Digital Lifescapes

As a savvy CEO, you may believe that your organization is an IT innovator. But are you ready to become a Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) pioneer in your industry? If not, why are you hesitant? International Data Corporation (IDC) predicts that by 2028, GenAI-based tools will be capable of writing 70 percent of enterprise software tests -- decreasing the need for manual testing, and resulting in improvements to test coverage, software usability, and code quality. According to the IDC assessment, 48 percent of enterprises in the Asia-Pacific region consider code review and testing as one of the important tasks that AI could most effectively help developers streamline. GenAI Tools Market Development IDC research shows that the top areas of emphasis for utilizing AI/ML with testing include prioritizing tests, discovering the underlying cause of failed tests, creating test cases, plus self-healing and testing procedures. GenAI for test automation is becoming more popular amongst ...

Savvy CEOs have high expectations that their Information Technology (IT) organization will be a strategic enabler of Digital Transformation. However, there is often a mismatch with the IT talent demand, and their internal IT team's digital business skills. The roles and activities performed by IT professionals must evolve dramatically due to the demand for convergence of modern software development technologies, cloud computing platforms, and the creation of Everything-as-a-Service offerings. Many IT professionals will find themselves in hybrid roles that combine traditional development activities with activities that formerly were associated with operations professionals who historically had few or no development-oriented responsibilities. Enterprise IT Role Market Development A new International Data Corporation (IDC) market study provides an extended census and forecast with detail for both traditional IT operations roles, and these new hybrid roles. The data shows that a dramat...

Business technology leadership continues to evolve as more progressive organizations apply innovative digital transformation strategies. The focus is on business outcome attainment and a culture of meritocracy that reward bold leaders. By 2024, 80 percent of technology products and services will be built by mainstream business people who are not technology professionals, according to the latest worldwide market study by Gartner. This trend is driven by a new category of buyers outside of the traditional IT organization, occupying a larger share of the overall IT market. Today, total business-led IT spend averages up to 36 percent of the total formal IT budget, and it will continue to grow. Business-Driven App Market Development "Digital business is treated as a team sport by CEOs and no longer the sole domain of the IT department," said Rajesh Kandaswamy, vice president at Gartner . "Growth in digital data, low-code development tools and artificial intelligence (AI)-assi...

A relatively small group of savvy executives have strategies in place to harness new business process automation technologies and thereby advance their digital transformation agenda. Meanwhile, a much larger group is closely following the market leaders, to explore their lessons-learned from pilot projects. According to the latest worldwide market study by 451 Research, new survey results suggest most organizations are adopting or considering artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) due to its commercial growth benefits, rather than the potential to cut jobs. Despite being somewhat new, there's adoption momentum for the technology. Machine Learning Market Development Almost 50 percent of their survey respondents have deployed or plan to deploy machine learning in their organizations within the next 12 months. Therefore, this paints a more optimistic picture of machine learning adoption than is often portrayed by other industry analysts. "Out of man...

Demand for blockchain solutions are accelerating across the globe. Given the maturity of the technology and the need for specialized skills and experience, the majority of blockchain spending in the near-term will be on business and technology services. According to the latest global study by International Data Corporation (IDC), worldwide spending on blockchain services growing from $1.8 billion in 2018 to $8.1 billion in 2021 -- achieving a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 80 percent. Blockchain Market Development Distributed ledgers technology (DLT) allows new transactions to be added to an existing chain of transactions using a secure, digital or cryptographic signature. To develop, build, deploy, and maintain these distributed ledgers and smart contracts, enterprises are turning to professional services firms, systems integrators, and application developers. "IDC believes the short-term blockchain services opportunity is small but strategically important, as deve...

Most savvy CEOs already know it requires accomplished talent to lead a digital transformation agenda. The execution of the key strategies often results in the development of software capabilities. That said, finding and retaining the qualified technical talent is likely to be one of the big challenges facing business leaders. We're in the early stages of a software developer skills shortage, according the the latest Cloud Foundry  global perception study. The majority of their survey respondents say there's a looming shortage of skilled developers. Most already feel the impact. They're having difficulty hiring and retaining technical staff. Key Findings from the study include: The majority (64%) of IT professionals and business executives agree that the developer shortage is a real threat to progress. Most respondents (57%) state that this shortage has already impacted their ability to hire skilled people. The developer shortage is most acutely felt by companies ...

Automobile manufacturers have embraced many of the emerging Internet of Things (IoT) technologies and they're already working on numerous application prototypes with software developers. The vast majority of these apps will rely upon open APIs and the Mobile Internet to gain access to cloud-based services. As an example, with autonomous driving inching closer, cars are incorporating digital user interfaces, in-car 4G LTE, and data analysis through a variety of cloud computing services. ABI Research forecasts more than 143 million operating system (OS) solutions will ship in 2021 to support the software-defined car cockpits, or automotive head units that support cluster displays and in-vehicle infotainment. Automotive Software Market Development As the competitive landscape widens, both proprietary software and open source solutions providers -- including Google Android, Intel Wind River, and Blackberry QNX -- continue to battle for design wins. "Increasingly, OEMs an...

