Technology trends in the networked economy

Sponsored by HP In the interest of SMEs

We are shifting towards the 'Networked Economy' - one where successful businesses are those that are linked in real time with their suppliers and customers.

Paul Boshoff, HP's PSG Country Manager, highlights five broad technology trends to look out for this year to help small and medium businesses be more successful. He also looks at some of the ways that these large shifts will influence the way we do our jobs, connect with the customer, and respond to the changing marketplace.

Service-oriented models for smaller business

Good news for many small and medium businesses this year, is that they can look forward to access to service-oriented models that in the past have only catered for enterprises. Opportunities are emerging for smaller businesses to enjoy traditional enterprise services such as utility-based computing and on-demand service models.

In the search for greater flexibility and pricing models, the main activity is going to be in determining how best to allocate the usage of resources. The development of these services will make them more accessible to a broader range of companies, and ease of use will often make it possible to substitute expensive IT staff.

IDC says great news for small businesses with little time for IT, is that the shift from products to services will accelerate, including an increase in next-generation applications delivered as online services.

Security causes concern

Security threats remain a top concern with companies of all sizes facing continually evolving security threats - and these threats will come from many more directions than only the hacker community and malicious code in 2006.

Traditional network threats posed by worms, viruses, and Trojan horse will be joined by sophisticated corporate espionage, terrorism, and phishing scams, leading IDC to predict that these forces will combine to make security one of the top three factors driving IT spending in 2006.

Mobile and handheld technologies flourish

Mobile and handheld technologies will be increasingly adopted by a more sophisticated customer base but it is important that companies keep up with new demands to make informed purchasing decisions.

Increased mobility will also lead to more remote workers. As broadband wireless adoption increases, and more devices are able to take advantage of it, profound changes will occur in the way people work. One of Gartner's top predictions is that more companies will ensure that their employees purchase notebook computers¹.

In addition, mobile socialisation applications are emerging. A poll of futurists², found strong consensus in emerging applications that put mobile technologies such as the HP iPAQ to work - giving employees the freedom to work anytime, anywhere. The introduction of applications such as the HP iPAQ hw6515 Mobile Messenger will help further drive the shift in how businesses and consumers securely and seamlessly connect to share digital content, information and services, ultimately reaping the benefits of working more efficiently and productively.

Business process outsourcing on the rise

With companies requiring more agility and a flexible infrastructure, models for outsourcing are evolving to be more in line with the IT goals leading to increasingly specialised processes being outsourced. As with utility computing, smaller customers will reap the benefits. Furthermore, IDC says that Google is becoming a viable alternative for information outsourcing for individuals and companies.

Converging media takes the stage

The competitive pressures to control technology in the living room are shaping new industry alliances, refining digital rights management issues, and creating systems and standards for delivering content that will last for decades. Delivering media to the home is a major focus for 2006, with the main question being which delivery model will best deliver the content.

The video iPod is opening new doors for podcasting many types of visual content. Consumers are driving demand for new experiences in a world where iPods are increasingly the way we experience music, and 'Podcasting' is changing the way we find music and share other rich media content.

¹ Gartner Predicts Key Tech Trends for 2006
² Futurists Pick Top Tech Trends

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