By Otto Berkes, Chief Technology Officer, CA Technologies
Information technology in the format we know it today is dead. What was just a mission to “keep the lights on” has evolved to the need to engage and retain customers. And, more and more, for a company to benefit from the new information technology, it needs to invest in software.
With software now positioned at the center of the business, organizations are digitally transforming themselves to adopt agile practices and new technologies that deliver innovations to the market quickly and safely. In this way, they are able to make their customers always close by, wanting new products and solutions.
But what are the main challenges for these organizations to start this process of digital transformation in 2016?
1. For flexible and scalable development, invest in containers
The year 2016 will see at least a decades-long dream come true - the creation of a component-based development flow, linked to agile and continuous development practices, allowing organizations to transform at a faster pace than ever before.
The focus will be on smaller services, which can be deployed independently, delivering new resources on an ongoing basis. The days of waiting for the review of entire applications are over.
Microservices and containers (technology that allows processes and tests to be carried out in isolation, with safety and stability) will provide greater flexibility and scale in the development process. Both technologies will transform the way developers build, deploy and update applications and accelerate the need for agile practices to stay ahead of changing market and customer requirements.
2. “Agile security” enters the field
Security can no longer be an afterthought. It has to be prepared under all aspects of application design, development and deployment.
The acceleration of software development cycles means that security has to be at the base of any project or development process.
For 2016, all paths lead to the emerging idea of “agile security”. Bringing security to the process earlier, along with the DevOps methodology and agile practices, adds the essential third pillar to high-speed, scalable software development.
3. Analytics everywhere will dictate customer value
Over the years, analytics have evolved from business intelligence to transactional and big data. From now on, real-time analytics that elevate the customer experience as they link predictions to prescriptive actions will become standard.
In 2016 we will enter an era in which the demographic factor will allow organizations to personalize services, set prices, sales and products in real time for the individual. With analytics, we will bring better customer experiences, as we put security that protects consumers in the background. New analytical techniques will use behavioral patterns and machine learning to separate real customers from fraudsters and provide less seamless transactions and experiences.
4. Internet of things: from the realm of interesting possibilities to the world of real application
Even though the internet of things, an element of digital transformation, is a high-potential technology, we can say that it is still in its infancy. Analytics and security hold the key to opening the door that will add more value to consumers.
The peculiarities inherent in the world of the internet of things create more vulnerabilities and points of attack than ever and increase the chances of conflict. Conceptually, the internet of things is that elegant new wave that everyone wants to surf, but below the surface there is a terrain full of complexities that need to be accessed and understood.
As the internet of things reaches the mainstream, the “identity of things” will become fundamental. Just as a person's identity needs to be authenticated, the “identity” of a device and any data stream that reaches it must also be confirmed and defined as trusted.
Tools like identity and access management (IAM) for IoT and interaction tables are needed to ensure that we are engaged with the “right things” and they are not conflicting, nullifying or duplicating themselves in the environment.
As IoT sensors and smart devices proliferate and interact with us in critical areas, such as Healthcare and the automotive industry, they will help to simplify - and perhaps save - our lives and improve customer experiences.
5. Blockchain finds its foundation
The surprise of 2016 will be the resurgence of blockchain technology and its refinement to the point that it will really find its place outside of Bitcoin's ledger.
Blockchain was a keyword for many startups two years ago and is ready for renewal, when we look at the growth of the internet of things and the need for secure engagement between devices.
A technology such as blockchain, which depends on a computer network and has privacy as a central element, will be an important facilitator of the internet of things and the digital transformation of any organization, since it further simplifies operations to have more agility and customer responsiveness.
Blockchain technology will have to overcome its "guilt by association" with Bitcoin-related problems, but there is clearly the ability to become the "ball of the day" for sensors and the Internet of Things in general.
With software now positioned at the center of the business, organizations are digitally transforming themselves to adopt agile practices and new technologies that deliver innovations to the market quickly and safely. In this way, they are able to make their customers always close by, wanting new products and solutions.
But what are the main challenges for these organizations to start this process of digital transformation in 2016?
1. For flexible and scalable development, invest in containers
The year 2016 will see at least a decades-long dream come true - the creation of a component-based development flow, linked to agile and continuous development practices, allowing organizations to transform at a faster pace than ever before.
The focus will be on smaller services, which can be deployed independently, delivering new resources on an ongoing basis. The days of waiting for the review of entire applications are over.
Microservices and containers (technology that allows processes and tests to be carried out in isolation, with safety and stability) will provide greater flexibility and scale in the development process. Both technologies will transform the way developers build, deploy and update applications and accelerate the need for agile practices to stay ahead of changing market and customer requirements.
2. “Agile security” enters the field
Security can no longer be an afterthought. It has to be prepared under all aspects of application design, development and deployment.
The acceleration of software development cycles means that security has to be at the base of any project or development process.
For 2016, all paths lead to the emerging idea of “agile security”. Bringing security to the process earlier, along with the DevOps methodology and agile practices, adds the essential third pillar to high-speed, scalable software development.
3. Analytics everywhere will dictate customer value
Over the years, analytics have evolved from business intelligence to transactional and big data. From now on, real-time analytics that elevate the customer experience as they link predictions to prescriptive actions will become standard.
In 2016 we will enter an era in which the demographic factor will allow organizations to personalize services, set prices, sales and products in real time for the individual. With analytics, we will bring better customer experiences, as we put security that protects consumers in the background. New analytical techniques will use behavioral patterns and machine learning to separate real customers from fraudsters and provide less seamless transactions and experiences.
4. Internet of things: from the realm of interesting possibilities to the world of real application
Even though the internet of things, an element of digital transformation, is a high-potential technology, we can say that it is still in its infancy. Analytics and security hold the key to opening the door that will add more value to consumers.
The peculiarities inherent in the world of the internet of things create more vulnerabilities and points of attack than ever and increase the chances of conflict. Conceptually, the internet of things is that elegant new wave that everyone wants to surf, but below the surface there is a terrain full of complexities that need to be accessed and understood.
As the internet of things reaches the mainstream, the “identity of things” will become fundamental. Just as a person's identity needs to be authenticated, the “identity” of a device and any data stream that reaches it must also be confirmed and defined as trusted.
Tools like identity and access management (IAM) for IoT and interaction tables are needed to ensure that we are engaged with the “right things” and they are not conflicting, nullifying or duplicating themselves in the environment.
As IoT sensors and smart devices proliferate and interact with us in critical areas, such as Healthcare and the automotive industry, they will help to simplify - and perhaps save - our lives and improve customer experiences.
5. Blockchain finds its foundation
The surprise of 2016 will be the resurgence of blockchain technology and its refinement to the point that it will really find its place outside of Bitcoin's ledger.
Blockchain was a keyword for many startups two years ago and is ready for renewal, when we look at the growth of the internet of things and the need for secure engagement between devices.
A technology such as blockchain, which depends on a computer network and has privacy as a central element, will be an important facilitator of the internet of things and the digital transformation of any organization, since it further simplifies operations to have more agility and customer responsiveness.
Blockchain technology will have to overcome its "guilt by association" with Bitcoin-related problems, but there is clearly the ability to become the "ball of the day" for sensors and the Internet of Things in general.
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