The influx of new devices, platforms and the acceleration of consumerisation in IT will result in future workers having a very different working life by 2020, according to analyst Ovum.
Untethered to any specific place, this new workforce will enjoy a wide range of interconnected, social, mobile and cloud-based collaboration platforms on multiple devices that will enable them to participate in the "shareconomy". But Ovum warned that businesses need to act now to adapt to the changing dynamic or risk being left behind by markets and employees.
The ‘Enterprise 2020′ study by the analyst looks into the future of enterprise collaboration and its role in fostering greater productivity and innovation. It highlights Citrix, Google, VMware and Yammer as the disruptive players leading the charge in transformation. It says these companies offer their own unique vision of how continued growth in enterprise mobility, the cloud enterprise application ecosystem, and the behavioural impact of social networks can enable businesses to function more efficiently and creatively in the future.
"The way in which we work will change dramatically over the next seven years, more than in the previous 30, meaning the enterprise of 2020 will need to be more agile and more responsive than it is today," said Richard Edwards, principal analyst, Ovum. "To remain successful, there will have to be significant change in operations, systems and cultural levels. By 2020, knowledge workers will need and want a set of tools far different to those of today, so for the CIO, the important choice will be which vendor to follow."
According to Ovum, enterprises do not have to make such decisions alone, as the IT industry is already delivering tools for today and roadmaps for tomorrow. The analyst’s study outlines the vision and roadmaps of the four disruptive players and provides guidance for the enterprise on the journey to 2020.
"Google is at the apex of consumer web behaviour, and this behaviour is finding its way into the enterprise and affecting employees’ expectations of the collaboration tools and connected devices they use for work. Google’s position across cloud services markets, mobility and social networking means that it brings a unique perspective on the road ahead for enterprise IT."
"A true enterprise IT disruptor, Yammer has pioneered what social networking and collaboration can do in the enterprise, taking behaviours learned in the consumer space on platforms such as Facebook and converting them into business productivity and new models for management. It is an exciting business with an exciting take on the future of work. Microsoft thought so too, acquiring it in the middle of this project and making it part of the Microsoft Office Division."
"Citrix is evolving as the IT market evolves. A long established partner of the IT department, enabling it to increase the range and reach of enterprise applications, Citrix is also now also directly reaching connected employees to empower them to collaborate from anywhere, accessing apps and data across any connected screen. Citrix’s goal is to bring its core capabilities in collaboration, mobility, virtualization and cloud networking, to any business looking to strike the delicate balance between the governance needs of the IT department and usability and accessibility requirements of the increasingly connected employee."
"In line with the impact of consumerisation, VMware is transforming from an IT-focused organisation to one focused on the end user, enabling end users to connect to their data, applications and desktops from any device without having to sacrifice IT security and control."
It is notable that none of the major technology vendors of old are featured on Ovum’s list. The likes of Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, SAP, Intel, Cisco, HP, Dell and others are conspicuously absent from the predicted influencers of the workplace of tomorrow.
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