The next-generation work space will not be a sum of devices, software and data - it will be an immersive, converged experience that makes sense of a growing wave of information, says HP partner Datacentrix.
Rudie Raath, Enterprise Business digital technology strategist at Datacentrix, says the compute environment is changing irrevocably, in ways people have yet to fully comprehend. "Information is the new currency and the digital world envelops everyone now. This demands completely new approaches to enterprise IT." The dramatic change is leaving enterprises grappling with questions around how to gear up to meet new demands, says Raath.
"This is why Datacentrix has created the new role of digital technology strategist, to harness all our business units to develop new strategies for customers. I work with key customers to help them understand the power of information currency, what BI means for them and how that data can be consumed by end-users," he explains.
Raath says until recently, enterprises have been focused on cloud and data centres. But the focus must change, he says. "At the end of the day, it all comes down to 'how do I consume this data?' This turns our attention to unlocking data and defining the end-user. We see devices becoming intelligent aggregators, allowing users to overlay multiple data sources at increasing velocity and volume, in an intelligent way."
These intelligent devices encompass a great deal more than traditional compute devices like laptops, tablets and phones, Raath notes. "Look at the inroads being made across nanotechnology and wearable devices. We now have smart toothbrushes and even baby monitors that register a baby's emotional state and issue remote alerts via mobile, so the parent can respond. In healthcare, local hospitals are already moving to digital patient management and m-health tools that allow doctors to access patient X-rays and information from anywhere via the cloud. These advances come down to apps written around user experience."
What this means for enterprise is a new focus on the user, on intelligent data management, and possibly shorter hardware life cycles in which some look to thin client solutions instead of larger, more powerful devices. "We are already seeing a decline in the compute power and storage required on devices. This makes sense, because there will be physical limitations on devices in dealing with the massive amounts of data being generated and processed in future. In 2015, the average user has around 4TB to 6TB of data stored. By 2020, we're looking at four times as much data. Data is on an acceleration path, but it is also becoming the new currency. It will become increasingly important for users to have access to all the data sources in real-time to make decisions," he says. Now is the time for enterprises to prepare their strategy 2020, says Raath, to meet the demands of a radically changed environment.
HP's Enterprise 20/20 vision gives us a glimpse of the far-reaching changes we can expect in the next few years, says Raath. "This is an exciting time for everyone - the changes we are going to witness will blow our minds." Raath notes that HP is set to announce innovations next month that prove the computing giant is making great strides towards meeting the demands of 2020 computing. "We can expect to see end-user innovation coming from HP at massive scale," he says.
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