The Top 20 Technology Driven Trends for 2012 (CIO Update)

Over at CIO Update, writer Daniel Burrus offers his list of the top 20 tech trends for the coming year and why CIOs should pay attention. Among them: the growth of big data; cloud computing; on-demand services, such as software as a service (SaaS) and hardware as a service (HaaS); virtualization; consumerization of IT (naturally); and “gamification.”

Read it and take notes.

In the case of companies that use gamification for employees, writes Gruman, it’s often to distract them from “the drudgery of their actual work.”

Gamification: The buzzword that can ruin your apps and business (InfoWorld) 

Speaking of “gamification,” my favorite blogger of the moment Galen Gruman takes a closer look at the trend and picks it apart in his usual manner.

The concept isn’t new, he asserts. It’s an old sales and marketing technique that simply has been repackaged. Entice (or “bribe,” as he describes it) customers with prizes and accolades to get them in the door when nothing else will. In the case of companies that use gamification for employees, he writes, it’s often to distract them from “the drudgery of their actual work.”

Gruman concedes that gamification has its merits – he cites one well-known company as an example. “Microsoft uses gamification to encourage non-QA staff to do bug testing and to get employees to contribute better language translations in its software localization efforts. People are rewarded for doing this extra work through ego-oriented motivations from managers (attaboy emails, temporary use of more convenient parking spaces, and in-house certificates) and by publicizing top contributors to create a sense of competition for status among peers.”

His advice is for companies to be wary of its fleeting effectiveness. “There’s nothing wrong with gamification per se, as long as you realize that most people lured by the promise of prizes and fame stop coming as soon as the games end.”

CSC’s IT-Business Predictions for 2012 (CIO Update)

CIO Update exercises its precognitive abilities by predicting that IT will begin to operate like a business within a business. Historically, writes guest-blogger Lem Lasher, IT has operated as a service center to the rest of the company. This will change, he says.

“Rather than responding to business needs, IT will begin to set its own agenda and business goals that align with the rest of the business units within the corporation.”

IT as a business within a business makes sense. Lasher offers another prediction that is a little less welcome, however: the emergence of advertising inside cloud enterprises.

You know all those ads on Facebook and Gmail, two sites that are otherwise part of the “consumer cloud”? Lasher predicts that more companies will look to deploy that kind of consumer model inside the enterprise in an effort to cut costs.

Resolutions that promise increased productivity and all-around happiness. Happy New Year.

In that spirit, we’re publishing our list of what you should focus on in 2012. We’ve separated it into two sections: one for IT leaders and one for employees. It’s not just a smattering of unattainable goals; these are resolutions you can keep. Get crackin’.

For IT Leaders

1. Formulate a social media policy. Yammer‘s Maria Ogneva wrote a comprehensive guide for Mashable, and in it she offers practical tips and sensible advice: “The best way to ensure buy-in to your social media policy is not through threat of disciplinary action. Rather, it’s by providing education and resources, and building the right processes.” We like how she thinks. Read it here.
2. Change is good. Embrace the mobility megatrend. See TechTarget’s big picture article here, and its how-to for CIOs here.
3. Help your folks help themselves – offer software support and training (read an old PC Helps Blog post, “Designing Graceful, Not Godawful, Solutions” – its message is still applicable).

For Employees

1. Use Excel formulas more, manually vet less. (See our repository of Excel tips here.)
2. Change your password when prompted, without the added griping.
3. Hoard mail less, archive more. Your email program will run faster, and you’ll find old mail easier. (Find email tips here.)
4. Save constantly (on a PC, Ctrl+S; Mac, Command+S), and, while you are at it, learn more keyboard shortcuts. (Get Windows keyboard shortcuts here; Mac shortcuts here.)

Happy 2012!

Below is a collection of our favorite posts from the past year. Some offer handy tips for getting things done (including iPhone, Excel charting and spelling tips), some offer advice to IT departments on preparing for upgrades and migrations (Windows 7, Office 2007 & 2010), and others look at the future of IT support (“Preparing for the Multiplatform Workplace,” October 2010). And then there’s the unclassifiable evergreen post that reminds you not to pen your e-mails in all caps, unless of course you intend to shout at recipients.

Enjoy the re-read, and happy new year. If you got an iPad in your stocking, we know your 2011 will be happy.

