FACING
THE FUTURETECH TRENDS FOR 2023

OFFICE OF THE CTO

2023 TRENDS

3

TREND 3
Delivering the Networking and Security
Solutions for the Modern Cloud Platform
Mark Prior, Solution Leader

INTRODUCTIONPaul Bray, CTO UK&I

TREND 1
Embracing Intelligent Apps andNext Generation Experiences

I
1

4
5

Neil Cant, Solution Leader

TREND 2Create Engaging Employee Experienceswith Low Code Technology
Gwyn Smith, Workplace Technologist

2

S

TREND 4
Delivering the Data Driven Business
Darren Franklin, Solution Leader

TREND 5
Secure Connectivity for the ‘New’ EnterprisePaul Norman, Chief Architect

SUMMARYPaul Bray, CTO UK&I

INTRODUCTION

2022 was another one of those years. Volatile and uncertain,
seemingly more bad news than good. With the global economy
just starting to put the effects of the pandemic behind it, wewere hit by a raft of new issues in 2022, no more so than the
terrible conflict in Ukraine.

Paul BrayCTO UK&I

The technology industry continues to transform itself at pace,offering a raft of new opportunities for businesses – whether inthe delivery of services to their consumers, or in how they work
internally to optimise their processes to be more productive andoperationally effective.

Despite the headwinds of 2022, we see it as a year of progress
across many of our customer verticals, with ongoing investment
in technology being prioritised – particularly in key areas ofcyber defence, user experience and network connectivity tocater for the new “hybrid” world of work that we are all coming
to terms with.
Given that context, we have drawn on members of our Office of
the CTO (OCTO) team in the UK to provide a summary of the past
year and some guidance for key topics that will form part of yourfuture planning, or for which you may already be underway with
as we enter 2023.

ACROSS OUR TEAM THIS YEAR...

1,400
engagementswith our customers
across Technology andSolution topics

of which, over

and a further

related to “Maturing”
category fromour Technology
Horizons radar

covered our “Emerging”
category...

40%

25%
...showing that as we
adapted to a businessas normal mode in 2022,
strategic planning was firmly
on our customers’ agenda.

For this paper we picked 5 technology trends aligned to our strategic
themes for 2023. We are optimistic about the outlook in 2023, whilst themacro-economic situation will be tough, tech will continue to be an aid
and catalyst to progress and growth. Within this we foresee progressdelivering future platforms, products and experiences that delight yourusers, customers, and partners across your entire value chain.
To do this, we are focused on delivering a Modern Cloud Platform thatembraces the best of on-premises and hyperscaler services in a wellmanaged and governed way. A Secure Connected Enterprise to mitigate
the ever-prevalent cyber risks and vulnerabilities, embracing ubiquitousconnectivity of people and things with appropriate inherent security
controls. Amazing Employee Experiences are critical, requiring us to think
differently about productivity, collaboration, and engagement in a worldof “hybrid work” that appears to be the reality for many organisations.
As you look further forwards to your customers and driving value fromyour business, it is not just your employees that enable this, but theIntelligent Apps and services you deliver from the Edge or the core, andthe ability to harness and exploit data to growth in your business throughdirect revenue opportunities or increased customer advocacy end
engagement rates is what the Data Driven Business is all about.
Whether you are at the start of your journey for these , we wish you wellwith them and hope they drive measurable value and success for you.
We’re always here for you at Computacenter to discuss these topics
further and help provide our independent perspective and expertise toenable your success.
Good luck in 2023 and beyond!

TREND 1

INTERNET OF THE FUTURE

EmbracingIntelligent Apps
and Next
Generation
Experiences

The World Wide Web was conceived on March 12, 1989, by
the legendary Tim Berners-Lee. Since then, it has undergone
significant evolution from the early static web pages, throughto the more dynamic and social content we enjoy today. It is
not stopping there, we are now entering the next phase of
its evolution, where richer 3D content and more immersive
experiences will become prevalent.

Neil Cant
Solution Leader

So, what will be the future of the Internet? Right now, there isno definitive answer, however “Metaverse” as a concept, andthe early scenarios and definitions are starting to be used todescribe it.
The Metaverse is still a working concept that will no doubt
evolve over the next few years, however early definitions will
most likely include the ability for it to be “Interactive, Realtime,
3D, Social and Persistent”. It will not be a single digital place,
multiple Metaverses will exist bringing together and exploiting
technologies such as Augmented and Virtual Reality. But it will
not be exclusive to these technologies, it will also be accessible
from smartphones and traditional computing devices, allowing
a full and inclusive experience.