If you really want an immersive experience, there's nothing better than a 360-degree three-dimensional visual representation of an environment. Innovative forms of visual experiences are going to transform the world as we know it. Can you image that? Soon, you will see. As a variety of new augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) devices reach the market, ABI Research predicts that business leaders should be prepared for a plethora of new enterprise applications for enhanced video -- as the focus shifts to the corporate and gaming verticals. AR usage in enterprise environments is on the rise, with smart glasses for gaming forecast to grow by 82 percent through 2021 -- VR will see similar crossover into enterprise, with an 88 percent CAGR through the same forecast period. AR/VR Applications Market Development "The promising use cases for AR in enterprise remain the primary drivers for the technology; though, it is worth noting that the consumer AR market opportun...

Consumer electronics product lifecycle management is often challenging for most vendors, but it's particularly problematic when customer needs and wants are constantly changing. Such is the case with media tablet users around the globe. As the market matured, distinct customer use case segments evolved. Worldwide media tablet shipments, inclusive of slates and detachables, reached 38.7 million in the second quarter of 2016 (2Q16) according to the latest global market study by International Data Corporation (IDC). Growth continues to decline with the market receding 12.3 percent year-over-year as vendors begin to refocus their product lines and consumers wait on purchases. An overwhelming majority of tablets shipped this past quarter were Google Android-based systems (65 percent) followed by Apple iOS, which captured 26 percent, and Microsoft Windows for the remaining share. Media Tablet Market Development Segments Though this trend has been constant for years there are earl...

How did the Shadow IT phenomenon disrupt an established industry, when the signs of growing discontent were so clear and obvious? Many CIOs have been challenged to offer a similar experience -- easy to use, rapid provisioning of infrastructure -- to compete with the savvy public cloud service providers. Meanwhile, most of the traditional IT vendors seemed to have little appreciation for shifting customer needs -- delivering their compute and storage in the same old way, regardless of the implications. Not being oblivious to emerging market demand, new entrants seized the opportunity by creating a better way. As a result, the continued adoption of hyper-converged platforms has invigorated the waning data center IT infrastructure market. But deployment expansion reveals even more challenges ahead that legacy vendors must address to preserve sales momentum -- as the market quickly departs from complex, stand-alone hardware deployments. Hyperconverged Systems Market Development A...

Wearable devices and their associated software applications are destined for increased adoption. Part of an emerging market of apps within the Internet of Things (IoT), these devices will generate significant amounts of user data that will further fuel an expansion of the mobile cloud phenomena. Worldwide shipments of wearable devices will reach 110 million by the end of 2016 -- that's a 38.2 percent growth over 2015 market performance. An expanding lineup of vendors combined with consumer demand will generate double-digit growth, culminating in shipments of 237.1 million wearable devices in 2020, according to the latest worldwide study by International Data Corporation (IDC). The rapidly evolving market will also be driven forward by the proliferation of new and different wearable products. Watch and wristband growth will reach a combined total of 100 million shipments in 2016 -- that's up from 72.2 million in 2015. Other form factors -- such as clothing, eyewear, and he...

Wireless communication will adapt to meet the growing needs from the Internet of Things (IoT). Meanwhile, Bluetooth enabled device shipments will increase from 2.8 billion units in 2015 to more than 4.6 billion in 2020, according to the latest market study by ABI Research. More than 19 billion devices to be equipped with Bluetooth technology over the next 5 years. Smartphones will continue to represent the bulk of the Bluetooth product market, accounting for more than 45 percent of shipments in 2020. However, the shares of emerging IoT market segments -- including beacons, smart lighting, home automation and consumer robotics devices -- will increase within the next five years to collectively represent more than 20 percent of the total market by 2020. "The Bluetooth Special Interest Group, which added more than 2,800 new members this year alone, made significant enhancements to Bluetooth specifications in order to increase its viability for IoT applications," said Andre...

While much of the growth potential for cloud computing, agile software development and applied DevOps methodologies will continue to come from the large enterprise sector, there's also increasing demand for improving the outcomes of government IT environments. According to the latest market study by MeriTalk, 92 percent of Federal IT managers say it's urgent for their agency to modernize legacy software applications -- citing key factors such as security issues (42 percent), time required to manage and/or maintain systems (36 percent), and inflexibility and integration issues (31 percent). Their study surveyed 150 Federal IT managers familiar with their agency's applications portfolio to find out how modernization can breathe new life into legacy applications, and deliver much-needed efficiency and/or security benefits. Some legacy applications are already failing to keep up with agency requirements. In fact, 48 percent of Federal IT managers surveyed believe their le...

