Technology & IT | Saturday 31 January, 2015 2:31 am |

In tech, we like nothing better than a new trend – and we all know that fashion matters, so we get onboard with it. As an industry we’ve proven to be masters at hyping new trends, setting unrealistically high expectations for them and then, when dust settles, sometimes making money.
So what are the big tech trends for 2015? Here’s my take…
Wearable-Schmearable. 
Let’s face it, nobody under 35 wears a watch anymore – they rely on their smartphones for everything. A lot of wearables will fail, however standalone, niche wearables that shake up industries for the better – such as FitBits or Jawbones that monitor vitals or health activity – will continue to flourish

Consumers “Caught In The ‘Act’ 
Businesses that adapt and take their services onto the mobile device can create a direct relationship with the consumer, they have the potential to intercept consumers “in the act” and direct their attention to relevant products and services. Many companies have been working on this for years, but I expect it will become more widely adopted driving the need for technologies like in-memory databases and flash storage that can enable organizations to process vast streams of data in real time

It's About The Software, Stupid.
In the next decade, almost every industry will be re-defined by software – and much of that software being surfaced on mobile devices – on smartphones and tablets for sure, but also in cars, aircraft engines, running shoes and human beings! Companies that don’t innovate in this way won’t last long.
Agile Software Development + Millennials = New IT

If business transformation is to happen it will be driven by the business – often with “IT” (the guys writing the software) embedded in the business. Development will be iterative, employing agile techniques – prioritizing work and then re-prioritizing every couple of weeks based on a tight feedback loop with the business. We’re talking here about a new model for IT, and one that provides almost instant gratification – a perfect fit for the millennial generation coming into the workplace. 2015 could represent the beginning of the decentralization of IT – IT operations staying centralized, but software development heading off into the respective business units.

Lecture This.
We’ll see the beginning of the end of lectures. Trials at leading universities have shown that the average student pays attention for about 7 minutes in a 40 minute lectureAt colleges where lectures have moved online exam re-take rates have tumbled from almost 50% to single digits. And, that’s not the only good news, moving content online gives educational content global reach. Imagine a world where everyone has access to the same materials our Ivy League schools teach!