Whilst the Metaverse is still in its infancy, and elements such as
interoperability between Metaverses are not yet established,current trends show significant interest and excitement forthese more immersive experiences. It could be easy to see thistrend as purely transient and one that will disappear in the next
few years; however, we believe that the Metaverse, driven by
innovation and modern technologies is the next logical evolutionof the Internet as we understand it today.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND THE FUTURE OF WORK
Artificial intelligence (AI) and its impact on our future is not a
new conversation, we have all heard about AI for some time now
and this technology is becoming more prevalent. There is a goodchance you have already encountered AI if you have ever used asmart device at home, they all use AI to answer your questions.

2023 AND BEYOND
2023 will see an explosion of enterprise focused
immersive and mixed reality headsets, digital avatars
and connected devices, which will allow businesses
to provide richer, more engaging, collaborative, andcaptivating experiences for their employees. These
shifts in technology will be critical to the future of theInternet and how organisations will evolve their
existing Web2.0 paradigm and embrace the new
Metaverse principles to provide the services andexperience we need for the future.

WE BELIEVE THAT THE METAVERSE,
DRIVEN BY INNOVATION AND MODERNTECHNOLOGIES IS THE NEXT LOGICALEVOLUTION OF THE INTERNET AS WE
UNDERSTAND IT TODAY. “There are many upsides to AI, but the big plus to using AI in theworkplace is that it will willingly do the repetitive and mundane
tasks that no one really wants to do. Making work for employees
easier, making us more productive with less effort.
One element of AI activity in 2023 will be around theaugmentation of employees. Although AI will inevitably lead tothe disappearance of some types of jobs, new ones will emerge
to replace them. Forward-looking employers will be looking
at capitalising on this impact whilst also supporting those
employees that are impacted, through upskilling androle transitions.
Al may automate some jobs out of existence but, in many cases,
AI decision-making tools work best when collaborating with, andaugmenting, our capabilities. Employees will need to acquire
new skills and adapt to the strengths and limits of any AI systemwith which they are working. The biggest risk will come toorganisations that rely on AI systems will be employing sufficient
oversight to ensure appropriate judgements and decisions arebeing made (an innately subjective matter!). Organisations
will need to ensure its employees use their new skills to bothcomplement the insights from AI, but also to know theirlimitations and when the AI recommendation should be
ignored or negated.
No major industry will be spared the impact of AI, some sectors
are in their infancy of their AI journey, others are already experts
in leveraging this technology. But both have a much longer
journey ahead. We believe that AI is already impacting and willcontinue to have a significant effect on the future of work.

INTELLIGENT CONNECTED WORLDThe Intelligent connected world is key to harnessing
AI and the Metaverse. It is the underlying network of
sensors, devices, and infrastructure that collects
the data we need to help build the Metaverse, create
Digital Twins, and train AI and intelligent machines.
The Internet of Things (IoT) is the very fabric thatkeeps expanding to include all connected devices
we have today. It can be just about any device that
we use in our homes, offices, or wear on our body.
There are many ways IoT can impact organisations,
one area often referred to is the industrial Metaverse,
IoT combined with the Metaverse, and AI has huge
implications for the way organisations manufacture
goods, provide services, and sell to customers. Smart factories
and logistics plants are increasingly automated, and theavailability of robotics and smart infrastructure “as-a-service”
enable more companies to take advantage of the opportunities
this offers. Organisations in 2023 will continue to build smart
automation into their business models giving them the ability
to benefit from increased efficiency, gaining a data-driven
understanding of their operations and processes.
The bridging of the physical world to a virtual world will provide
several opportunities for manufacturers, potentially unlocking
new revenue streams. Transforming how organisations plan newfactories and use these 3D digital twins to simulate business andprocess change, without the need to impact the physical world
at all.
In the near future, in our intelligent connected world, we will beable to experience a truly smart world which integrates systems
that were previously operated individually and create powerful
new values and opportunities that we have yet to experience.

AI WILL REMAIN ONE OF
THE TOP WORKLOADSDRIVING INFRASTRUCTURE
DECISIONS THROUGH 2023.
GARTNER PREDICTS THE
FUTURE OF AI TECHNOLOGIES,NOVEMBER 2019

TREND 2

Create Engaging
Employee
Experiences with
Low CodeTechnology
Gwyn Smith
Workplace Technologist

