Enterprise Software on Verge of Shift

Jason Lopez, www.cio-today.com

A number of technological advances are fomenting radical changes in how enterprise software works, says the research firm Gartner.


The company announced its projection for the shape of I.T. tools for the next five years at its Symposium I.T. Expo 2004 in Cannes, France, on Monday.


At the heart of Gartner's view is the notion that software must now adapt more quickly to changes in business.


The underlying enablers are new technologies such as high-bandwidth connectivity, wireless and Wi-Fi, and the convergence of messaging and voice data.


Smart Software


One of the main shifts will be toward more flexible software. "It's a big shift away from having software systems that capture their users," said Gartner enterprise software analyst Jeff Comport.


"We're moving way from the idea that software has a particular user in mind and that user is a slave to the software," he told NewsFactor.


The change in software will put users in charge. They will generate events and interact with multiple systems much more readily and casually.


Rapid Improvements


Comport says rapid improvements are taking place now and that within five years, software systems will seamlessly respond to users, events and business changes.


Not all enterprises will opt for such flexibility. Some will continue to limit the control of users over their systems, depending on the sensitivity of the data.


But Gartner says businesses that migrate to more-flexible software will benefit from increased connectivity and transparency across multiple systems.


Surprisingly, Gartner says enterprises will take a back seat to consumers in driving new technologies. "The network will be a support system for many activities," said Comport. "And not just business activities, but day-to-day activities."


Consumer in the Driver's Seat


Once users have easy and transparent access to such knowledge as the availability of goods or instant baseball scores on their handheld computers, enterprises will adopt similar technologies on a grander scale.


"Consumer requirements rather than business needs increasingly will be the major influence on product features, lifecycles and costs." said Gartner hardware analyst Steve Prentice. "Forty-five percent of semiconductor chip sales are destined for consumer devices and by 2013, this will increase to more than 50 percent."