During the last few years, Alvaro Celis, Vice President, Microsoft Asia Pacific has been part of a major shift towards cloud technologies in Asia Pacific.
Without a doubt, Celis acknowledges that the cloud has been a “transformative technology” across the board, with organisations regardless of their size or sector achieving measurable business results.
“According to a recent Microsoft-sponsored survey of 291 IT decision makers across 10 markets in Asia Pacific, we discovered that 71% of IT leaders in the region are prioritising Cloud technologies in the next three years,” Celis says.
“They also ranked the Internet of Things, big data, mobile and social as being the top four technology disruptors for organisations.
“There is a major shift in intent when it comes to the cloud. It is no longer seen as new and disruptive. It is mainstream, a must-have in every CIO’s IT strategy.”
As the industry in New Zealand, and on a regional level, looks at key business drivers for businesses in 2015, Celis believes “there is no question” that growth and greater agility will best derived from technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT), cyber security, mobility and machine learning.
IoT poised to go mainstream…
Speaking as an industry veteran, Celis believes IoT is continuing to mature across a range of industry sectors, with companies now focused on the actionable potential IoT holds for businesses today.
“Companies are keen to understand and utilise IoT within their businesses, a trend that is evinced by a staggering 430% increase in searches for IoT on Bing over the past 12 months,” he adds.
But for Celis, IoT is not just about connecting “things”.
“The proliferation of cloud computing and sensors have paved the way for businesses to gain access to nearly unlimited amounts of data that can drive competitive advantages,” he explains.
In 2015, Celis expects to see CIOs and business leaders reimagining the enterprise by harnessing this data to act on key insights.
The benefits? “Improved customer service, detecting problems before they occur, reduced time to market, enabling new innovation in product and services development, and ultimately transforming themselves with new business models and revenue streams,” Celis adds.
However, IoT is not just for the big boys. In 2015, Celis believes the idea of IoT will become a tangible reality for businesses of all sizes.
“Many small businesses may feel overwhelmed by IoT, but where they can succeed by starting small with a few changes that can make a big impact,” he adds.