Introduction
The modern business world develops along with the progress of information technologies (IT) because constantly emerging devices and software provide more opportunities for business to improve their operations, strategies, and relations with customers (O’Brien & Marakas 2011, p. 24).
In this context, it is important to focus on the question about the most effective technologies to be exploited in business to contribute to the competitive advantage and stable growth during the following five years. The purpose of this report is to review the emerging trends in IT; assess the suitability of the most popular technologies used to enhance business activities; analyse the implementation process; to provide recommendations on how to utilise advanced IT to stimulate business activities in the constantly changing and competitive business world.
Emerging Trends in IT
IT specialists focus on the improvement of IT infrastructure and software to address the growing needs of the business world. Emerging Trends in the world of IT include the development of connection platforms for the companies’ workforce to improve productivity and the development of data platforms to enable the effective exchange of data between distant employees. Furthermore, IT specialists work to improve functions of ‘clouds’ used to store and exchange the organisation’s data and make applications used to create the customised business more complex (Accenture technology vision 2014 report 2014).
These approaches also affect the progress of social and mobile computing important to create effective online relations with customers. Cognitive computing is the next step in affecting organisations’ operations and management. Such trends as the focus on digital connection and data platforms, cloud computing, mobile computing and applications, and social computing are important to be addressed in organisations to remain competitive during the next five years.
Assessment of the Emerging Business Technologies
Cloud Computing
Cloud computing is one of the actively used emerging technologies which enables organisations to cope with storing and sharing data. Clouds are virtual offices that allow the storage of the organisation’s data, the exchange and use of information from anywhere and at any time. The benefits of the system are the possibility for employees to access e-mail, enterprise’s resources, and data without coming to the office. Multiple users can access the necessary information and share the required resources that can be reallocated according to the business needs. Thus, costs of managing resources and software are reduced (Choudhary & Vithayathil 2013, p. 67-69).
Requirements of flexibility, collaboration, and easy connection are addressed with the help of cloud computing. Still, organisations focus on such weaknesses of cloud computing as issues of security and data protection. Organisations can improve the access to the corporate data for the next five years while addressing the issue of flexibility, but they should pay more attention to using reputable cloud computing services which effectively protect the corporate information. In this context, organisations with different experiences and approaches to using IT can utilise cloud computing actively.
Social Computing
The term ‘social computing’ means using different emerging social software and technologies to interact and cooperate with the help of blogs, social networks, wikis, and instant messages on the Internet. Modern businesses do not require additional resources to use the benefits of social computing because the installation of social software is often free or low-cost (Oz 2008, p. 112). Still, social computing is a driving force to stimulate organisations’ relations with customers because customers use social networks, blogs, podcasts and websites like YouTube and Instagram to share their opinion on products and services.
While interacting socially, customers create communities and influence brand images and the popularity of products. In this situation, creating pages in social networks, using blogs, e-mails, wikis, YouTube, and Instagram, organisations can influence the flow of information in social groups, create a positive brand image, and develop direct relations with customers while encouraging them to post feedback and reviews.
Mobile Computing
Mobile computing is advantageous for businesses because these technologies allow mobility of salesmen and employees as well as immediate reactions of customers who can access all the necessary information about products and services and buy them online. Strengths of using mobile devices in business are non-dependence on wires; the possibility to overcome the organisation’s boundaries; the quick access to websites and corporate information; and the provision of more space for e-commerce (Rainer, Prince & Watson 2013, p. 134). Weaknesses of using smartphones and other mobile devices for making better decisions are the necessity for businesses to provide stable platforms for their website and support the effective work of online resources to stimulate e-commerce and interactions with customers.
Implementation Considerations
A Phased Integration
The implementation of IT infrastructure and software to enhance the competitive advantage of the company can be a gradual process divided into phases and based on careful planning when mandatory modules are implemented at the first stage of the integration process. A phased integration can also be planned while focusing on the integration of necessary IT modules in different departments according to the set schedule (Rainer & Cegielski 2010, p. 84).
The strengths of this approach are in the possibility to integrate one module at a time effectively, analysing its work to predict possible weaknesses. Furthermore, it is possible to make the schedule of implementation more flexible and more associated with the organisation’s strategic goals. The other strength is the possibility to reduce risks associated with the poorly planned and immediate integration of information technologies. The weaknesses are in the fact that the integration process planned for the 5 years can be too long to address the tendencies in the business world and the progress of IT.
A ‘Big Bang’ Approach
A ‘big bang’ approach can be discussed as a rarely used IT integration approach because of many risks associated with such a type of software and technologies’ implementation. Businesses often choose this approach when they want to integrate all the modules and elements of the IT systems immediately, during one day or one week (Rainer & Cegielski 2010, p. 114). The benefits of this approach are the reduction of integration costs, the avoidance of problems associated with the long developed integration, and the focus on the integration of the concrete module or unit for performing concrete functions.
A ‘big bang’ approach is also characterised by many weaknesses because of many failures of quickly integrated programmes and because of the immediate transformation of the IT component of the business processes (Accenture technology vision 2014 report 2014). From this perspective, a ‘big bang’ approach is often discussed by specialists as rather challenging, and it can be mostly used in companies with great experience in the IT integration processes.
Conclusion and Recommendations
Emerging Trends in the sphere of using IT in business are associated with the active use of cloud, social, and mobile computing. Thus, modern technologies are developed to improve the character and speed of business operations, the quality of workforce management, and the relations with customers. The use of social computing requires minimal resources when the integration of cloud computing and mobile computing approaches should be based on a well-developed implementation plan. It is important to focus on cloud computing because storing the data virtually, businesses can be discussed as less dependent on the work of computers and other hardware in offices. In addition, it is important to integrate mobile and social technologies in businesses because mobile computing is the easiest way to promote cooperation within the organisation, and social computing is the way to enhance social interactions and communication with customers.
To remain competitive and operate effectively in the industry during the next five years, it is necessary to develop an efficient integration plan which reflects the organisation’s strategies and needs. It is possible to recommend the integration of such business technologies like cloud computing, mobile computing, and social computing:
- Social computing systems should be integrated while using the ‘big bang’ approach because of the possibility to reduce costs associated with the implementation process.
- Elements of cloud and mobile computing should be implemented gradually. The process of integration of these IT systems should be properly staged, and pre-implementation activities should be realised in order to prepare the necessary hardware and devices and to gather and systemise the necessary data.
References
Accenture technology vision 2014 report 2014. Web.
Choudhary, V & Vithayathil, J 2013, ‘The impact of cloud computing: should the IT department be organized as a cost center or a profit center?’, Journal of Management Information Systems, vol. 30, no. 2, pp. 67-100.
O’Brien, J & Marakas, G 2011, Management information systems, McGraw-Hill, London.
Oz, E 2008, Management information systems, Thomson, London.
Rainer, K & Cegielski, C 2010, Introduction to information systems: enabling and transforming business, John Wiley & Sons, New York.
Rainer, K, Prince, B & Watson, H 2013, Management information systems: moving business forward, Wiley, New York.