Digital Lifescapes

Many CIOs and CTOs are pursuing a competitive advantage that's enabled by emerging technologies. As an example, early-adopters in the automobile industry are exploring use cases with Augmented Reality (AR), because it offers benefits to the whole value chain -- from product design through production and sales. As a result, smart glasses shipment for global automotive industry use will reach 1.7 million units in 2022. The total automotive AR market is expected to grow at CAGR of 177 percent during the forecast period and reach $5.5 billion in 2022, according to the latest worldwide market study by ABI Research. Augmented Reality Apps Market Development "Augmented Reality benefits automotive manufacturers at many stages of a product cycle, including design, prototyping, manufacturing, and marketing," said Marina Lu, senior analyst at ABI Research . In design, digital 3D visualization and analysis of body structure and components can save time and resources. Collabor...

Around the globe, CIOs and CTOs continue to transition to a hybrid multi-cloud service delivery model, supported by on- and off-premises IT infrastructure. Meanwhile, the worldwide public cloud services market is projected to grow 21.4 percent in 2018 to reach $186.4 billion -- that's up from $153.5 billion in 2017. The fastest-growing segment of the market is cloud Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), which is forecast to grow 35.9 percent in 2018 to reach $40.8 billion, according to the latest worldwide market study by Gartner. Public Cloud Market Development Moreover, Gartner expects the top ten cloud service providers to account for nearly 70 percent of the IaaS market by 2021 -- that's up from 50 percent in 2016. "The increasing dominance of the hyperscale IaaS providers creates both enormous opportunities and challenges for end-users and other market participants," said Sid Nag, research director at Gartner . According to the Gartner assessment, while p...

Cloud service adoption continues to grow, as traditional IT vendors react to market demand. Total spending on IT infrastructure products for deployment in cloud environments is forecast to reach $52.3 billion in 2018 -- that's year-over-year growth of 10.9 percent, according to the latest worldwide market study by International Data Corporation (IDC). Public cloud data centers will account for a majority of this spending, 65.9 percent, growing at the fastest annual rate of 11.3 percent. Off-premises private cloud environments will represent 13 percent of cloud IT infrastructure spending, growing at 12 percent year over year. On-premises private clouds will account for 61.7 percent of spending on private cloud IT infrastructure and will grow 9.1 percent year-over-year in 2018. Cloud IT Infrastructure Market Development "Growing expansion of digital transformation initiatives enables further adoption of cloud-based solutions around the globe. This will result in a contin...

The online security market is expanding globally, and for good reason. The dramatic increase in connected devices has created a huge attack surface for cyber criminals. Whether their motive is mischief, or theft, the impacts can be far-reaching and very costly. As an example, the downtime cost on Amazon’s North American sales operations as a result of the 2016 'Dyn' cyberattack -- ~211 minutes of service disruption -- resulted in a loss of $32 million. Most companies don't have the same eCommerce revenue as Amazon, but this event demonstrates the impact a cyberattack can have on targeted companies. Cybersecurity Solution Market Development Global business investment on cybersecurity solutions will grow by 33 percent over the next 4 years, reaching $134 billion annually by 2022, according to the latest worldwide study by Juniper Research. Their new research analysis found that nearly 70 percent of 2022 spending would originate from medium-sized businesses, as cyber...

In the evolving global networked economy, every type of company essentially becomes a technology-oriented firm -- in one form or another. That's fueling the strategic investment in IT infrastructure and services. Currency market changes are another key factor. As a result, worldwide IT spending is projected to total $3.7 trillion in 2018 -- that's an increase of 6.2 percent from 2017, according to the latest market study by Gartner. Senior executives and line of business leaders continue to drive many of the strategic IT procurement decisions. IT Infrastructure Market Development "Although global IT spending is forecast to grow 6.2 percent this year, the declining U.S. dollar has caused currency tailwinds, which are the main reason for this strong growth," said John-David Lovelock, vice president at Gartner . This is the highest annual growth rate that Gartner has forecast since 2007 and would be a sign of a new cycle of IT growth. However, spending on IT arou...

Worldwide converged systems market revenue increased 9.1 percent year-over -year to $3.6 billion during the fourth quarter of 2017 (4Q17), according to the latest market study by International Data Corporation (IDC). Full-year sales surpassed $12.5 billion in 2017, representing a 9.4 percenet increase over the previous year and the first time the market surpassed $12 billion in a calendar year. Converged Systems Market Development "The number of organizations deploying converged systems continued to expand through 2017," said Eric Sheppard, research vice president at IDC . Growing demand drove the total market value. While not all market segments increased during the year, those that did grow were able to provide considerable benefits related to the most core infrastructure challenges facing today's data centers. IDC's converged systems market view offers three segments: certified reference systems & integrated infrastructure, integrated platforms, and h...

