The convergence of social, mobile, the cloud and information continues to drive change and create opportunities, according to a recent Gartner report that identifies the top 10 strategic technology trends for 2014.

These four forces also create demand for advanced programmable infrastructure that execute at Web scale, such as cloud-centered design combined with mobile experiences.

When considering strategic processes for 2014, companies should make deliberate decisions about implementing these 10 strategies as they will significantly impact business operations through IT disruptions, require major investments and will cause setbacks if not adopted.

Companies should use this list to create customized strategic plans, says David Cearley, Gartner vice president and fellow in Gartner research. "CIOs and IT strategy leaders should recognize that the impact can be positive or negative, and must examine potential threats or risks associated with the trend. In particular, they must examine the implications of ignoring the potential impact of a trend or the potential for a competitor to exploit a trend to change the competitive landscape."

Gartner's top 10 strategic technology trends for 2014:

1. Mobile Device Diversity and Management
Consumer technology and bring-your-own-device policies have highlighted the conflict between the IT organization and the company's end users. Today's core IT systems, such as SAP, are designed to serve IT, and as a result, the end users are willing to spend their own money on smartphones, tablets and apps that make their work lives easier and more productive.

Companies should define expectations for employee-owned hardware: A managed diversity model will offer a compromise that gives end users choice while protecting company assets and privacy.

2. Mobile Apps and Applications
Providing a valuable customer experience will increase mobile commerce app adoption, drive usage and increase loyalty and revenue, Gartner says. Companies that are innovative with their approaches will find financial success from their app investments.

Developers should focus on expanding user interface models with richer voice and video that connects people in new ways. The next evolution of apps will leverage intent, inferred from emotion to actions, to prompt user changes.

3. The Internet of Everything
The Internet of Things will extend the Web's role to encompass a range of devices and communication streams, many of which will be machine-to-machine communications such as enterprise assets and consumer items like cars and televisions. Thus, the Internet of Things will be replaced by the Internet of Everything.

4. Hybrid Cloud and IT as a Service Broker
The Internet of Things, mobile devices and apps—in the hands of employees, partners and customers—drive demand for cloud-based service delivery.

Business process owners, line of business managers, application managers and senior IT managers need to use the hybrid IT model to reinvent business processes, Gartner's report says.

5. Cloud/Client Architecture
Client/cloud architecture focuses on models that deliver applications and content in context to users. As the capability of mobile devices increases, there is an increased demand on networks and their costs. Companies can exploit the intelligence and storage of the client device and use cloud computing as a delivery model for applications. These applications will include reactive programming and responsive design, mobile containers and advanced user experience tools.

6. The Era of Personal Cloud
The personal cloud focuses on the individual user's experience when interacting with client/cloud architecture. Users rely on connected digital devices—including Internet of Things devices—to integrate their lives digitally through syncing, sharing, storing and streaming content.

Personal cloud technology shifts services away from devices. The type of mobile device—smartphone or tablet—becomes less important as the personal cloud takes over.

7. Software-defined Anything
Software-defined Anything (SDx) is "improved standards for infrastructure programmability and data center interoperability, which is driven by automation inherent to cloud computing, DevOps and fast infrastructure provisioning," the report states.

The goal of SDx is to remove conventional, propriety vendor hardware to simplify user experience. Gartner identifies SDx as an emerging tech model, so IT services must be visionary and pragmatic while SDx evolves.

8. Web-scale IT
IT organizations should emulate the processes, architectures and practices of leading cloud providers, such as Amazon, Google and Salesforce, as their technology has changed the IT landscape, Gartner says.

Web-scale IT is the result of the demand to create cloud services that address a client's needs using automation and other software-defined models.

Web-oriented architecture-based software services improve application resilience and allow development teams to operate independently.

9. Smart Machines
Through 2020, Gartner predicts that smart machines will thrive with "contextually aware, intelligent personal assistance, smart advisors, advanced global industrial systems and public availability of early examples of autonomous vehicles."

Collaboration between people and smart machines will increase effectiveness. Companies may see cost and risk-cutting opportunities by replacing some employees or contractors with smart machines.

10. 3D Printing
Gartner predicts that the 3D printer market will double in size, year over year, by 2017. 3D printing technology may revolutionize the retail industry and supply chain.

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