1. Exploit Disruptive Technology
The technology of the future will change everything. Be prepared.
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2. Introduction
IT decision makers need to understand disruptive technology in order to exploit it.
This Research Is Designed For:
This Research Will Help You:
The CIO.
Other strategic IT roles.
Those interested in exploring the technology that will affect IT in the near future.
Develop a process for anticipating and exploiting disruptive technology.
Think exponentially in order to predict where technology will be in the next few years.
Understand specific disruptive technologies that will affect you by the year 2020.

3. Executive Summary
Disruptive technology is coming, and you need to start preparing
Technology changes faster and faster. Soon, if not already, new disruptions will appear before the last one has been fully dealt with.
The IT department needs to change to deal with the reality of advanced technology.
A process for assessing and exploiting disruptive technology—including creating an annual SWOT analysis and technology monitor—can help organizations exploit the advantages of advanced technology rather than being negatively disrupted by it.
Think about growth exponentially
Most people think about technology advancement as if it is linear, advancing by a set amount each year. In fact, it is exponential, growing on itself and multiplying every year. Exponential growth is much faster, often to a surprising degree that can catch organizations off-guard.
Learn to think exponentially and develop strategies that take exponential growth into account. Look to the past to predict the future.
Anticipate the disruptions coming by 2020
Advancements in foundational technologies, such as processing power and storage, will change the way IT is done.
Advancements in the combination of foundational technologies will result in new disruptive technologies. Info-Tech has identified five technologies likely to disrupt by 2020: technology everywhere (wearable and surface computing), the Internet of Things, 3D printing, nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence.
It is never too early to prepare for the far future. The technology beyond 2020 will resemble science fiction, but will become reality sooner than you think.

4. Are you preparing for any disruptive technologies?
Why care about future technology? Because if you don’t, you will get left behind
Two-thirds of organizations are not doing anything to prepare for the disruptive technology of the future. Don’t be one of them.
Are you preparing for any disruptive technologies?
66%
33%
“We are not preparing for new technologies. Only attempting to be aware of their potential for disruption.”
— Ronald, Director, Manufacturing
“IT is constantly and relentlessly disrupted by trends. The IT business in general is characterized by constant change, but [many organizations are] at another level with the lack of planning, short-term or long-term.”
— Linda, IT Specialist, Government
N = 74 Source: Info-Tech.
“Look, you have never had this amount of opportunity for innovation. Don't forget to capitalize on it. If you do not capitalize on it you will go the way of the dinosaur.”
— Dave Evans, Chief Futurist, Cisco
When asked if they were preparing for the disruptions discussed in this research, 66% of Info-Tech respondents gave a negative response.
Unprepared organizations will go extinct. The rise and fall of organizations will happen faster and faster, and will be largely driven by technology. Avoid being an organization that
falls by preparing for incoming technological disruptions.

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8. Disruptive technology will change IT
Most organizations are not prepared for disruptive technology. Don’t be one of them.
Technology disruptions will have a direct impact on the IT department, from its structure to the role of the CIO.
Disruptive technology will change IT
Evaluate disruptive technology annually
A brief history of time
Look to the past
Foundational advancements
Disruptive technologies
A peek past 2020

9. “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.”
Technological advancements will have a direct and practical impact on IT
IT leaders face the challenge of being unable to keep up with disruptive technology, which is arriving faster and faster.
Disruption 1
Arrives
Disruption 2
Arrives
Disruption 3
Arrives
Disruption 4
Arrives
Current:
Research & implement
Research & implement
Research & implement
Research &
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
Disruption 1
Arrives
Disruption 2
Arrives 3 4 5 6 7
Future:
Research & implement
Research & implement
Research & implement
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Research & implement
Research &…
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
The jack-of-all-trades is dead. It used to be viable to have functional expertise in a variety of domains. No more. Even a CIO operating at a high level cannot keep up with every disruption that will hit the enterprise by However, those who fail to prepare for and adopt new technologies will quickly fall behind.
Prioritize ruthlessly. Not every disruption is worth preparing for by pouring resources into it. Discover the ones that affect you.
Stay current. Understand the trends in how technology advances so you can aim for where technology will be, not where it is. Increasingly, this will involve relying on external experts rather than trying to develop expertise yourself. This research can help.
“I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.”
— Wayne Gretzky

10. Transition to the IT department structure of the future
Because of technology, the IT department will have a different makeup in 2020 than it does today.
Internally, the viability of what we currently call cloud services will force IT to focus less on infrastructure and applications, and more on vendor management and high-level business analysis (see below)
Externally, IT will rely on a stable of services and specialists that do not need to be hired internally. Research firms, value- added resellers (VARs), and systems integrators are examples of external resources that core IT will rely on.
Many jobs will disappear. It’s not only that many jobs will be outsourced; many will be directly replaced with technology. Tasks will be automated to the point that a person is not required to accomplish them. In the same way that machines have taken over many physical labor positions, they will soon take over many intellectual labor positions. In their place, different jobs will emerge, requiring redeployment of resources and skills. Those who can’t adjust will find themselves without a job.

11. The CIO of the future can be compared to a conductor
IT’s role in the business will change, focusing more on strategy and innovation than operations
In a future where technology is everywhere, everything is IT’s problem.
Alignment isn’t enough. IT needs to actively contribute to business strategy and innovation. IT should have a real seat at the executive table, rather than only enabling—or acting as a bottleneck for—business innovation.
IT will get out of the operations doldrums. As technology automates basic operation functionality and is increasingly commoditized, IT will need to tip the scales toward strategy and innovation instead.
When technology is everywhere, everything is IT’s problem. As the following sections will demonstrate, technology will infuse every aspect of life at home and at work. IT will have a role in all of it.
The CIO’s Role Will Change
The CIO is a conductor, not a musician. If IT were a symphony, the CIO would be the conductor rather than a musician. This will be even more true as technology advances, with the CIO taking on the role of a business engineer, working with other executives to enable business innovation.
The CIO has to give up control. Having direct involvement in every aspect of IT will be even more difficult than it is today. Many IT functions will be outsourced or purchased as services. Even where control is desired, such as in security, it will have to be balanced against personalization, increased accessibility, and agility.
The CIO is an expert and an aggregator. Maestro CIOs will increasingly need to keep up on the latest technologies, but also rely on experts in each area and provide strategic synthesis to decide if, and how, developments are relevant.
The CIO of the future can be compared to a conductor

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