While most telecom service providers across the globe continue to invest in software-defined networking and open source software, a few are now investing in the new wave of technologies. In particular, technology leadership is a key component in China's strategic plan to stimulate new economic growth. In its latest benchmarking study to identify the leaders and laggards in telecom service provider innovation, ABI Research has concluded that Asian telcos are the recognized technology trailblazers, followed by U.S. tier-one service providers, AT&T and Verizon. 5G Wireless Market Development However, European telcos are perceived as laggards in the realm of telco innovation, with DT, Orange, Telefonica and Vodafone distant followers of China Mobile, NTT Docomo, Softbank and KDDI -- which are collectively ramping up their efforts to foster technology-empowered innovation. ABI Research has assessed patent portfolios, standards contributions, open source involvement, acquisit...

Basic forms of Brain Machine Interface (BMI) technology have already been utilized in the medical field for a number of years. This existing use focuses around the cochlear implant, a medical device which uses BMI technology to provide a sense of sound to a person who is deaf or severely hard of hearing. However, further applications in the medical field and in other areas -- such as an entertainment device, for use in industry, for integration with automobiles or as a control mechanism -- are becoming increasingly possible, as the science and research develops. Brain Machine Interface Market Development According to the latest worldwide market study by Juniper Research, global hardware sales revenue from BMI will reach $19 billion per annum by 2027 -- that's up from an estimated $2.4 billion in 2018. BMIs bridge the gap between technology and the brain, interpreting brain signals for the purpose of interpretation or control. The study found that medical uses will account f...

There's been a significant increase in enterprise investment on technologies that analyze, organize, access, and provide advisory services that are based on use cases for unstructured data. In fact, worldwide spending on cognitive and artificial intelligence (AI) systems will reach $19.1 billion in 2018 -- that's an increase of 54.2 percent over the amount spent in 2017. With industries investing aggressively in projects that utilize cognitive and AI software capabilities, International Data Corporation (IDC) now forecasts cognitive and AI spending will grow to $52.2 billion in 2021 and achieve a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 46.2 percent over the 2016-2021 forecast period. Cognitive Systems and AI Market Development "Interest and awareness of AI is at a fever pitch. Every industry and every organization should be evaluating AI to see how it will affect their business processes and go-to-market efficiencies," said David Schubmehl, research director at ID...

More CIOs and CTOs are seeking to gain benefits of a simplified and more manageable IT infrastructure for their organizations. As a result, worldwide integrated systems revenue is forecast to total $12.3 billion in 2018 -- that's an increase of 18.4 percent from 2017, according to the latest study by Gartner. The hyperconverged integrated systems (HCIS) segment will experience the strongest growth (55 percent). By contrast, integrated stack systems will experience a five percent decline. IT Integrated Systems Market Development "The majority of integrated systems replace existing infrastructure, which is great for cost, agility and consolidation of IT and efficiency metrics," said Naveen Mishra, research director at Gartner . When implementing this as part of a digital business initiative, however, IT organizations must look at how the potential savings of capital expenditure (capex), may be offset by potential shifts in operating expenditure (opex). According to ...

Internet of Things (IoT) technology deployments have increased across the globe, as more CIOs and CTOs explore new commercial applications. However, many organizations continue to seek IoT solutions that include comprehensive data protection capabilities. Security continues to be a major concern for IT professionals when deploying IoT projects within their organizations, according to the latest worldwide market study by 451 Research. When asked to rank which technologies or processes their organizations considered for current or planned IoT initiatives, 55 percent of respondents ranked IoT security as their top priority. IoT Security Market Development As 451 Research data consistently shows, security is a headwind that must be overcome. Survey respondents have consistently rated IoT security as their highest priority – but why? "The nature of IoT deployments make them particularly difficult to secure against cyber threats," said Brian Partridge, vice president at 4...

Worldwide spending on mobility solutions is forecast to grow 3.2 percent year over year in 2018, reaching more than $1.6 trillion, according to the latest worldwide market study by International Data Corporation (IDC). This growth is expected to continue through 2021 with investment on mobility-related hardware, software, and services surpassing $1.7 trillion as the market achieves a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.8 percent. "The new mobility use cases and technology adoption in enterprises is driving growth in all three facets of the market, from devices to software and services," said Phil Hochmuth, program director at IDC . Mobility Solutions Market Development Mobility services will be the largest technology category throughout the 2016-2021 forecast period, accounting for nearly 60 percent of overall mobility spending and surpassing $1 trillion in 2021. The category is dominated by mobile connectivity services, which will deliver more than 90 p...

The retail banking sector continues to pursue digital transformation projects. Mobile devices are key to their strategy, as banks move to a ‘mobile first’ approach. It's a global trend supported by the scale of a declining financial services workforce, and the number of physical branches. According to the latest market study by Juniper Research, over 2 billion users will access retail banking services via smartphones, media tablets, PCs and smartwatches in 2018 -- that's up by 10 percent year-over-year. Digital Banking Market Development The new research found that accelerated adoption in key emerging markets -- such as India and China -- means that mobile banking users now represent 50 percent of the global banked population. Juniper expects that the number of global mobile banking users will now overtake online users in 2018 -- 2 years earlier than previously anticipated. 2017 saw banks worldwide engaging in both technology investments and new tech offerings, although...

