Here's a look at the top 2018 strategic IT budget priorities: AI, IoT, conversational systems, security everywhere
Where CIOs are spending the money
Artificial intelligence, machine learning, and tools such as conversational platforms, digital twins and blockchain are among the most strategic 2018 technology investments, according to Gartner.
At Gartner's Symposium/ITXpo in Orlando, Gartner outlined its top strategic investments. These investments will be pushed into a global It spend of $3.7 trillion, up 4.3 percent from a year ago.
Respondents in a Tech Pro Research survey found IT budgets will be up modestly, but there are a number of uncertainty. Thirty-nine percent of respondents said their 2018 IT budget will be up 1 percent to 10 percent.
Gartner's top 10 strategic technology trends all tie into digital transformation at some level. One key takeaway is that AI is creeping into all systems.
Key themes on the strategy front include:
AI foundation: AI will be a battleground for tech vendors as well as an investment area for companies. AI will touch customer experiences and business models. Investment areas can include data prep, algorithms and training, models and tying data scientist, developers, and business leads together.
- Inside the black box: Understanding AI decision-making
- Infographic: 50 percent of companies plan to use AI soon, but haven't worked out the details yet
- Five ways your company can get started implementing AI and ML
- Why AI and machine learning need to be part of your digital transformation plans
- Should Amazon be your AI and machine learning platform?
- Should Google be your AI and machine learning platform?
- Should Microsoft be your AI and machine learning platform?
- Should IBM be your AI and machine learning platform
Intelligent apps and analytics: Since every app will have some level of AI, intelligent apps will be used to augment humans. Look for companies to use machine learning to automate things like data prep and sharing insight. Packaged apps will move toward more intelligence. Indeed, SAP and Oracle have touted built-in intelligence as has Workday and Salesforce among others.
- Turning big data into business insights: The state of play
- Infographic: Most companies are collecting data, but aren't using big data solutions
- Free PDF download: Turning Big Data into Business Insights
- Five organizations that are using big data to power digital transformation
- Choosing the best big data partners: Eight questions to ask
- Seven pitfalls to avoid when using big data to power digital transformation
- Tech's war on drugs: How big data is being used to fight the US opioid epidemic
- Booktopia uses big data to test assumptions before implementing changes
Intelligent things -- or IoT: Autonomous vehicles in controlled settings such as farming and mining will be increasingly adopted. Robotics, drones, and IoT will connect consumers, systems, and industries.
- Enterprise IoT in 2017: The state of play
- Infographic: Companies are using IoT to monitor environments and improve products
- Internet of Things: CIOs are getting ready for the next big revolution
- The Internet of Things: 10 types of enterprise deployments
- 16 questions CXOs should ask before starting an IoT project
- How to calculate TCO and ROI for enterprise IoT implementations
- How to secure your IoT deployment in 10 steps
- The five industries leading the IoT revolution
Digital twins will be used in IoT and will enhance decision-making: Digital twins will proliferate well beyond industrial settings popularized by GE.
Cloud computing at the edge: Endpoints will become more distributed and more intelligent to eliminate latency.
- What is cloud computing? Everything you need to know from public and private cloud to software as a service
- Make sure you're getting the most from your SaaS investment (Tech Pro Research)
- Internet of Things policy
Conversational platforms: Conversational interfaces will show up everywhere in corporate systems as well as every level of software.
- Siri, Cortana, Alexa and Google Assistant are just the beginning: Voice is the future
- Practical AI for the enterprise: Getting past vendors blowing smoke
- Amazon AI: The smart person's guide (TechRepublic)
- How to become an Alexa developer: The smart person's guide
Immersive experiences, AR and VR: These experiences will appear in more enterprises for productivity, visualization, design, and training.
- AR and VR: The future of work and play?
- Research: 67 percent considering adoption of augmented reality in the enterprise
- Executive's guide to the business value of VR and AR (free ebook)
- Ten industries using augmented reality and virtual reality
- Five tips for creating virtual reality product demos
- Five ways augmented reality will transform your business
Blockchain: This has potential in multiple applications in government, healthcare, manufacturing, media distribution, supply chain, and identity verification. In other words, drop the financial services and Bitcoin fascination since blockchain will have more implications.
- Executive's guide to implementing blockchain technology
- IT leader's guide to the blockchain (Tech Pro Research)
Digital business events: Companies will move toward event-driven business models. IoT, cloud, blockchain, in-memory data, and AI will be enablers.
- How digital transformation is reshaping the IT budget: The journey of 3 CIOs
- Infographic: 2018 IT budgets are up slightly; spending focus is on security, hardware, and cloud
- Free PDF download: Tech Budgets 2018, a CXO's Guide
- AI? Blockchain? Cloud computing? What technologies are CIOs really investing in right now?
- Robotics in business: Everything humans need to know
- The enterprise technologies to watch in 2017
- Intro: Digital Transformation, a CXO's Guide
- Artificial intelligence, analytics help speed up digital workplace transformation
- Five emerging technologies for rapid digital transformation
- Maker of Taser weapons goes digital, renames itself Axon in cloud platform bet
- Digital transformation: Retooling business for a new age
- Infographic: Digital transformation is a work in progress for most companies
Adaptive risk and trust: Security will be a common theme as infrastructure will have to adapt on the fly and manage risk. Automating security will be a big theme, says Oracle CTO Larry Ellison.
- Ransomware: An executive guide to one of the biggest menaces on the web
- Cyberwar: A guide to the frightening future of online conflict
- Equifax's big fat fail: How not to handle a data breach
- Defending against cyberwar: How the cybersecurity elite are working to prevent a digital apocalypse
- Encryption: In the battle between maths and politics there is only one winner
- Expanded state hacking powers make a stealthy return to German agenda
- Ransomware attack: How a nuisance became a global threat
- Ransomware attack: The clean-up continues after WannaCry chaos
- Congress introduces bill to stop US from stockpiling cyber-weapons
- Cybercrime and cyberwar: A spotter's guide to the groups that are out to get you
- Research: Companies see mobile devices as big cybersecurity threat