Gartner Symposium in 2010!
Anyone who has had the chance to attend Gartner’s annual Symposium would know that there are so many session to choose from. I wanted to go to all of them! But that obviously was not possible so I set about creating my agenda using their very cool tool and picked the following:
Cloud, Cloud and did I mention, the Cloud?
It was a running joke amongst the analysts that to stay current, you would need to mention “Cloud” at least once in any presentation. The Cloud has been in the news for a couple of years now, attracting its fair share of cynicism. One thing is clear though – one day, everybody will be using something based on a Cloud.
Social media is here to stay – yay!
The one takeaway quote that stayed with me through the conference was, “If you don’t take ownership of your social media, someone else will”. In fact, I tweeted that and was RT-ed by a few (including a Gartner social media analyst) – hooray for me!
On a serious note, Symposium clarified a lot of the myths on this subject and provided CIOs with a checklist and plan for the next week, quarter and 12 months to listen, review and implement a social media strategy. But, Gartner warns – to go forward with a strategic aim and learn from the good and bad examples of social media, allowing for a better chance of success.
The line between IT and ‘the Business’ is blurring
An interesting debate towards the end of day three captured this topic eloquently –’Technology Should Be Centralised, Owned and Governed by IT – Not the Business’. The analysts debated strongly for each side and the argument for IT won.
The general consensus was that in order for a business to be successful overall, we can start to empower IT to deliver towards the goals of the business. By separating the two, a business does not do any favours for itself, in fact, it does quite the opposite. Therefore, moving forward, businesses should accept that technology will become integrated into every part of an organisation and the way forward is increased integration and collaboration with a single goal: provide better returns to the stakeholders.
The PC is dead, mobile devices now rule, OK?
Plug and play; or rather plug and work is what users want. We are increasingly attached to our smart phones, tablets and other portables, so this makes perfect sense. The trend of ‘BYOC’ (bring your own computer) to work is growing and Gartner predicts that by 2013, over 50 percent of the devices accessing the internet will be mobile devices. So businesses need to be prepared to support mobile computing and mobile devices because if their users can’t get it now, they’ll go elsewhere.
R&D for innovation, not maintenance
Businesses who want to stay ahead need to start shifting their R&D dollars from maintenance to innovation. For so long now, according to HP’s EVP and Chief Strategy and Technology Officer, Shane Robinson, businesses have concentrated their R&D efforts on providing value through upkeep and maintenance, while the more industrious brands have led the way by investing in innovation. Think of the computer maker who is now leading the mobile phone market; or the search engine company who now sells words. Innovation leads to growth and that will lead to market dominance.
Control as we know it, has changed
Businesses who want to stay relevant in the next decade will need to move from control to embrace and think differently about technology. This theme was echoed in almost every session I attended. According to HP’s Shane Robinson, consumer technology is touching each user very differently and it is the reaction of businesses to this influx of devices and the growing popularity of social media networking that will make all the difference. Shifting from control to embrace without compromising the business’s objective in a secure environment is what will attract and retain the best talent. The role of IT is no longer break/fix; the IT team of the future is an expert in emerging technologies and trends and is ready to consult, support and empower the business.
All in all, Symposium this year was the most progressive, current and relevant conference I’ve had the pleasure of attending. And I want to go again next year! 