Purpose-built applications designed to run on Smart Wearable devices are expected to grow from a base of 2,500 at the end of 2014 to 349,000 in 2019, according to the latest worldwide market study by International Data Corporation (IDC). While the majority of these software applications will likely be consumer-focused, IDC believes that a significant opportunity exists for enterprise-oriented apps. Third-party developers capable of delivering clear benefits and a transformative experience will catalyze demand and further accelerate application development on the supply side. With the Apple Watch expected to capture up to two thirds of the smart wearable device market in 2015, Apple's influence on the wearable applications market could be considerable. "It has been clear since well before it was launched that the Apple Watch, with the WatchKit SDK, is poised to set a tone for the broader market," said John Jackson, research vice president at IDC . IDC says that i...

The competition to become the third mobile device Operating System (OS), behind Google and Apple, has evolved. Introduction of the  Internet of Things (IoT) has shifted the focus. Now, savvy OS vendors need to be concerned with supporting wearables, smart cars, and smart home devices. "For both new and incumbent OS vendors, capturing the next wave of users will require support of new device types, a strong focus on developing markets, and support for universal development processes," said Eric Abbruzzese, research analyst at ABI Research . As Google expands Android Wear, and Apple launches its Apple Watch, other OS vendors must capitalize on not only wearables, but all smart device categories requiring an OS that supports apps. This emerging market is a tremendous upside opportunity for open-source solutions. Why the Developer Community Matters The Apple Watch is getting the news headlines, but it serves as an example of the current limitations of smart watches and t...

The media tablet market has apparently matured. Following the first year-over-year decline in worldwide media tablet shipments in the fourth quarter of 2014 (4Q14), International Data Corporation (IDC) has scaled back its five year forecast for the product category. That being said, the market outlook is still somewhat promising. Worldwide shipments are now expected to reach 234.5 million units in 2015 -- that's a modest year-over-year increase of 2.1 percent from 2014. Although the outlook has been tempered, IDC expects positive growth for the market in the years to come as demand in the commercial sector increases -- particularly as more enterprise mobility applications gain adoption and improve user productivity in meaningful an substantive ways. "Despite the growing popularity of phablets, there still remains a portion of the market that wants to use a larger device so they can tailor their experience to the appropriate screen size," said Jitesh Ubrani, senior ...

Attractive design will always be important, but software development is now a leading factor in the ongoing adoption of wearable devices. Over 720,000 Android Wear devices shipped in 2014 out of a total of 4.6 million smart wearable bands, according to the latest worldwide market study by Canalys. Motorola was the clear leader among Android Wear vendors. The LG round G Watch R performed significantly better than its original G Watch, while Asus and Sony entered the market with their own Android Wear devices. Pebble meanwhile shipped a total of 1 million units from its 2013 launch through to the end of 2014. Continual software updates, more applications in its apps store and price cuts in the fall helped maintain strong sales in the second half of the year. "Samsung has launched six devices in just 14 months, on different platforms and still leads the smart band market. But it has struggled to keep consumers engaged and must work hard to attract developers while it focuses on...

comScore released their latest data reporting key trends in the U.S. smartphone sector for October 2014. While the overall market for new user adoption remains flat, the Google Android platform share appears unchanged -- even after the introduction of Apple iPhone 6 models. Perhaps this is yet one more reason why software application developers choose to support both iOS and Android platforms. Therefore, we should anticipate that more app developers will join the open-source Android ecosystem in 2015. Apple ranked as the top smartphone manufacturer with 41.9 percent OEM market share, while Google Android led as the number one smartphone platform with 52.3 percent platform market share. Once again, Facebook ranked as the top individual smartphone app. However, Google continues to have the most combined share of the top five apps, by a wide margin. Smartphone OEM Market Share 176 million people in the U.S. owned smartphones (72.9 percent mobile market penetration) during the th...

Wearable devices have exploded into the consumer electronics scene during the last two years. As the use-cases become established, they will become pervasive -- moving beyond the early-adopter stage of market development. The upside potential varies considerably, depending on the market segment and purpose of the wearable device. From a conceptual vista of broad electronic possibilities, the current reality of wearables is one of increasingly niche devices. According to the latest market study by Juniper Research , global smart wearable device shipments will more than quadruple by 2017, reaching 116 million units, compared to an estimated 27 million in 2014. This still suggests that less than 5 percent of smartphones will be used with such wearables by this time. Findings from the extensive Juniper study asserts that with technological barriers coming down, larger vendors in the market are moving beyond devices to produce software operating systems and data-banks to manage the...

When you think about sources of business or technology innovation, does the current telecom or cable TV industry players come to mind? Yes, it's a rhetorical question, we already know the answer. Most broadband service providers are not recognized for new business ideas or product leadership. That's why they typically rely upon outside vendors to create the concepts for new original sources of revenue. That's particularly true for software-based innovations. The telecom network Application Programming Interface (API) is the conduit for that creativity. Telecom APIs are not a revenue item in and of themselves, but rather table stakes needed to continue growth of the $1 trillion telecom services market. Network operators in this huge market will benefit when opening up their networks to others through Telecom APIs, as they are delivering revenues of well over $100 billion per year. Telecom service provider monetization comes through increased usage of the service, an...