YRyELq

Should you switch to an online-only bank? http://on.mktw.net/16GZyKv

FirstMerit Unveils Website that Responds to Mobile Devices http://dld.bz/crWAR

Is China after More than IP? http://www.bankinfosecurity.com/blogs/china-after-more-than-ip-p-1441#.UUlGk7PaXGo.twitter The future for digital wallets http://www.finextra.com/Video/Video.aspx?videoid=354