Third platform technologies of cloud, big data, and mobility with the emergence of others like cognitive technology will form the basis for digital innovation and transformation in 2016.
This is according to Lise Hagen, research manager for software and IT services at IDC, who notes digital transformation is a significant theme worldwide and the industry will see massive upshifts in commitment to digital transformation (DX) initiatives.
IDC predicts the emergence of "the DX economy" in a critical period of widespread digital transformation and massive scale up of 3rd platform technologies in every industry.
This phase will accelerate over the next three to five years as enterprises commit to DX on a massive scale, leading to the emergence of the DX economy, it says.
However, covering the basics will remain a significant part of the Africa technology agenda in 2016, so connectivity roll-out will still have a significant impact on ICT.
"People do not appreciate digital services if you haven't brought them onto the platform, bringing the connectivity that brings them onto mainstream Internet."
Once that has happened, more advanced services become intuitive, says Hagen.
"WiFi on taxis, for instance, will at first encourage multimedia consumption, but will expand to include job searches, consumer online banking, access to and the exploration of massive open online courses - all stimulating SME development."
She points out the 3rd platform is also a base for innovation accelerators. Innovation accelerators are disruptive technologies that drive new growth, explains Hagen.
"Innovation accelerators include next-generation, disruptive technologies such as 3D printing, virtual/augmented reality, cognitive systems and robotics, wearable devices as well as next generation security."
Government and Metro initiatives such as Gauteng's Ekurhuleni's Aerotropolis, Project Sizwe in Tswane and free WiFi rollout in Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain will accelerate investment in technology that enables improved service delivery, more efficient infrastructure use, population management and access to educational and healthcare services, says Hagen. This signals that the on-ramp to the 3rd platform has been entered in earnest, she adds.
There is an increasing pressure on IT to increase innovation and ultimately improve the bottom line, notes Hagen. Also, IT is moving away from being a cost centre, to becoming a profit centre, she says.
Hagen points out a key reality in SA is many organisations are faced with legacy systems and given the investment that has gone into creating these systems, there is an incentive to maintain them.
"Today's technology leader can no longer just be a leader in technology - they have to be a leader in business. They have to be able to assess what is transitory and what is here to stay."
A lot of the innovation that we are seeing today has been made possible by a range of existing technology, says Hagen.
Today, however, it is the software and apps that are emerging, and are more flexible, that is driving this shift, she explains.
It's really about the different technologies that are reaching maturity that are enabling innovation. It's about all of them working together rather than just one technology, notes Hagen.
The challenge is that it is not the domain of our dominant technology providers - we need to get these technologies into the hands of the real innovators, particularly in Africa.
It's also about making it relevant, especially in Africa, where these technologies can be used to solve local issues such as service delivery, infrastructure efficiency, access to education, malaria, rhino poaching and more.
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