Top 5 IT Investments for 2017

This year has seen many organizations, in a variety of industries, realize that the digital transformation age is here to stay. We’ve seen increasing investments in cloud computing, mobile device apps, and cyber security. What does this mean for 2017 IT budgets? How will CIO’s focus their IT investment?

Here’s the top 5 areas we believe will see increased investments by IT organizations in 2017.

1. Moving to the Cloud.

2016 saw many companies shift their IT strategies from on-premise solutions to the cloud; with that number to continue increasing in 2017. According to a report released by Gartner earlier this year, the amount of money IT will spend on cloud services for 2016 is $114 billion, and will grow to $216 billion in the year 2020 and represent 24% of the IT budget. Moving to cloud-based solutions enables organizations to see data quickly, efficiently, and in different forms — a necessity for businesses to be transformative and successful in today’s marketplace. Digital solutions (i.e. email enterprise hosting, like Gmail) increase productivity and communication, among other positive benefits, and will be the key driver to increasing investments for IT organizations in shifting to cloud-based solutions.

2. Increasing network and data security.

As companies shift to digital strategies and operations, there will be an increased need to protect data. Many IT organizations still hesitate to move to the cloud, due to the belief of a larger surface area for cyber attacks and data breaches existing than in traditional on-premise IT solutions. 2017 will see that mindset shift. IT organizations will realize that the cloud has provided easier access to leading security technologies and practices that were only available to those with larger IT budgets in the past. Examples include data encryption, detail logging for all resources, and isolated networks.

3. Enhancing data storage.

As technology continues to rapidly advance and the use of smart phones sky rockets, IT organizations are facing an overwhelming volume of data from multiple channels and devices. Additionally, there are companies whose particular specializations require the usage and storage of large amounts of data. A great example is genome sequencing, that by 2025 will demand between 2 to 40 exabytes of data storage. In comparison, YouTube’s annual projected storage needs by 2025 will be between 1 to 17 petabytes per year.

The key requirements of big data storage will be the ability to handle very large amounts of data, while continuing to scale with growth. In many cases, that data is delivered to analytical tools, requiring speed to conduct the operations necessary to deliver the data successfully. 

4. Destroying silos.

Gone are the days where each department had its own form of IT staff; where applications were built in silos with large amounts of overlap. You are now seeing a central IT organization, supporting the needs of different departments. Software is unified and integrated and dashboards are created, bringing data from a single place into a format a particular internal or external customer expects to see it in. Breaking down silos will also increase the effectiveness and responsiveness of communication to the end users.

5. The rise of integrated apps.

A large portion of unifying IT is integrating software and data, with the increasing use of mobile and wearable devices, cloud computing and the Internet of Things (IoT) being key enablers. There is increasing pressure on IT to integrate applications in shorter timeframes, mainly due to employees being able to choose the devices, apps, and the processes that allow them to complete their tasks. APIs play a significant role in making it easier to integrate and connect people, data, and systems. As the trend for streamlining and integration continues to increase, APIs will allow an organization’s core assets to be reused and monetized, extending the reach of existing services to other organizations or providing new revenue streams in the marketplace.