Over the years we’ve had several waves of transformation that have completely redefined IT and the role it plays in our companies. We’ve gone from the mainframe era to client server and then to Internet computing where we stand today. Because of a number of converging trends such as virtualization, enterprise mobility and wireless connectivity we find ourselves on the precipice of yet another transformation–this time to Anywhere IT.
We define this as information technology that allows any user to work from any location over any device with the best possible experience that the device and network will allow and this transformation will have profound impacts to both IT and to the business at large as it allows for users to work differently and change the way to interact with our customers, partners and suppliers.
This transformation, like the ones before it, will create a much larger overall IT budget, almost $4 trillion in 7 years, almost double the $2.2 trillion the market is today. This may fly in the face of traditional thinking, especially in the tough economy we’re in. In order to comprehend this, you need to think about the role of IT differently. One of the fundamental premises of Anywhere IT is that it will connect orders of magnitude more endpoints to the corporate network. Badge readers, environment systems, store inventory, medical devices and other types of devices that are not traditionally connected will be. The cost per connection will be roughly a tenth of what it is today but the number of things connected will explode.
To highlight the impact of Anywhere IT to both the IT department and the business I’m excited to announce that today we’ve released two Anywhere Framework Reports. Yankee Group Framework Reports tackle key questions and frame future follow-up research throughout the year. The first, “Introducing Anywhere IT” defines Anywhere IT, describes its evolution and provides IT department actionable recommendations on how to get to this vision.
The second report, “Energizing the Anywhere Enterprise” describes the impact that Anywhere IT will have on a company’s workers, suppliers, partners and customers. The report also provides some “quick hit” projects that organizations can embark on.
I’m excited about these reports, and encourage you to open your minds to this next wave of enterprise computing. When you see the amazing transformations that are about to transform the workplace, you’ll agree it’s definitely time to rethink IT, and you’ll wonder, what took so long?”
Tune into this podcast featuring myself, Communications VP Shirley Macbeth and Anywhere Enterprise analysts Gene Signorini and Sheryl Kingstone to learn more about how Anywhere IT will impact workers, customers, partners and IT itself.