14 Business and Technology Trends to Look for in 2014

What’s in store for this New Year? What should businesses expect, plan for and work to strengthen? While it’s essential to be prepared, I’m personally reticent to share predictions. The last time I presented on the topic of predictions was at a conference a few years ago. I suggested that Twitter was not a fad and that businesses would need to embrace it. Although now nearly all businesses have a presence on Twitter, at the time several skeptics were in the crowd and the audience largely heckled me. I hope this round of predictions is better received and helps you prepare for what’s to come.

Because our team has such diverse areas of experience and expertise, we thought would be interesting to see their predictions on trends that are showing momentum and swelling up in the marketplace. Below is the outcome of this exercise – 14 trends to look for in 2014.

We are confident that these trends will come to pass in 2014 and beyond. Well, confident enough to face hecklers, anyway. We hope you enjoy and welcome your comments.

– Larry English, President

1. Beginnings of a Gigantic Innovation Cycle 
Disruptive technologies and business models will inspire a new level of innovation.
By: Larry English

2. IT Shops Will Leverage Their Knowledge of Legos® to Build Enterprise Systems 
Containers and the Composable Enterprise 
By: William Klos

3. The Growth of DIY Healthcare 
New healthcare methods and technologies empower consumers to take charge of their own health.
By: Bryan Brewer

4. Data is the New Currency- Mining for Gold in the Internet of Things
In our new galaxy of digital information, the value of data and dollars are inexorably intertwined.  
By: Dan Valerian

5. The Emergence of the Professional DIY Data Scientist 
As demand for data scientists explodes, professionals will grow their own data science skills.
By: Drew Brown

6. Marketing and IT Sitting in the Tree
Just like the old playground song, “First comes love, then comes marriage…,” Marketing and IT will be bound together like never before in 2014.
By: Misty Walsh

7. Cloud Breaks Out of Infrastructure Groups and Into Strategic Imperatives
A large number of companies are weaving cloud into everything they do and starting to unleash the potential of what this flexibility affords. 
By: Paul Holway

8. Financial Companies Prepare to Advise Multi-Generational Homes 
Over the next two decades, there will be a huge increase in baby boomer parents moving in with their adult children. 
By: Errol Yudelman

9. The Re-Emerging Importance of Tech Careers
As nearly every facet of life becomes digitized, the need for creative and innovative talent is only going to grow. 
By: Mike Brannan

10. Responsive Web Design Falls Victim to the Hype Cycle 
HTML5  will continue to take over web projects, but responsive web design will lose a little luster for enterprise mobility projects due to higher cost and functionality hurdles of transaction-based workflow applications. 
By: Jason Miller

11. Data Scientist Sightings Will (Mostly) Be Proven a Hoax
Organizations will realize that data science is a capability that must be achieved collectively through a team of experts rather than by a single, brilliant individual. 
By: Jeff Kanel

12. Non-Techies Grasp the Cloud
Non-techie friends will understand the concept of cloud storage and the benefits of keeping their digital data in the cloud.
By: Mike Brannan

13. Info Synthesis and Collaboration Create a Recipe for 2014 Breakthroughs
Society is standing at the edge of significant breakthroughs. Collaboration and data collection will take us there. 
By: Aaron Aude

14. Sensors Invade – Big Data Goes Mainstream
The power of sensors and big data to transform business is now too strong to ignore. 
By: Paul Holway

Here’s to a happy, healthy and successful 2014!