International research firm Gartner predicts that 50% of global software vendors will disappear by the end of 2004 as a result of mergers, acquisitions and business failures.
However, enterprise sustainability is not a concern exclusive to software vendors - or even the IT industry. This is according to Debra Logan, research chairman of the 2003 Gartner Symposium/ITxpo Africa, which will be held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from 4 to 6 August.
Logan says: "2002 was a year of global economic downturn and uncertainty. The 2003 outlook has the added element of political instability and indicators are that the technology recession will continue throughout the rest of this year. In such times, enterprises and business leaders must find ways to sustain and grow their businesses despite the economic and geopolitical backdrop."
She says the 2003 symposium has been designed to knowledge-share, mentor and coach SA`s senior executives in all market sectors to do just that. The theme of the 2003 symposium is enterprise sustainability - designing today`s technology and business strategies for the future enterprise.
"The extreme conditions in which companies around the world must deliver shareholder value has rendered enterprise sustainability one of the most discussed global topics in IT and business today," says Logan. "The ability of an enterprise to implement processes and technologies that meet short-term organisational needs and return value in the present, but are also flexible enough for the future, is business-critical and a senior management responsibility.
"To be sustainable, enterprises must meet the needs of customers and employees in real-time."
Real-time enterprises also thrive in economic uncertainty because they know sooner and act faster than competitors.
The symposium will also look at the business value of IT, exploring ways in which IT return on investment can be accurately determined. In the enterprise architecture track, Gartner analysts will discuss ways to ensure principled, rather than ad hoc, enterprise architecture decisions.
The three-day Gartner Symposium/ITxpo Africa will include 48 presentations, with a keynote address by Gartner analyst Andy Kyte on the principles of the real-time enterprise.
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