Global trends in information technology and their implication

While the mainframe, personal computers and the World Wide Web have revolutionized our lives changed the way we think about Information Technology (IT) in the last half-century, there are some new trends in IT that may be have an equally significant effect on people's lives in the near future. The technologies that undelie the new trends have been characterized as SMAC (Social, Mobile, Analytics and Cloud), and the confluence of these technologies is causing major shifts. For example, while data complexity is increasing due to volume, variety, velocity, and veracity, mobile and handheld devices combined with interaction and visualization technologies have become ubiquitous and making the data more consumable. Similarly, changes in technology, learning patterns, and business models are happening faster than ever, enabled by trends such as scalable API-based services and massive open online courses (MOOCs). As a consequence, businesses are facing increasing competition due to lower barrier to entry. At the same time, the proliferation of sensors and smart phones is making it possible for businesses and organizations to collect and leverage contextual information in real-time for various purposes ranging from public safety to retail. This talk will summarize some of the major global trends in IT and what they might mean to our lives in the coming years.