Tech to will address societal challenges, reinvent business

The 2011 Garter Symposium kicked off in Cape Town this morning, with the message that IT solutions are more important than ever to address the current wave of societal challenges.

"There are currently 1.2 billion PCs, five billion mobile phones and 1.8 billion Internet users," said Gartner Africa MD Rene Jacobs. "Africa's population will pass one billion in 2011 and developing economies will grow 6.4% this year. Business leaders are under pressure to deliver growth and innovation and know that IT is the way to enable it, but they may not be able to translate it into a current vision or plan of action: one in three don't know what the next IT-enabled strategic capability will be."

Jacobs said the CIO will be a crucial link between business challenges and IT solutions.

"The unique perspective and capabilities of the CIO are required and must show how the business can be reinvented."

Peter Sondergaard, senior VP of research at the analyst firm, said the IT industry was halfway through its growth cycle.

"The first half was about Moore's Law. The next half will be about embedding tech into every facet of human experience and, most importantly, about changing human behaviour. This growth will be exponential: the technology effects on society will be doubling each year."

Sondergaard said that IT was still the primary growth engine of business even as the world struggles with the financial crisis.

"Six out of 10 of the world's most profitable brands are technology companies and there are 350 non-IT companies that invest more than $1 billion in technology each year. But the global economy is slowing again to 3.1% growth in 2011, and perhaps no more than 3.6% in 2012.

“It feels [like] we're teetering on the edge of an economic cliff, but a long walk along a cliff can be a very invigorating experience. The path is very clear. We have to grit our teeth, set our minds on what we can fix, and grow the local and global economy."

Jacobs said that proactive action and innovation were required.

"Business and industries will be destroyed because of inertia. New business models are disrupting industries and overturning entrenched businesses. CIOs must recognise business model innovation in the realms of social media, mobile, collaboration and cloud computing.

“Social and mobile technologies should permeate business model innovations, the Internet should be used as a delivery platform to add value and differentiation and exceptional user experiences need to drive revenue growth."

More than 1 000 delegates are attending the conference in Cape Town, which runs until Thursday.