Reflections on a Year of Change

2010 has been a game-changing year for technology. Slates, smartphones, 4G networks, user interfaces and cloud computing all captured headlines. We are living through an amazing period of disruption.

While slates and smartphones capture our imagination, cloud computing is having a more dramatic impact. Nearly all of us as consumers experience cloud technology in our daily lives: when we share photos, shop online, download and use applications for mobile phones, or use a search engine. This seemingly invisible technology has changed how we live and work, empowering us with new kinds of information and services, new ways of communicating and collaborating, and unparalleled convenience.

The ability to process and analyze petabytes of data in almost real time is transforming several industries and disciplines. In financial services this is likely to impact the way we manage many parts of our business from investment research to risk management.

Communications is getting a makeover. Instant messaging, presence, audio, video, web conferencing and voice have combined in a single platform to bring people and applications together as we move to a world beyond email.

What does 2011 have in store? Mobility is redefining our approach to technology. This means devices that are more powerful and portable, but also more connected. Social networking is making networks outside the firm as important if not more so than those inside.

We will see more fragmentation and increased competition in smartphones and slates. The huge leap in the technology of user interfaces will spread from the home to the workplace. The demand for cloud computing will escalate, as smaller, more powerful portable devices leverage centralized processing. Cloud computing will revolutionize the desktop creating more thin clients than fat ones. We are moving closer to a world of continuous services - ubiquitous technology - revolutionizing how we work and play.