Using IT effectively can be a game changer for your business. As the leading provider of IT services in the Dallas Fort Worth Area, we make sure we’re on top of industry trends so that we can keep our clients up-to-date, and ahead of the competition.

The bottom line for your business? Obviously, IT services need to change with the times. But to get the most business value out of technology (and to stay ahead of the competition), your company needs to go further. You need to look to the future so you can be on the cutting edge of the latest technology. But what if you just want to get on with business?  These changes present opportunity, but they can also be a bit overwhelming. The right computer network support company can partner with you to make sure you’re taking advantage of the technology that’s right for your company. NCC Data, the premier provider of IT services in the Dallas Fort Worth Area, can help your business prepare for a future where IT isn’t just a business support, it’s a game-changer.
Mobile Apps and Cloud Platforms Merging to Create the App Internet

Forrester Research recently issued a report that identifies the top three IT areas expected to provide the most business value in the near future.  Forrester, an independent research company focused on business and technology, asked 208 IT executives where they expected change in the next three years. The ensuing report, “The Top 10 Technology Trends EA Should Watch: 2012 To 2014,” also identified areas IT execs believed would provide the most business value in the next three years. The three top tech opportunities? Business intelligence (BI), mobile apps and application platforms.

It’s anticipated that business intelligence will use improved, cloud-based data mining and reporting tools to help companies save money, increase workflow, and find new markets. BI can also provide businesses with hard numbers that can help to justify decisions made more difficult by the tight economy.

Mobile apps will continue to evolve and provide business value for companies savvy enough to look beyond email and customer-facing mobile solutions. They’re a cost-effective way to make the most of out-of-office time.

“Elastic” applications for cloud services like IaaS (infrastructure as-a-service) and PaaS (platform-as-a-service),  are the application platforms that IT execs think will offer lower total cost of ownership and deliver the most business value.

Businesses that want to take advantage of these opportunities must be prepared—and many are not, lacking the infrastructure and computer network support necessary to support these changes. Companies wishing to utilize next-generation business intelligence and big data will need to consider enterprise data warehousing. If they want to stay ahead of the curve with mobile apps and platform applications, they’ll need to support the BlackBerry, iOS and Android platforms, manage apps on many devices, and create mobile and desktop apps that use new technologies such as HTML5 and PaaS for platform compatibility.

Clearly, the proliferation of mobile apps will call for IT to support at least the BlackBerry, iOS and Android platforms, as well as increased acceptance of personal — and potentially corporate-liable — devices that connect to enterprise resources. The good news, writes Hopkins, is that mobile apps are relatively inexpensive, and they’re improving as context-aware technologies via sensors, location services, and better security and battery management.

The application platforms category, which refers to development of “elastic” applications for cloud services such as IaaS (infrastructure as-a-service) and PaaS (platform-as-a-service), is seen as a top changer by 34 percent of respondents and 28 percent believe app platforms will deliver business value.

Mobile apps and cloud platforms will offer lower TCO (total cost of ownership) and CIOs should plan to capitalize on that over the next few years, writes Forrester’s Hopkins, who also recommends that enterprise IT be prepared to manage apps on many devices and develop mobile and desktop apps that use new technologies such as HTML5 and PaaS for platform compatibility.

In the coming years, Forrester predicts that mobile apps and cloud services will merge to form what the company calls the “App Internet,” where specialized apps will use the storage and processing power of PCs, smartphones and tablets and the scale and flexibility of the cloud to allow applications to communicate with other apps and devices.

The App Internet, if it plays out, would mark the end of the website as we know it and the dawn of the mobile app era, states the Forrester report. It’s also certain to change how developers and enterprises create apps and manage the devices that run them.

“This type of interaction requires a new architecture, and it’s not one that most companies currently support,” writes Hopkins.

Yet there is a contradiction at play in the Forrester survey. Respondents did not indicate plans to change the back-end data warehouse infrastructure that most BI apps depend on.

“The enterprise data warehousing category ranked 19 out of 25 in terms of expectations for change,” writes report author and Forrester analyst Brian Hopkins. “EAs [enterprise architects] should reconsider this in light of the significant technology changes that next-generation BI and big data are driving.”

