Ten Key Predictions for 2008

Gartner has come up with ten key predictions that it thinks will affect IT this year and beyond. The company claims to have short-listed these from amongst over 100 predictions it presents and reviews every year.

To begin with, Gartner has predicted that 2008 will see Apple Computer double its US and Western Europe unit market share in computers. The reasons being the company's software integration, continuous innovation in hardware and software, and an ecosystem that focuses on interoperability across multiple devices.

By 2012, 50 percent of wandering workers will leave their notebooks at home in favor of other lighter, smarter devices. While the market will have more and more Internet-centric pocketable devices, and server- and Web- based applications that can be accessed from anywhere, anytime.

By 2012, 80 percent of all commercial software will include elements of open-source technology. Large software vendors will have to invest in embedded open source strategies to remain competitive and relevant.

By 2012, at least one-third of spending on business application software will be in the form of service subscription rather than as product license.

By 2011, early adopters of technology will forgo capital expenditure, instead purchasing 40 percent of their IT infrastructure as service. Why? Increased high-speed bandwidth will make it practical to locate infrastructure at other sites, while still receiving the same response times. Also, with service oriented architecture (SOA) becoming more common, cloud computing will take off, unshackling applications from specific infrastructure.

By 2009, one or more environmental criteria will start featuring on the list of top six buying criteria for IT goods in the case of more than one-third of IT organizations.

By 2010, full life cycle energy and CO2 footprint will become mandatory PC hardware buying criteria for 75 percent of IT organizations.

By 2011, suppliers of large global enterprises will need to prove their 'Green' credentials through an audited process to retain 'preferred supplier' status.

By 2010, as much as half of all software, hardware, and services acquisitions made by IT will be decided by end-user preferences.

As compared to 2006 numbers, the number of 3D printers in homes and businesses will grow 100-fold.

Gartner has said that while the full impact of these trends may not be visible this year, IT professionals are advised to act immediately so that they can exploit the trends for their competitive advantage.

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