Like many other people, I developed a lockdown hobby. Something
to keep me mentally stimulated when things around me were so
uncertain, to distract me from what was happening outside, and– in my case – to flex some long unused muscles.
It wasn’t sourdough or gardening – it was Low Code Apps. I
chose Microsoft’s Power Platform. If that sounds like work, wellI grant you it is, but it’s also a fast, effective, and rewarding wayof building apps, automation and reports that can tackle realbusiness problems for an individual, a team or even an entire
organisation. Building something that can make your working
life easier and deliver better business outcomes is every bit assatisfying as it sounds. I was able to use Low Code to create
solutions to improve my own experience at work, and those of
my colleagues.
And now in 2022 we see what the analysts think. According to
Gartner’s Hype Cycle approach Low Code Application Platforms
have emerged from the “Trough of Disillusionment”, climbed the“Slope of Enlightenment”, and raced to the front of the “Plateau
of Productivity”. For those who are unfamiliar with the Hype Cycle
approach, this basically signposts mainstream adoption at scaleas the relevance and applicability is proven.
Low Code is a way of addressing a huge shortage in skills,
making the business of building real world business solutions
accessible to many more people. With Low Code you can build
solutions quickly – making it an attractive choice for even
Professional Developers. You can literally create your own
Employee Experience in the workplace.
 icrosoft has shown us their direction of travel too – at Microsoft
M
Ignite this year we’ve seen new capabilities now starting toappear in Power Platform where you can just use natural
language to describe what you want an app or automation to do,
and the code essentially writes itself. You can import a photo ofa paper form and an app is generated automatically. This makes

the entry bar into Power Platform lower than ever and is sure to
expand its reach into more and more users. It’s big business too.
The market valuation for Low Code apps is predicted to have huge
growth through the rest of the decade.

$16b
Low Code market
valuation in 2021

28.8%
CAGR

$159b
Projected market
valuation in 2023

Source: Acumen Research & Consulting

So, when the barriers to entry are lower, and usage is projected
to increase year on year for the rest of the decade, what should
enterprise IT leaders be doing about it?

In 2023 and beyond I think it is increasingly important to makesure that app makers of all types are well supported by the IT
department. To make sure that apps are being built to an agreed
standard, are working well within the guiderails that are set
up within corporate policies, peer networks are developed andnurtured, and help and encouragement is available to those whoneed it.

5 PIECES OF BEST PRACTICE...
for IT departments that we have identified as you embark
on your Low Code journey at scale.

12
3

Ensure you are up to speed on the useof Low Code technologies within theircorporate environment, identifying any“Shadow IT” type usage.

Low Code has proven its worth, is becoming easier to get into thanever, and it’s here to stay. Business Users can create their own
solutions to enhance their experience, and they’re very well placed
to do so given they understand intimately the business processes
that need to be improved.
Even the Pro Devs are getting on board as they find they can build
solutions faster, with better outcomes, less stress, and satisfied
users. And there’s plenty of ways for them to extend the platformusing their existing knowledge with API integrations, webhooks andplug-ins.
Let’s take it, embrace it, and allow makers of all types to solve
business problems and create amazing experiences – and support
them on their journey.

Take the lead in creating policies that guideapp makers to use good practice in linewith corporate standards.
I mplement tools to help them discover,manage, and govern apps and data acrossthe business – like Microsoft’s own Centre of
Excellence toolkit.

4P roactively encourage makers to connect
with each other by hosting events likehackathons and champions meetings.

5

S upport and enable Pro Devs and Citizen
Developers working together (“Fusion
Teams”) to build better solutions at pace.

EVEN THE PRO DEVS ARE
GETTING ON BOARD AS THEY
FIND THEY CAN BUILD
SOLUTIONS FASTER, WITH
BETTER OUTCOMES, LESSSTRESS, AND SATISFIED USERS.“TREND 3

Delivering the
Networking and
Security Solutions
required of theModern Cloud
Platform

There are many reports that speak about Multi-cloud in theenterprise, and we can clearly see the reality of that from ourcustomer interactions. Multi-cloud (including hybrid-cloud)
adoption is real for many of our customers and has happenedin various ways, ranging from a thorough and well consideredstrategy at one end of the spectrum, through to tacticalimplementation driven by business line needs for specificservices at the other end.
The idea of designing for Multi-cloud even with a single cloudstrategy is starting to take shape, with many organisations

concerned about Cloud Service Provider (CSP) lock-in, business
continuity or the impact of strategic business events such as
merger or acquisition forcing them into the adoption of multiple
clouds. In some industries regulatory bodies are asking forbusinesses to have a Multi-cloud strategy as a means of risk
mitigation and business continuity.
Regardless of the reason for Multi-cloud adoption the complexity
inherent with such an architecture is clear and can be describedin both operational and business terms. The diagram below
illustrates these challenges.