Cloud service providers continue to drive computing server investment. Meanwhile, vendor revenue in the worldwide server market increased 26.4 percent year-over-year to $20.7 billion in the fourth quarter of 2017 (4Q17), according to the latest market study by International Data Corporation (IDC). The server market continues to gain momentum, as traction for newer Purley- and EPYC-based offerings grows. While demand from cloud service providers has propped up overall market performance, other areas of the server market continue to show growth now as well. Global Server Market Development According to the IDC assessment, worldwide server shipments increased 10.8 percent year-over-year to 2.84 million units in 4Q17. Volume server revenue increased by 21.9 percent to $15.8 billion, while midrange server revenue grew 48.5 percent to $1.9 billion. High-end systems grew 41.1 percent to $2.9 billion, driven by IBM's z14 launch in the last quarter of 2017. However, IDC expects co...

Around the globe, metropolitan and suburban municipalities continue to explore digital transformation projects. Emerging technology spending for Smart City applications is forecast to reach $80 billion in 2018, according to the latest worldwide market study by International Data Corporation (IDC). IDC has provided a detailed look at the technology investments associated with a range of Smart City priorities and use cases. As these initiatives gain traction, IDC expects spending to accelerate over the 2016-2021 forecast period, growing to $135 billion in 2021. Smart City Market Development "Smart Cities have recently evolved from a collection of discrete flagship projects to a sizeable market opportunity that will drive significant technology investments in 2018 and beyond," said Serena Da Rold, program manager at IDC . IDC believes that strategic priorities  will drive digital transformation across cities of all sizes, but the analyst's research demonstrates there...

Across the globe, eRetail is now the mainstream -- with well over half of all adults making purchases for products and services online, increasingly from their mobile devices. Meanwhile, traditional bricks and mortar retailers have had to incorporate digital channels into their offerings. Unfortunately for the retailer, there are numerous steps during the online shopping experience where the shopper may abandon their journey to payment. Online Payments Market Development The value of spending on remote payments for digital and physical goods will surpass $3.3 trillion this year -- that's up 10 percent on the 2017 total of $3 trillion, according to the latest worldwide market study by Juniper Research. The new research findings uncovered that alternative payment mechanisms would comprise an ever increasing proportion of online spending. PayPal already accounts for 20 percent of mobile and online physical goods transactions made outside China, while the success of Alipay an...

While we continue to see reports about the growing fear of job loss due to robotics in the workplace, more industry analyst reports shed light on the apparent upside opportunities for vendors. ABI Research identified 'collaborative robotics' as one of the fastest growing market segments. Small-to-Medium Businesses (SMBs) are driving the increased demand for these collaborative robots, as 'cobots' provide solutions that allow for a more flexible kind of manufacturing that makes no assumptions as to volume levels or types of products being manufactured. Robotics Technology Market Development From 2016 to 2025, the global revenue of collaborative robotics shipments is set to reach a compound average growth rate of 49.8 percent -- that's compared to 12.1 percent for Industrial robots and 23.2 percent for commercial robotics. The term ‘collaborative’ refers to human scale robotic systems that can share a workspace with humans, interact with humans while also mov...

Artificial intelligence (AI) projects are slowly gaining momentum, according to the latest worldwide market study by Gartner. That said, just four percent of CIO respondents have already implemented AI technologies, while 46 percent have started to work on deployment plans. "Despite huge levels of interest in AI technologies, current implementations remain at quite low levels," said Whit Andrews, vice president at Gartner . "However, there is potential for strong growth as CIOs begin piloting AI programs through a combination of buy, build and outsource efforts." Artificial Intelligence Market Development As with most emerging technologies, the early adopters are facing many obstacles to the progress of AI within their organizations. Gartner analysts have identified the following four lessons-learned that have emerged from these early AI projects. "Don’t fall into the trap of primarily seeking hard outcomes, such as direct financial gains, with AI proje...

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...

Last year may be remembered for many years to come, for a variety of reasons, including significant market transactions. Mergermarket , an Acuris company, has released its global mergers and acquisitions (M&A) roundup report of the Technology, Media and Telecom (TMT) sector for the whole year. In 2017, global dealmaking in the TMT sector saw 3,389 deals worth a combined $498.2 billion. Although total deal value fell 26.3 percent compared to the $ 676.3 billion tallied in 2016, a new Mergermarket record by deal count was set, increasing by 233 transactions over 2016 (3,156 deals) to reach an all-time high. Technology Sector Market Development The latest market trends highlight the increasing influence of technology in just about everything. In fact, senior executives in various industries have been under pressure to incorporate digital transformation projects, in order to survive and prosper in the evolving global marketplace. This has already forced company consolidations ...