1. What’s in a Name (1-12-2010)
2. Stop Shouting and Other E-Mail Etiquette Tips (2-8-2010)
3. The Workplace Today: On Fake Happiness & Forced Morale-Boosting (3-30-2010)
4. Windows 7: What IT and End-Users Need to Know (4-22-2010)
5. 4 Spelling Tips Every Manager Should Know (5-27-2010)
6. 7 Productivity Boosting iPhone Tips (6-15-2010)
7. 3 Excel Tips that Promise Charting Greatness (8-4-2010)
8. Preparing for the Multiplatform Workplace (10-8-2010)
9. iPad & iPhone in the Enterprise: What’s Your Plan (11-15-2010)
10. Teaching People Tech (12-17-2010)

“The iPad is becoming, in effect, a jumbo BlackBerry.”

If there were three main themes this year in tech, they were this:

• The consumerization of IT/BYO tech
• Enterprise domination by iPads and tablets
• The increasing use of mobile devices for business and the growing need for specialized mobile IT support

Here’s a look at some recent bookmark-worthy articles that touch upon these topics:

Consumerization or BYOT

Not so long ago, the idea of using your own tech devices for work was just a silly notion. What of security? Software updates? Today, it’s almost standard, thanks to the flood of neat devices that are on the market, and much to the chagrin of underprepared IT departments. Here’s one recent article that outlines bring-your-own-technology’s perils and possibilities.

“Bring Your Own Technology: The Legal Perspective,” by Dawinderpal Sahota, Computing magazine (Dec. 21, 2010)

“Businesses are increasingly encouraging employees to bring their own devices for use in the workplace,” writes Sahota, “but these ‘bring your own technology’ schemes throw up a number of legal issues. A major stumbling block for bring your own technology is the issue of security.” Read more…

Tablets

There is so much being written about the iPad and other tablets these days, it’s hard not to want one. I recently had a chance to test out the iPad and, although I honestly do not need one for my profession, I nevertheless want one (said in whiny, 5-year-old voice). Tablets promise a lot — portability, power and style —but they also have a little maturing to do in terms of being secure enough for business use. Here’s what the industry rags are saying:

“Apple’s iPad Finds a Place in the Enterprise,” by Mikael Ricknas, PC World (Dec. 22, 2010)

Enterprise adoption of the iPad is part of a larger trend in which companies are allowing employees to choose which laptop, smart phone or tablet they want to use, irrespective of the operating system,” writes PC World’s Ricknas. He says the negative consequences of prohibiting users from choosing the products they want to use aren’t worth it. Read more…

“An Enterprise without Desktops?” by Arthur Cole, IT Business Edge (Dec. 22, 2010)

Chatter about the Cloud is nothing new, but it seems to be getting louder with every passing month. In this article, Arthur Cole posits that IT is losing its position as the gatekeeper of all things digital. Says Cole: “It all adds up to a sea change in the working environment that will make today’s enterprise barely recognizable in 10 years’ time.” Read more…

“A Demography of the iPad,” by David Zax, Fast Company (Dec. 22, 2010)

If you are a statistics geek, read this piece by David Zax, which highlights the findings from a recent study conducted by market research firm Harris Interactive. Among the nuggets:

• One out of every five Americans plans to own a tablet by 2014

• Nine million Americans currently own tablets —only about 3 percent of the current U.S. population

• 17 percent more Americans intend to buy one in the next three years

• Of those who own or plan to own tablets, 40 percent of them intend to use it for business

Says Zax: “The iPad is becoming, in effect, a jumbo Blackberry.” Read more…

Mobility

I remember a few years back, my aunt was grumbling that her company wanted her to get a BlackBerry. She’s a smart woman, and knew what it meant: That if she had a BlackBerry, she would be on the clock 24-7, with no place to hide.

Today, she can’t avoid it. She, like many of her management peers, is required to carry some sort of company mobile device. What a difference a few years makes.

The tech media has had quite a bit to say about mobility in the past year, and most of it centers on the issue of securing mobile devices. Here are a few of the recent standouts:

“Critical Thinking about Mobility,” by Irwin Lazar in Network World (Dec. 20, 2010)

In this piece, Lazar touches upon the two key questions he says IT and business leaders are asking about mobility: Can business save money by allowing employee-owned devices? And, how can a company use emerging mobile devices and platforms to improve business processes, deliver new services, or transform the company?

Those are big questions, and Lazar says the first step to answering them is formulating a solid strategy. Read more…

“10 Steps to Mobile Worker Support,” by Kurt Marko, InformationWeek (Dec. 22, 1010)

In this article, InformationWeek’s Marko is convincing: “Put in place a strong telework program, and even the smallest company has access to a multinational talent pool. Blizzards, flu pandemics, traffic gridlock, general pestilence? No problem.”

