The end of passwords, and other IT predictions

• Say hello to Big Data 2.0 and the end of the password as we know it
• Enterprises will begin to put more trust in the public cloud

MORE than ever, IT will drive business competitiveness in 2013 and must begin to act as a trusted advisor and service broker in an increasingly complex environment.
 
This year will see big data growing up, security taking on a new dimension, and the ‘Internet of Things’ becoming more ubiquitous, IT management solutions provider CA Technologies said in a statement outlining its top five IT predictions for 2013.
 
1) Big data grows up

There will be an emergence of big data administrators who will play a critical role in using new technologies and processing power to take a cold, hard (and useful) look at data and its business application.
 
In 2013, big data projects will begin to show demonstrable ROI (return on investment). As with the cloud, definitions will mature, enabling better focus on delivering business value.
 
This infrastructure that integrates with data from social media and open data sources will dramatically increase the demand for management and security.
 
The risk of big data decision is much lower and the insights it provides will increase IT’s leadership on innovation, CA Technologies said.
 
2) Enterprises adopt public cloud

Enterprises will adopt public cloud services, spurred by the expansion of offerings from service providers (SPs), like established telcos, who have already earned their trust.
 
As SPs franchise their business models and technologies, cloud services will surge outside the United States.
 
Additionally, the buzz of the cloud will dim as people realize it’s just the way business is done. Vertical industries such as healthcare will lead this trend, realizing its impact on security, the value of specialized community cloud services and the ability to address compliance while driving down costs.
 
The mainframe will move more rapidly to the cloud as companies that already have a mainframe will adopt cloud technologies and processes to get the most out of them.
 
Externally hosted private cloud adoption will also increase in the next couple of years.
 
3) Identity is the new perimeter
 
Enterprise users know no bounds of time and space. As they adopt cloud services and collaborate globally with external customers and partners from multiple devices, they erase the traditional IT perimeter.
 
Security professionals today find themselves in a borderless war on multiple fronts and one common ally – Identity.
 
Strongly authenticated identity is the new perimeter. This places emphasis on reducing risk at the authentication point, signaling the end of the password as we know it today.
 
As such, we expect to see advanced authentication models expand. We will see more risk-based authentication coming into play based on the device, transaction, location and more.  We will see industry move towards more intelligent methods of authentication such as pattern creation, image recognition, mobile phone-based authentication, audio and biometrics.
 
But this is not enough. We will see more content-driven security based on what the data is, or how it’s classified, and that information, plus user identity and role, will be used to guide access rights.
 
4) The seventh sense

There will be increased exploitation of sensing technologies available in most modern mobile devices as the ‘Internet of Things’ takes hold.
 
Everything will become intelligent as sensors are embedded into a wide array of devices from the home to those that drive applications that span disaster management, healthcare IT, transportation networks, Smart Grids, utility computing and more.
 
These technologies will drive additional demand for IT to manage, store, analyze and secure data traffic, privacy and end points.
 
5) Mobile/ social first in the enterprise
 
Companies will start to build applications not just with mobile and social in mind, but primarily for such platforms, with traditional platforms secondary or not supported at all.
 
Consumerization will accelerate as we see the end of resistance from the enterprise embracing the rich, immersive user experience consumers are used to from mobile applications.
 
In parallel, the management of mobile/ social IT will become less about managing and securing the devices themselves, and more about managing and securing the mobile applications and mobile data, all while preserving the user experience.
 
Runner up: The rise of DevOps is imminent
 
Intelligent computing in every piece of equipment in the world today is driving the world towards environments that are becoming so complex that operations needs to be taken into consideration before the first line of code is written.
 
As the move to agile brings developers, testers, and business closer together, CA Technologies sees DevOps driving the rise of experience-led design.
 
The CIO (chief information officer) will be less worried about managing devices and more concerned with managing apps. As services are moved to the cloud, consumers will be less interested in monitoring infrastructure themselves.
 
DevOps will necessitate the reconstitution of traditional frameworks like ITIL, extracting their most valuable concepts and adjusting them for modern, agile development.
 
In this reality, cloud, mobility, and DevOps are becoming one movement.
 
“In 2013, IT will drive business competitiveness,” said Nutapone Apiluktoyanunt (pic), CA Technologies country manager for Malaysia and Thailand.
 
“CIOs need to achieve an end-to-end service delivery model, tying in all the required elements and technologies to create an integrated user experience.  To stay relevant, they will function as business service innovators and integrators, managing diverse services and service aggregations that differentiate business offerings.
 
“IT must begin to act as a trusted advisor, service broker and as quality assurance in this brave new world of complex IT,” he added.
 
The proliferation of smart mobile devices and BYOD (Bring Your Own device), cloud computing, big data and security have brought a new level of complexity.
 
Historically, technology was transactional and IT defined. However, in this networked world, technology is evolving beyond simply enabling operations to being a truly intelligent driver of business innovation, CA Technologies said.
 
Related Stories:
 
Security no longer about ‘no,’ but ‘know’
 
CIOs: We’re being held back by other C-levels
 
The CIO: The cloud changes the game even more
 
DevOps: Smashing through software development silos
 
Move over cloud, big data is here
 

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