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| Gartner Identifies Emerging Technology Trends During Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2001 |
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Lake Buena Vista, Fla., October 8, 2001 -- During the economic downturn, it is imperative that enterprises select technologies that support core business initiatives. With that in mind, Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT and ITB) analysts today announced four key emerging technology trends for the next decade.
Gartner analysts released these findings during the company's flagship conference, Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2001, which runs from October 8 through October 12 in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. "The nontechnology factors driving this increased automation include strong return on investment (ROI), better customer reach and service quality that will ultimately result in increasing competitiveness and also savings that can be passed on to the customer and ubiquitous access to the online world through wireless access and home networks." Customer Self Service: By 2005, more than 70 percent of customer service interaction for information and remote transactions will be automated. "A range of technologies are improving customers' ability to complete increasingly complex informational and service-based transactions without the need for human assistance," said Jackie Fenn, vice president and research fellow for Gartner. "The nontechnology factors driving this increased automation include strong return on investment, better customer reach and improved service quality. This will ultimately result in increased competitiveness, and in savings that can be passed on to the customer." Web Services: By packaging business processes as software components, Web services will drive much of the still-to-be-developed e-business landscape. "Web services will facilitate much faster software development and integration. They will also enable businesses to become more agile, and help them focus on their core competencies while outsourcing other functions," said Alexander Linden, research director for Gartner. "Companies should enter the learning curve on Web services capabilities now, but because this technology is not yet mature or a proven success, they should not create mission-critical Web services projects until a clear case for revenue-generation opportunities can be made," said Linden. "Web Services are likely the hottest trend of 2001 and 2002, and are probably still an underestimated technology." Wearable Computers: By 2007, more than 60 percent of the U.S. population aged 15 to 50 will carry or wear a wireless computing and communications device at least six hours a day. "Widespread adoption of wireless, wearable computing will provide constantly connected employees and consumers with access to communities, information and other services as they go about their business in the real world," said Fenn. "The prevalence of 'wearables' will lead to commerce and service opportunities as significant as those resulting from the wired Web." Tagging the World: By 2008, at least $90 billion worth of business-to-consumer (B2C) purchase decisions - and $350 billion worth of business-to-business (B2B) purchase decisions - will be based on tags containing information and opinions about purchasable items. "The flood of information, products and services available to today's consumers and businesses is spurring a focus on organizing and labeling choices in a way that supports a person's ability to find, prioritize and select items," said Linden. "The tagging industry will modify consumer buying behavior and drive new industries focused on advisory and market research services." Gartner Symposium/ITxpo is the IT industry's largest and most strategic conference, providing business leaders with a look today at the future of IT. For more than 10,000 IT professionals from the world's leading enterprises, Gartner Symposium/ITxpo events are key components of their annual planning efforts, and a place to gain insights into how their organizations can use technology to address business challenges and improve operational efficiency. For more information, see www.gartner.com/symposium. About Gartner, Inc.
Gartner, Inc. is a research and advisory firm that helps more than 10,000 clients understand technology and drive business growth. Gartner's divisions consist of Gartner Research, Gartner Consulting, Gartner Measurement and Gartner Events. Founded in 1979, Gartner is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., and has 4,600 associates, including 1,400 research analysts and consultants, in more than 80 locations worldwide. The company achieved fiscal 2000 revenues of $855 million. For more information, visit www.gartner.com.
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Contact: Danielle Westling Gartner 203 316 6754 danielle.westling@gartner.com |
