Technology continues to evolve at a dizzying pace, creating new opportunities, challenges and a fundamentally different set of realities for industry participants.
Throughout the Technology ecosystem, an incredible array of trends–from cloud computing to “consumerization”–are rewriting the rules of engagement, requiring companies to rethink core strategies and adjust how they go to market. Meanwhile, players face the continual challenges of bringing innovative products to market and performing the day-to-day requirements of running their businesses.
Kaiser’s Technology Practice specializes in helping clients capitalize on this new set of opportunities, supporting Technology leaders in both the Enterprise and Consumer spaces in:
- Evaluating potential market opportunities
- Understanding current and future customer needs
- Assessing competitive threats
- Gauging partner opportunities
- Optimizing business model and operational performance
This experience and set of capabilities spans every major Technology sector, from traditional (on-premise) software and hardware to mobile solutions and cloud services:
Software
Traditional software companies are being challenged on several fronts–from the onslaught of cloud service providers to saturation of core markets. In fact, the best avenues for growth are in many cases through new business models and / or emerging markets. In this changing environment, software companies are faced with seemingly ever-changing customer expectations, competitive dynamics, and go-to-market requirements.
Hardware
For several years, the established wisdom was that IT hardware was being commoditized. In response, some of the world’s largest hardware vendors either reduced focus on hardware design / development or jettisoned hardware divisions altogether. Software was king, and the underlying hardware was simply the delivery vehicle. That wisdom has been turned on its ear in recent years, forcing many players who took a different path to rethink their hardware strategies. Now more than ever, the focus is on developing and coming to market with entire ecosystems–hardware + software solutions that are integrated in terms of both design and functionality.
Mobility
Mobile computing is at the center of an ongoing shift in how people live and work. In two short decades, the world has seen the widespread adoption of mobile phones–culminating in the birth of sophisticated converged mobile devices that deliver all the functionality of a traditional PC…and more. Now, we may be witnessing another leap forward in mobile computing as tablets develop the potential to one day supplant desktops and laptops. Mobility is also the front line for many of the disruptive trends reshaping the Technology landscape in general–including “consumerization” and a resulting shift in IT decision making models. As a result, mobility represents both a tremendous growth opportunity and a daunting set of challenges for players in all areas of the Technology ecosystem.
Services
Cloud computing represents perhaps the most dramatic technological shift in the past 25 years. At the same time, the definition and boundaries of “cloud” can be difficult to discern; there are any number of “flavors” of cloud computing in terms of both the IT stack (SaaS vs. PaaS vs. IaaS) and in terms of deployment (public vs. private cloud, “pure” cloud vs. hybrid). Regardless, how companies adapt to the advent of service-based computing could determine whether they thrive or wither in the years ahead.