Emerging Technology

Roadmap, 20152018
IT professionals at 324 midsized organizations collaborated
to map the adoption of 98 emerging technologies.
Technologies by Mainstream Adoption Timeline, Value, and Risk

Private Cloud PaaS

2018+

Big Data
Analytic Tools
Application Delivery
Controller (ADC)
CloudBased ERP

Cloud-Based
IaaS

Cloud-Based
Disaster
Recovery

CloudBased
CRM

E-Discovery
Tools
Database
Activity
Monitoring

Message-Oriented
Middleware
Cloud-Based WLAN
Management
Enterprise Video
ContentManagement

NetworkBased DLP

Mobile
Enterprise Asset
Management Apps

Mobile Video
Conferencing

Windows 10
Wearable
Technologies

Mobile CRM Apps

Desktop
Virtualization/VDI

Speech/Voice
Recognition

Self-Service BI/ Analytics

Tools

Blade PCs

MS SharePoint 2013

Unified Threat
Management Tools

XML
Gateway
Protection
Tools

Clientless
VPN

802.11ac

Context Aware
Firewalls

Social Media
Monitoring

M2M (The Internet

of Things)
Software Defined
Networks (SDNs)

Virtual Private
LAN Services
(VPLS)

Security Information
and Event
Management Tools

GRC Tools

Cloud-Based Telephony
(Hosted VoIP)

2016

CloudBased
HRIS

Web
Application
Firewalls

EndpointBased DLP

Ne
tw
or
k

4G WAN
Voice-Over WiFi

Network
Virtualization
Solutions

2015

Cloud-Based
E-Mail

Network Fabrics
Near Field Communication
(NFC)
Bluetooth Low Energy
WAN Optimization
Controllers

2017

MS Exchange 2013

SaaS Integration
Tools

WiFi as Primary
Network
802.11ad

Network Access
Controls

BYO-PC
Cloud-Based
Productivity
Software

MS Office 365

Mobile ERP
Apps
3D Printing

HTML5 Development

Enterprise
App Store

Public Cloud Storage

Software
Vulnerability
Scanners
(Black Box)

Desktop-asa-Service
Mobile Supply
Chain Apps

Software
Vulnerability
Scanners (White
Box)

In-Location
Positioning
Mac OS X for
Enterprise
Desktops/
Laptops

Cloud Storage
Gateways
Storage Cluster
File Systems

Cloud-Based Archiving for

E-mail/IM

Big Data Storage Solutions

plo
ye
eC
om
p

APM Tools

Mobile
Application
Management
Tools

Em

rity
Secu

Mobile Apps (Customer

Facing)

End-User
Biometrics

ility

Service Catalog/
Request Software

Converged
Infrastructure
Enterprise
Application
Integration Tools
Hybrid Cloud
Interfaces
Cloud-Based Supply
Chain Solutions

< 50%
Adoption
by 2018

d M ob

Hadoop

utin
g an

u
lo
C
g/
n
i
t
os

Low Energy
Servers
Public Cloud-Based
Dev/Testing (PaaS)

Partial List of
Participating
Companies

Appliance-Based
Replication

Content Addressable
Self Encrypting Drive
Storage
(SED)
Linear Tape File
All-Flash Arrays
Fiber Channel Over
Systems (LTFS)
Ethernet
In Memory Database
Software-Defined
Management Systems
Storage

NoSql

Storage

Key Takeaways

Enterprise Value

1. IT Responds to End-User Demand: Technologies in the Employee Computing and Mobility space are being closely evaluated at a
rate three times that of any other category through 2016. With these technologies at the forefront of investment, IT groups show
their increased commitment to end-user productivity.

High Value

Medium Value

Deployment Risk

Low Value

High Risk

Medium Risk

Low Risk

2. Technology Hype Fails to Translate to Investment: Despite widespread coverage in trade publications and vendor analyses, IT
organizations are not evaluating or adopting technologies such as wearables, 3D printing, biometrics, and voice recognition
through 2018.

Value was assessed on a scale of 15.

When assessing enterprise value,
respondents considered such factors as
cost-efficiency, functionality, speed, and
performance.

Risk was assessed on a scale of 15. When

assessing deployment risk, respondents
considered such factors as marketplace
maturity, scalability, support, and security.

3. Business Risk Appetite Levels on the Rise: Of the 20 technologies planned for deployment through 2016, nine are rated high risk.
As business partners pivot to technologies like CRM in the cloud and customer-facing mobile applications, high opportunity for
value will push IT to take on more risk.

Most Evaluated
Technologies

Mainstream by H1 2015

4. Value from Big Data Still Years Away: Although organizations are rushing to adopt scalable storage technologies for growing data
volume, uncertainty remains on how to derive business value from them. Technologies such as Hadoop, Big Data analytic tools,
and Big Data storage solutions all see less than 50% adoption by 2018.
5. Cloud Picks up Speed Toward Ubiquity: Cloud technologies including CRM, HRIS, and Disaster Recovery are rolling out at an
accelerated rate compared to 2014. This trend aligns with CEB budget data indicating that over 92% of organizations will invest in
the cloud by the end of 2015 for scalability and cost benefits.
6. Office 365 Crosses the Tipping Point: Though 2014 data forecasted Office 365 for deployment in 2017, this year shows
mainstream adoption by years end. Organizations may be taking advantage of attractive licensing and support models to
advance collaboration capabilities.

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CEB IT Leadership Council

For Midsized Companies
2015 CEB. All rights reserved.ITMM2575115SYN.This may not be reproduced or redistributed without the expressed permission of The Corporate Executive Board Company.

 hese are the technologies being

T
most closely evaluated by midsized
organizations. Adoption timeline,
value, and risk assessments for these
technologies are more likely to
change next year than other
technologies.

Network: Unified Communications

Employee Computing: Microsoft Office
2013
Storage: Hybrid Solid-State Drives (SSDs)
Security: E-Mail Filtering as a Service,
Mobile Device Management Tools,
Reduced/Single Sign-On, Secure File
Sharing
Hosting/Cloud: Cloud-Based
Collaboration Solutions