Info-Tech's Applications Priorities 2024 report
highlights the transformative strategies UK technology leaders will
need to consider for this year, including digital experience
enhancement, AI democratisation, predictive solution management,
multisource ecosystem integration, and intelligent solution
delivery. By embracing the global IT research and advisory firm's
recommended priorities, organisations can better align their
application strategies with evolving business goals, fostering
innovation and competitive advantage in a rapidly changing digital
landscape.
LONDON, April 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- As organisations
continue to navigate the complexities of the digital era, which has
been marked by exponential advancements in AI and technology, the
strategic deployment of modern, practical applications has become
indispensable for sustaining competitive advantage and realising
business goals. Info-Tech Research Group's Applications
Priorities 2024 report offers a comprehensive guide for
applications leaders as it outlines the adoption of emerging
technologies and practices to enhance organisational capabilities
in 2024 and beyond.
Info-Tech's annual report identifies five key priorities that
range from delivering exceptional digital experiences to
democratising AI access. The recommended priorities are set to
redefine the role of applications in driving business success this
year. By focusing on these areas, IT and applications leaders can
ensure their application portfolios are not just current but are
also driving innovation and competitive advantage in their
industry.
'We are seeing an increasing trend in the development of
application strategies aligned to corporate objectives, and a focus
on application rationalisation,' says Nora Fisher, Managing Partner for UK and
Ireland. 'Emerging technologies
like AI are providing opportunities to improve the development
lifecycle, and many organisations are implementing or maturing
their product and agile approaches. Our clients are also benefiting
from our peer software reviews and vendor alignment insights,
enabling them to effectively scan the market, compare
functionalities, and identify which vendors are likely to be the
best partners.'
The Applications Priorities 2024 report outlines the key
disruptors applications teams face that have an impact on how work
is conducted, how services are delivered, and how organisations
interact with their customers. From the democratisation of IT
enabling more user-driven development through no-code platforms to
the constraints of budgets that limit growth and innovation, the
digital landscape is rapidly evolving. Info-Tech's report
emphasises the importance for applications leaders and their
organisations to acknowledge these disruptors and adapt to them,
which can help not only mitigate risks but also create new
opportunities for growth and innovation.
'Applications are critical components in any business
strategic plan. They can directly influence an organisation's
ability to be dynamic, flexible, and responsive to changing
expectations, business conditions, and technologies,' says
Andrew Kum-Seun, research director
at Info-Tech Research Group. 'Business leaders are continuously
looking for innovative ways to better position their application
portfolios to satisfy their goals and objectives, which is achieved
through applications priorities. Given the scope and costs
involved, these priorities must be carefully crafted to clearly
state achievable business outcomes that satisfy the different needs
of diverse groups of customers, stakeholders, and users.'
Drawing on a wealth of data and insights, the new report
leverages findings from experts in the industry as well as data
from Info-Tech's CEO-CIO Alignment diagnostic and CIO Business
Vision diagnostic. Additional data was also gathered and analysed
from Info-Tech's Tech Trends 2024 report, as well as the
HR Trends Report 2024 from the firms' McLean & Company
division.
The Applications Priorities 2024 report provides
applications leaders with a comprehensive overview of the
applications landscape. The report highlights the following five
key initiatives essential for navigating the complexities of
today's digital environment, driving innovation, and aligning
application strategies with an organisation's overarching goals for
2024 and the coming years:
- Digital Experience – deliver valuable user, customer,
employee, and brand experiences.
At the heart of a modern
business strategy, digital experience (DX) refers to the entirety
of interactions between a user and an organisation through digital
products and services. To harness the full potential of DX, the
report advises applications leaders to define and build a digital
business strategy that prioritises user, employee, and customer
needs. Key recommendations include focusing on DX and quality in
product and service delivery, fostering collaborative delivery
practices, and continuously monitoring and managing digital
products and services. Additionally, the selection and delivery of
DX technologies, coupled with strong stakeholder, partner, and
vendor relationships, is essential for sustaining a dynamic and
responsive digital system.
- Democratised AI – Extend AI access to everyone in the
organisation.
