IDC FutureScape: Worldwide IT Industry 2021 Predictions

IDC FutureScape Figure

• Figure: IDC FutureScape: Worldwide IT Industry 2021 Top 10 Predictions

Executive Summary

IDC FutureScape Predictions

• Summary of External Drivers

• Predictions: Impact on Technology Buyers

• Prediction 1: By the End of 2021, Based on Lessons Learned, 80% of Enterprises Will Put a Mechanism in Place to Shift to Cloud-Centric Infrastructure and Applications Twice as Fast as Before the Pandemic

• Associated Drivers

• Contributing/Complementary Predictions

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 2: Through 2023, Reactions to Changed Workforce and Operations Practices During the Pandemic Will Be the Dominant Accelerators for 80% of Edge-Driven Investments and Business Model Changes in Most Industries

• Associated Drivers

• Contributing/Complementary Predictions

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 3: By 2023, 75% of G2000 Companies Will Commit to Providing Technical Parity to a Workforce That Is Hybrid by Design Rather than by Circumstance, Enabling Them to Work Together Separately and in Real Time

• Associated Drivers

• Contributing/Complementary Predictions

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 4: Through 2023, Coping with Technical Debt Accumulated During the Pandemic Will Shadow 70% of CIOs, Causing Financial Stress, Inertial Drag on IT Agility, and "Forced March" Migrations to the Cloud

• Associated Drivers

• Contributing/Complementary Predictions

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 5: In 2022, Enterprises Focused on Digital Resiliency Will Adapt to Disruption and Extend Services to Respond to New Conditions 50% Faster than Ones Fixated on Restoring Existing Business/IT Resiliency Levels

• Associated Drivers

• Contributing/Complementary Predictions

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 6: By 2023, an Emerging Cloud Ecosystem for Extending Resource Control and Real-Time Analytics Will Be the Underlying Platform for All IT and Business Automation Initiatives Anywhere and Everywhere

• Associated Drivers

• Contributing/Complementary Predictions

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 7: By 2023, Driven by the Goal to Embed Intelligence in Products and Services, One-Quarter of G2000 Companies Will Acquire at Least One AI Software Start-Up to Ensure Ownership of Differentiated Skills and IP

• Associated Drivers

• Contributing/Complementary Predictions

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 8: By 2024, 80% of Enterprises Will Overhaul Relationships with Suppliers, Providers, and Partners to Better Execute Digital Strategies for Ubiquitous Deployment of Resources and for Autonomous IT Operations

• Associated Drivers

• Contributing/Complementary Predictions

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 9: By 2025, 90% of G2000 Companies Will Mandate Reusable Materials in IT Hardware Supply Chains, Carbon Neutrality Targets for Providers' Facilities, and Lower Energy Use as Prerequisites for Doing Business

• Associated Drivers

• Contributing/Complementary Predictions

• IT Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 10: Through 2023, Half of Enterprises' Hybrid Workforce and Business Automation Efforts Will Be Delayed or Will Fail Outright Due to Underinvestment in Building IT/Sec/DevOps Teams with the Right Tools/Skills

• Associated Drivers

• Contributing/Complementary Predictions

• IT Impact

• Guidance

Advice for Technology Buyers

External Drivers: Detail

• Accelerated Disruption — Crisis, Resilience, and Opportunity

• Description

• Context

• Strategic Innovation — Shaping the Future Enterprise Today

• Description

• Context

• The Next Normal — Resilient Business and Operating Models

• Description

• Context

• Intelligence Everywhere — Data Drives Action

• Description

• Context

• Geopolitical Risk — Societal and Economic Tensions Escalate

• Description

• Context

• Rethinking Globalization — Disruptions Challenge Resilience

• Description

• Context

• Digital Platform — Ecosystems at Scale

• Description

• Context

• Crisis of Trust — Meeting Rising Expectations

• Description

• Context

• Customer Engagement Redefined — Safe, Secure, and Sustainable Digital Experience

• Description

• Context

• Digital Divide — The Imperative of Connectivity

• Description

• Context

• Work Transformation — Redefining Teams, Skills, and Leadership

• Description

• Context

• The Learning Organization — Asymmetrical Advantage

• Description

• Context

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