Media tablets and app stores have been identified among the top 10 strategic technologies for 2012, according to research firm Gartner.
At its recent IT Symposium, Gartner analysts emphasized that enterprises must develop mobile strategies covering both B2E (business-to-employee) and B2C (business-to-consumer) scenarios. For B2E initiatives, IT leaders should align mobile efforts with social, operational and financial objectives. For B2C, priorities include consumer support, API management, third-party app integration and delivery via app stores.
Gartner expects app stores to evolve beyond consumer-focused marketplaces into important enterprise channels. The firm forecasts more than 70 billion mobile application downloads per year by 2014, signaling substantial demand and opportunity for organizations that support app distribution.
Enterprises should respond by providing governance and brokerage services, organizing apps according to risk and cost, and adopting a managed diversity approach to application portfolios. These measures help balance user convenience with security, compliance and operational control.
“Organizations should launch exploratory projects to evaluate promising technologies and begin searching for combinations of information sources, including social platforms and unstructured data that can be mined for insights,” said Carl Claunch, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner.
Gartner’s top-10 list for 2012 also includes cloud computing, contextual and social user experiences, and in-memory computing. The list highlights both existing and emerging technologies likely to have significant market impact over the next five years.
David Cearley, vice president and Gartner fellow, added: “These top 10 technologies will be strategic for most organizations. IT leaders should use this list in their strategic planning—reviewing each technology and assessing how it aligns with their anticipated needs.”
To explore the future of multiplatform apps and learn how businesses, brands, marketers, developers and operators are capitalizing on the market’s rapid growth, consider attending industry events where leading global brands and experts discuss trends and best practices.