Hardware.com Identifies Top Tech Trends for 2013 in Honor of National Techies Day

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Advancements in technology not only impact business productivity, budget, and a company’s ability to compete, they also shift the job functions of information technology (IT) professionals. For instance, according to Forrester Consulting¹, 72 percent of today’s enterprise executives are battling escalating threats to IT, leaving IT professionals with more security-focused tasks. In honor of National Techies Day, observed on October 3, Hardware.com has named four tech trends for 2013 that demonstrate how the role of IT professionals may change.

“As with any trend, some organizations will act as early adopters while others are later to the game or choose to ignore a technology movement completely”

“The new year will bring innovative advancements in technology that will drive the evolution of IT,” said Rick Dykhoff, Director of Channel Sales at Hardware.com. “These trends have the potential to change the role of IT professionals, as well as improve business productivity when implemented properly.”

Hardware.com’s top tech trends for 2013 include

1. The spread of fourth-generation (4G) and 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless technology
According to a 2012 report from market research firm IHS iSuppli², wireless carriers expect spending for LTE technology to reach $24.3 billion in 2013. As 4G technology replaces 3G technology, organizations will be able to equip workers with mobile devices that can better handle activities such as videoconferencing. 4G will also allow information to be sent more quickly and at a lower cost. This has the ability to improve productivity, because workers will be able to do more while on-the-go.

2. The “consumerization of IT”
Today, more than ever, employees are bringing their personal technology to the office; for 2013, it doesn’t seem this trend will lose steam. In fact, a 2012 study from Cisco³ found that 95 percent of the 600 IT and business leaders surveyed allow employee-owned devices in the workplace. Consumerization can actually eliminate some headaches for IT workers, since most consumer technologies are fairly easy to understand and use. Equipping employees with self-supported devices then frees up time for IT workers, allowing them to focus on more proactive, strategic tasks. However, IT professionals will need to ensure employees are using these devices in a secure manner and are in compliance with the company’s IT guidelines.

3. A growing interest in the cloud
As more businesses look to increase efficiencies and simplify the way in which data and applications are handled and stored, interest and spending in cloud computing has grown significantly. A June 2012 report from Visiongain⁴, an independent media company, estimates the cloud computing market will be worth approximately $37.9 billion by the end of the year. Cloud computing allows businesses to easily upscale or downscale IT requirements when necessary, freeing IT professionals from time-consuming tasks. Nevertheless, IT professionals may encounter difficulty transitioning to the cloud if their organization uses legacy applications.

4. A change in IT budgets
According to ComputerWorld’s Forecast 2013, 43 percent of IT organizations expect their IT budgets to increase, compared to 36 percent last year⁵. Along with this optimism comes a desire to hire IT professionals with specific skills such as programming and application development, project management, and technical support. This means businesses will look for IT professionals to be more focused on creating new technology and software to keep up with competitors. IT leaders who already possess these skills can position themselves as assets to their companies by constraining costs, since head count won’t have to be dramatically increased.

“As with any trend, some organizations will act as early adopters while others are later to the game or choose to ignore a technology movement completely,” added Justin Hadler, Director of Engineering at Hardware.com. “In honor of National Techies Day, we wanted to highlight how these trends might affect IT professionals and encourage them to get their business leaders on board with upcoming changes.”

For more information on ways to improve IT efficiency and reduce costs, visit http://us.hardware.com.

About Hardware.com

Founded in 2003, Hardware.com is a global leader in networking hardware, architectures, procurement, and support. Headquartered in Gloucestershire, England with operations across Europe and the U.S., the company provides a valued information technology (IT) partnership to organizations of all sizes. Hardware.com’s team of experienced and distinguished consultants partner with companies to identify, implement, and support advanced network infrastructures that align companies’ technological requirements with their business and economic goals. For more information on the company’s products, services, and solutions, visit http://us.hardware.com.

1: http://public.dhe.ibm.com/common/ssi/ecm/en/rll12348usen/RLL12348USEN.PDF

2: http://www.isuppli.com/Mobile-and-Wireless-Communications/News/Pages/LTE-Expected-to-Dominate-Wireless-Infrastructure-Spending-by-2013.aspx

3: http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Enterprise-Networking/Cisco-Enterprises-are-Embracing-BYOD-252679/

4: http://cloudtechsite.com/uncategorized/visiongain-report-cloud-computing-market-to-be-worth-37-9bn-in-2012.html

5: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9231482/Forecast_2013_Building_a_better_IT_budget