Experts are forecasting a trend toward increased spending on technology after a cyclical drop soon after Y2K concerns passed. With antiquated legacy systems getting more and dearer to fix, old computers breaking down, and also the benefits of mobile computing continually being realized, new technology is predicted to enter the business world with renewed speed. As is commonly the case with the gradual diffusion of technological innovation into the marketplace, telecom and storage services are simultaneously decreasing in cost.
According to Michael J. Miller, editor-in-chief of PC magazine, the biggest growth opportunity for management information systems technology is in Web services. He predicts that emerging Web service standards will promote integration and let companies tie together existing applications within a company, hook up with outside applications, and create applications that are entirely new. Due to the increasing number of applications within the corporate world, Miller also does not see that only 1 player (such as Microsoft or Sun Microsystems) will dominate the market.
Mimicking the safety issues discussed earlier, Miller sees that security is that the biggest obstacle for continued growth within the sector and that both consumers and businesses will must address problems with security better.
Another trend in MIS is what’s named as business process management (BPM). As has been illustrated during this chapter, there are myriad applications and packages that may be used for the IT enthusiast.
A new trend that’s emerging within the area, however, is business process management. BPM is recognized united of the fastest growing technologies within the software world with a value of over $400 million in 2003 (according to an analyst within the Delphi Group). The innovation of the technology finds its roots in automating the processes that involve people. It includes capabilities derived from process modeling, process monitoring, application integration, and rapid application development tools.
Additionally, there’s a trend toward integrating different technologies.
As mentioned earlier, PDAs can now include telephones and cameras, but there has also been the creation of “palmtops” and Web phones. These innovations in technology are going outside the communication realm and now migrating toward regular household appliances like washers, refrigerators, and even microwaves.
One of the best trends within the world of data systems, however, may be a shortage of the those that can help integrate, install, and run these information systems. Companies are finding it increasingly difficult to remain current with the newest technologies and face a shortage of IT personnel. this may be seen as a wonderful opportunity for the technologically inclined, but may be a competitive hindrance to a corporation that simply can’t access the resources needed to keep up in its industry, and to its clients still. within the future, the trend toward IT outsourcing will continue and presumably make the reliance on consultants even greater.
