MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BDNA, the leader in delivering the industry’s most authoritative enterprise IT data, today released its top 10 predictions for the enterprise in 2016. The report forecasts the top IT trends that will shape the landscape of enterprise IT and the businesses it supports.
While the Internet of Things industry continues to boom, BDNA predicts a growing need to manage, secure and operate non-traditional assets in the enterprise. The Big Data quandary will continue as IT managers expand their focus to software security, BYOD management and the rise of the Chief Data Officer.
“In 2015, we saw the maturation of Big Data, broader cloud adoption and a growing embrace of the Internet of Things,” said Walker White, president of BDNA. “Amid this continued progress, newer trends are beginning to emerge. Our predictions for 2016 outline how various IT habits will flourish or flounder, as well as new trends that organizations need to be mindful of in order to get ahead of their competitors, embarking on a successful year of innovation and promise.”
By being aware of and embracing evolving enterprise priorities, IT managers will be better equipped to compete and thrive in their spaces throughout 2016. According to BDNA, in 2016 the top 10 trends in enterprise IT will be:
1. BYOD Management: It Will Get Worse Before it Gets Better
With
Gartner predicting that half of employers globally will require
employees to bring their own device for work purposes by 2017, the
enterprise will need to prepare for formatting inconsistencies, security
holes and the potential for software audits – calling into question the
cost-effectiveness of executing BYOD policies. Enterprises will need to
implement new security measures, tracking installments and increasing
use of cloud software, before the trend’s full potential can be realized.
2. Increasing Focus on Software Security
As the annual
number of data breaches continues to grow, companies will look for new
solutions to take proactive measures to protect themselves. Many
corporations are using software that is past its end-of-life support
date, putting them at increased risk of a hack. In 2016, C-level
executives will refocus their cybersecurity strategy to identify
vulnerable software still in the enterprise and take steps to eliminate
it.
3. Maturation of the Internet of Enterprise Things
This year
saw the birth of the Internet of Enterprise Things with smart devices
entering the workplace for the first time, and in 2016 we will watch it
mature as IoT technology spreads through the business lifecycle, from
manufacturing hubs to the scions of Silicon Valley. Companies will seek
ways to manage, secure and operate non-traditional IT assets as the IoT
industry explodes and becomes immersed throughout the enterprise.
4. Big Data Quandary Continues as Companies Try to Understand its
Value
Today’s Big Data phenomenon can be compared to data
warehousing when it first started about 15 years ago – the data
collected was useless until it was put into the right context for
solving specific business
operations problems. Big Data is similar in the sense that it
provides the raw materials to provide significant insights, but has no
value without the right tools to analyze it. Some strides are being made
in data analytics, but Big Data is still far from the panacea that has
been promised.
5. New Awareness of Medical Device as an Avenue to Exploit Enterprise
Networks
Smartphones, smartwatches, smarthomes – the world as a
whole is becoming “smarter,” with the IoT onslaught now spilling over
into medical devices, allowing patients and doctors to track information
like heart rate, blood pressure and glucose levels, all in real-time.
The problem is that these devices now collect incredibly sensitive
personal data, which must be zealously secured to keep it from falling
into the wrong hands. In addition, every new connected device is yet
another potential path for hacking a given network. Developers are
working at a furious pace to create hack-proof protections, but more
awareness is needed to incentivize industry-wide standards that will
uniformly secure connected medical devices.
6. Asset Management is Finding its Level On-Premise and in the Cloud
Whether
it’s files shared through Dropbox, a company’s internal files or your
personal music collection, the sky is the limit for uses for cloud
computing. But enterprises cannot do everything in the cloud, and must
maintain their on premise practices even while migrating more and more
processes to the cloud. In 2016, IT
asset management will marry the two worlds to give enterprises
better ways to manage their hybrid systems.
7. Need for More Insight into Open-Source Asset Terms
Open-source
software is a playground for developers and their organizations, able to
be modified to best fit their business needs. However, growing concerns
about security vulnerability and compliance issues – especially in the
government sector – have put a bit of a damper on the trend. Many also
fail to realize that open-source software has licensing restrictions
just like traditional software assets. Moving into 2016, open-source
users must become fully educated about the license requirements
associated with their assets, and software developers need to provide
transparency around what can and can’t be done with their code.
8. IoT Spending to Continue to Grow
With the uptick in
connected devices, including the adoption of wearables and smarthomes,
IoT spend is going to continue to rise. According to a recent Gartner
report, 6.4 billion connected “things” will be used in 2016, driving
$235 billion in spending – an increase of 22 percent over 2015. Despite
the spotlight currently shining on the consumer IoT market, IoT in the
enterprise will become an increasingly important vertical for IoT spend
and innovation as it proliferates throughout the business world.
9. IT Enterprises See Technology Adoption as a Risky Business
Today’s
technology environment is bringing constant innovation, but its
fast-paced nature – coupled with the economic ups and downs of the past
decade – has made companies increasingly hesitant to take on the risk of
adopting fledgling technologies. But the extent of this defensive
posture is approaching its peak, getting in the way of innovation and
limiting its benefits. In 2016, the level of risk avoidance practiced in
IT decisions will begin to scale back as organizations realize there is
no reward without some inherent risk.
10. The Rising Profile of the Chief Data Officer
Traditionally
relegated to the wings, the CDO has taken on an increasingly vital role
within enterprise IT just as data has become a central focus, and in
2016 this trend will lead to a significant restructuring of the C-suite.
To extract maximum value from this analytics-, security- and
asset-focused role, the CDO should report directly to the Chief
Information Security officer – a position that itself needs to have a
direct line to the CEO to recognize the importance of better data for
security and for an organization’s overall IT posture.
About BDNA
BDNA creates the
most authoritative enterprise
IT data. Armed with this invaluable information, enterprises will
make the best decisions possible, lower costs and risks as well as
accelerate the pace of their business. To produce the most relevant
results, BDNA maintains Technopedia,
the most complete, current and reliable content repository about
hardware and software. This catalog is the foundation from which BDNA
creates the highest quality enterprise IT data in the industry, which in
turn results in visibility, insight and information enterprises can
trust. Venture backed and based in Mountain View, California, BDNA
operates globally with customers across all segments and vertical
markets. For more information, please visit www.bdna.com.