It should come as no surprise that mobile apps and application platforms were ranked number two and three respectively, with high ranks for expected change and increased value.

Thirty-six percent of respondents see mobile apps for smartphones and tablets as a top changer and 32 percent believe mobile apps will deliver the most business value.

Clearly, the proliferation of mobile apps will call for IT to support at least the BlackBerry, iOS and Android platforms, as well as increased acceptance of personal — and potentially corporate-liable — devices that connect to enterprise resources. The good news, writes Hopkins, is that mobile apps are relatively inexpensive, and they’re improving as context-aware technologies via sensors, location services, and better security and battery management.

The application platforms category, which refers to development of “elastic” applications for cloud services such as IaaS (infrastructure as-a-service) and PaaS (platform-as-a-service), is seen as a top changer by 34 percent of respondents and 28 percent believe app platforms will deliver business value.

Mobile apps and cloud platforms will offer lower TCO (total cost of ownership) and CIOs should plan to capitalize on that over the next few years, writes Forrester’s Hopkins, who also recommends that enterprise IT be prepared to manage apps on many devices and develop mobile and desktop apps that use new technologies such as HTML5 and PaaS for platform compatibility.

In the coming years, Forrester predicts that mobile apps and cloud services will merge to form what the company calls the “App Internet,” where specialized apps will use the storage and processing power of PCs, smartphones and tablets and the scale and flexibility of the cloud to allow applications to communicate with other apps and devices.

The App Internet, if it plays out, would mark the end of the website as we know it and the dawn of the mobile app era, states the Forrester report. It’s also certain to change how developers and enterprises create apps and manage the devices that run them.

“This type of interaction requires a new architecture, and it’s not one that most companies currently support,” writes Hopkins.

The takeaway? Obviously your IT services need to change with time times. But to get the most business value out of technology, you need to go a step further. Being on the cutting edge of the latest changes can put you ahead of the competition. The right computer network support company can partner with you to make sure you’re taking advantage of the technology that’s right for your company.

Last week  at the  annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, U.S. CIO Steven VanRoekel pledged to make 2012 “the year of the mobile.” VanRoekel, a former Microsoft executive, the past managing director of the Federal Communications Commission, and the second CIO of the United States, plans to remake the way the federal government approaches mobile technology.  Acknowledging that the government has lagged behind in adopting new technology, he is looking outside the government for ideas and best practices, hoping to divide the bridge between the private sector and the feds.

VanRoekel noted that the feds and the private sector are both dealing with the recent transformative IT trends, including the migration to the cloud, the consumerization of IT, and the increasing reliance on mobile devices. In light of these developments, VanRoekel created a new federal mobility strategy with six primary goals:

1. Incorporate the potential of mobile technology into federal government activities;
2. Build mobile technologies and services so they can be reused and shared among agencies and public developers;
3. Manage mobile and wireless acquisition, as well as inventory and expenses efficiently;
4. Create a government-wide foundation to provide mobility services across all agencies;
5. Promote collaboration to enhance mobility technology across government; and
6. Set up a governance structure for federal mobile efforts.

Besides leveling the IT playing field, VanRoekel believes that the new strategy will save the government money—in fact, it already has. By coordinating efforts and analyzing current technology, the administration is able to spot costly, ineffective practices, like the 21 distinct email systems employed by the Department of Agriculture. The department now has one system, which operates at a third of the cost of the former one. “We have a really great opportunity to cut costs while increasing our productivity,” said VanRoekel.

As an IT management consulting firm, we applaud the government’s proactive efforts at organization. We also believe that this strategy (and the fact that there now is one) provides a few takeaway lessons:

• Mobile technology is here to stay.
• Every business needs to have a mobile strategy.
• Employing a mobile strategy can make your business more efficient and save you money.

Not sure where to begin? NCC Data, the premier provider of IT Services in the Dallas-Fort Worth, can help. We offer more than computer network support services — as an IT management consulting firm, we can assist you in creating and employing a mobile strategy that can improve efficiency, and take advantage of the many opportunities that new technology provides.

Even Steven VanRoekel admits that the federal government lags behind most of the private sector. If your business doesn’t have a mobile strategy, it’s time to catch up. Let NCC Data help.