As AI increasingly becomes an executive
priority, the push for its widespread adoption throughout
organisations is gaining tremendous momentum. According to the
report, 40% of organisations have already invested in AI and ML,
and 47% anticipate a positive business impact. Democratised AI has
emerged as a key step in business process automation and an
organisation's AI journey. This initiative aims to make AI tools
accessible to a wide range of organisational members, irrespective
of their technical expertise, thereby fostering an inclusive
environment for innovation. However, scaled AI implementations come
with many challenges that must be addressed to fully realise the
benefits of this priority. In the report, the firm advises
applications leaders to identify potential AI use cases and assess
the various AI tooling options. By optimising AI-supporting
capabilities and establishing a scalable AI deployment and
governance framework, organisations can gradually integrate AI,
unlocking its full potential across various business functions.
- Predictive Solution Management – Predict, prevent, and
mitigate solution issues before they happen.
Moving beyond
traditional application maintenance, predictive solution management
proactively addresses potential issues before they impact
operations. This advanced approach uses data analytics, statistical
models, and forecasting to anticipate and mitigate future system
challenges. The report recommends applications leaders reinforce
their maintenance strategies by assessing the health and technical
debt of their applications. Info-Tech further advises embracing
site reliability engineering (SRE) and DevOps methodologies, making
IT operations insights widely accessible for broader consumption,
and integrating AI within IT operations and applications teams. By
adopting these practices, organisations can ensure their
applications remain robust, reliable, and aligned with evolving
business needs.
- Multisource Ecosystem – Manage a mutually beneficial
ecosystem composed of internally and externally managed solutions
and partners.
Info-Tech's report describes this approach as
an integrated network of internally and externally sourced
technologies. The essence of a multisource ecosystem lies in its
ability to foster mutually beneficial relationships among a diverse
array of partners, customers, and technology partners. Multisource
ecosystems thrive on the seamless integration of data and workflows
across various domains, including departments, tools, systems,
customers, suppliers, and external partners. Unlike traditional
hierarchical structures, these ecosystems are dynamic, with
partnerships that are adaptable and not managed in a manner similar
to an integrated organisation. They are built on changing and
sometimes voluntary partnerships and collaboration among
independent entities that can form and break apart suddenly. To
take full advantage of a multisource ecosystem, applications
leaders should define and articulate clear goals, develop a
sourcing partner strategy, strengthen enterprise integration
practices, manage their solution architecture and application
portfolio, and foster strong relationships with all
stakeholders.
- Intelligent Solution Delivery – Embed AI into your solution
delivery practice.
With mounting demands for high-value
solutions amid limited resources and complex environments,
embedding AI into solution delivery practices is often viewed as an
ideal test pilot. AI's potential to enhance productivity, generate
usable test data, and preemptively identify issues positions it as
a transformative force within the solution delivery lifecycle
(SDLC). Some of the prominent AI applications that are making
strides in the field include synthetic data generation, automated
code creation, defect forecasting and debugging, and UI design and
prototyping, as well as requirements documentation and elicitation.
The firm recommends that applications leaders focus on optimising
their SDLC practice and explore different AI and automated SDLC
tools to elevate their solution delivery frameworks this year.
The Applications Priorities 2024 report also includes
insights in the form of case studies from organisations and their
clients, such as Mastercard, Bloomberg, Carousel, e-Estonia, and GitHub Copilot.
As the digital landscape continues to evolve at an exponential
pace, the Applications Priorities 2024 report provides
applications leaders with a guide to optimising their application
portfolios and teams. By implementing the outlined priorities,
leaders can ensure their application strategies are not only
aligned with their organisational objectives but are designed to
drive innovation and maintain a competitive edge. This approach
will enable applications leaders to transform their application
portfolios into dynamic assets that respond effectively to the
changing demands of the business environment, fostering a culture
of agility and sustained growth.
For exclusive media commentary from Info-Tech's subject matter
experts and to access the complete Applications Priorities
2024 report, please contact pr@infotech.com.
About Info-Tech Research
Group
Info-Tech Research Group is one of the world's leading
research and advisory firms, proudly serving over 30,000 IT and HR
professionals. The company produces unbiased, highly relevant
research and provides advisory services to help leaders make
strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. For nearly 30
years, Info-Tech has partnered closely with teams to provide them
with everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst
guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their
organisations.
To learn more about Info-Tech's divisions, visit McLean &
Company for HR research and advisory
services and SoftwareReviews for software buying
insights.
Media professionals can register for unrestricted access to
research across IT, HR, and software and hundreds of industry
analysts through the firm's Media Insiders program. To gain access,
contact pr@infotech.com.
For information about Info-Tech Research Group or to view the
latest research, visit infotech.com and connect
via LinkedIn and X.
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