But once you get a strategy in place, Marko asks, what does a company do to maintain mobile worker productivity? In this article, he offers 10 tips. Among them: build a robust remote network; hone remote system admin skills; create a true virtual workplace; and develop online self-help tools. Read more…

“Your Office, Your Smartphone?” by Giovanni Forte, Montreal Gazette (Dec. 22, 2010)

In this article, Forte looks at the problems IT admins will face when it comes to setting policies around data costs and access points for each employee’s device. “With all the smart phones and mobile devices that inevitably show up in offices in the new year,” he warns, “IT administrators will experience a post-holiday hangover trying to manage costs and security and when they have to tell employees they are unable to use their new mobile devices because they don’t have the enterprise applications to support it.” Read more…

The recession has forced managers and the C-suite to scrutinize budgets, choose which projects to embrace and which to scrap, and decide how many employees to sack. It has left a bad taste in many mouths.

“Doing more with less”: trimming the fat; getting back to basics; losing the bells and whistles; re-featuring; making tolerable tradeoffs; dialing down; innovating; repurposing.

Here are some variations of “doing more with less”: trimming the fat; getting back to basics; losing the bells and whistles; re-featuring; making tolerable tradeoffs; dialing down; innovating; repurposing.

Usually, I consider buzzwords and catchphrases as an affront, or a ruse to get me to think I matter as a worker. Then I remembered a column I read on Washingtonpost.com earlier in the year, “Eating Down the Fridge,” written by Kim O’Donnel, who happens to be a good friend of a good friend.

The column is O’Donnel’s challenge to her readers to skip trips to the grocery store for a week, and instead use what’s already in the fridge and pantry. It’s an experiment in doing more with less. (O’Donnel’s effort was inspired by fellow foodie Steven Shaw, co-founder of the web site eGullet.org, who endured his own no-shopping-for-a-week challenge.)

After re-reading it, the idea of getting back to basics in business offends me less, and almost seems noble.

Here’s an excerpt from O’Donnel’s piece that I especially like:

“A closer look reveals I’ve got more than I realize — plenty of onions and carrots, a few loose potatoes, fresh thyme, garlic, shallots and some kohlrabi — hardly an empty produce bin. And maybe that’s just the point behind Shaw’s challenge — to think more closely about what we really need during these financially difficult times rather than feeding a whim. Let’s be honest: how often do you throw away perishables that get stuffed into the fridge only to be forgotten? Just last night, I bid farewell to half a bunch of escarole that shoulda coulda woulda. Lazy and taking food for granted, you ask? Guilty as charged.”

And although O’Donnel is speaking of kohlrabi and shallots, she could just as well be talking about software migrations and expansion projects. In her EDF series, she urges readers to sign up and share their successes and failures. Ideas are exchanged, progress is made, fridges are cleared.

I’m no Pollyanna, mind you. Too many people have lost their jobs and life savings over the past few years and recovery will not be easy. But, perhaps, keeping the fridge example in mind, doing more with less can be seen as a recession blessing. It can inspire managers to choose what to cut and what to keep according to their value to the company in the long term, not just the face-value price tag.

An industry example: A major food and beverage company used one of its existing service providers to improve customer service levels across the IT infrastructure. The organization’s leaders looked at the resulting positive feedback from customers, the decrease in hold times and call abandonment, and the boosts in productivity levels.

The company then brought in the service provider to show its internal IT staff how to run the department to get the same kind of stellar results.

In doing so, the company avoided having to hire a multimillion-dollar outsourcer or pricey per-diem consulting firm — and, more importantly, it didn’t use layoffs as a cost-cutting measure. Its employees are happy, and the IT department is stealth.

Here’s to a healthier 2010, physically and fiscally.

(O’Donnel’s column has since moved to True/Slant, where she continues her occasional Eating Down the Fridge series. You can find it here.)

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Still, all our readers cared about was learning how to use a secondary axis in Excel, how to change BlackBerry calendar views, and why help desk techs are so surly.

Here’s a list of our top 10 posts from 2009. Read and enjoy.

10. Get It Together: 5 Ways to Stay Organized in Outlook
9. 5 Lessons to Learn Before Outsourcing
8. A Kinder, Gentler Help Desk
7. Top 5 Most-Asked Help Desk Questions
6. 7 Productivity-Boosting iPhone Tips
5. Out of Office, Out of Mind
4. How the Help Desk Earns its Bad Reputation
3. Follow the Format: 5 MS Word Tips for Managers
2. 4 BlackBerry Tips Every Manager Should Know
1. Management Tool Best Practices: 3 Excel Tips that Promise Charting Greatness

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