MULTIPLE CLOUDS - BUSINESS CHALLENGES

Mark Prior
Solution Leader
Application mobility

Ensuring connectivity provides thebest user experience

Securing the end-to-end
without impacting velocity

Effective troubleshooting tomaximise application availability

Minimising service time to value
through automation

Minimising costs andavoiding lock-in

NETWORK AND CLOUDSTRATEGISTS WOULD DO WELL
IN 2023 TO START INVESTIGATINGTHESE TECHNOLOGIES TO
UNDERSTAND ALL THE VALUETHEY COULD BRING.”

operations through a targeted set of independent tools
and solutions. There has been significant development ofsolutions that address the multi-cloud problem challenge,that we would describe as ‘born for the multi-cloud’, thatneed to be carefully assessed and factored into a new
operating model for multi-cloud management. Throughthe adoption of a centralised multi-cloud management
operating model, organisations can gain significant benefits:

In a single cloud architecture, there is reason to focus on
using native cloud services. They are easy to deploy andconsume, and in the truest sense are ‘born in the cloud’.
So long as they are good enough then they are probably
the best option.

This streamlining of operations and automation in turnimproves:

In a multi-cloud environment however the challenge of only
deploying native cloud services is that you are consuming
different services to achieve the same outcome, as well as
dealing with different architectural and operational bestpractices, and this then becomes a significant overhead.
Imagine if you were to deploy different technologies toperform the same functions across multiple on-premises
data centers. At best the cost overhead of managing
disparate technologies would be an issue, at worst thestability and security risks posed could be catastrophic.
In addition, you are now adding technology to connect to,
between and within clouds, which in turn creates end-to-end
visibility challenges and new complexity to deal with. One
way of tackling these challenges is by looking to centralise•	Consistency and abstraction simplifying management,
automation and improving mobility•	Innovation and enhanced capabilities improving
functionality, security, and visibility•	Less dependence on native cloud services while notnecessarily reducing the use of them

•
•
•
•
•
•

User and customer experience
Services stability
Application deployment velocity
Infrastructure and services scale out
Cloud independence
Cost efficiency

As highlighted, there are now many solutions that cancontribute to the optimisation of a multi-cloud environment,
but here we are going to briefly discuss what Gartner calls
Multi-cloud Networking Software (MCNS).
There are several solutions on the market that could be
categorised as MCNS, some are because of successful onpremises and private cloud partners pivoting their solutions,and some are targeted ‘born for the multi-cloud’ solutions
from new vendors.

All MCNS solutions are attempting to tackle the same set ofchallenges derived from the complexity of a multi-cloudenvironment:•	Improving efficiency of network connectivity between
multiple clouds, both public and private, and between
multiple public cloud regions.
•	The imperative to ensure security policy is consistently
and effectively applied between applications and acrossclouds.
•	Providing clear visibility and analysis of the end-to-end
topology, network paths and application traffic flows toensure service and application uptime is maximised.
•	Simplifying automation to speed up delivery of thoseservices and applications.
The Secure MCNS Survey Report from Futurium describes
multi-cloud and hybrid-cloud networking as the third waveof networking (the first being client/server and the second
being data center networking). The third wave takes cloud
networking into multi-cloud and hybrid-cloud environments
While MCNS solutions are attempting to solve the challenges
of multi-cloud in a software defined, abstracted andautomated way, the technologies themselves varysignificantly in their approach and the capabilities they offer,aligning to many different use cases.
Network and cloud strategists would do well in 2023 to startinvestigating these technologies to understand all the value
they could bring to both single and multi-cloud architectures.
Given that for the most part deployment will be into existing
environments time will be required for proof of concept,
pilot and production testing, and deployment stages, as well
as a focus on the operating model changes a centralised
approach to deploying services will require.

TREND 4

Delivering theData Driven
Business

When writing a paper on the likely trends for data in 2023, I can becertain of four things without even reaching for my crystal ball.

1

2
Darren Franklin
Solution Leader

34There will be more of it
Regardless of the sector or vertical, theamount of data being created and stored is
growing and shows no signs of slowing down
anytime soon.
I t will be placed in increasingly more diverse
locations and consumed by more platforms,
and applications
From edge to core to cloud(s), the platform
and application landscape continues to evolveand grow.

The ability to provide data more effectively across the entire
workforce is likely to rank highly on the 2023 agenda. Enterprisedata manipulation and presentation has long been to domainof a select few data engineers or scientists that sit in darkened
rooms producing models to benefit specific use cases within thebusiness. Whilst this will undoubtedly continue to be
the case, we will also see data being made available to staff
working closer to the end customer. Real-time data accessproviding recommendations on recent purchase history and theadded benefit of cross-sell or up-sell is one common use case, but
this level of access given to the team closest to the customer has
benefits that could be applied across verticals.

The consumers will expect more of it
Be it through advanced analytics, the ability
to look at data from across business units or
the ability to be consumed from less IT literatecommunities.

The term Data Democratisation has been floating around formany years, but we have still yet to fully contextualise this interms of what it means, much less realise its full potential. Manybusinesses have increased their awareness on the importance ofData Literacy which is prompting questions like “What is the qualityof this?” “How do we make decisions from that?”. As businesscultures swing and mature their data literacy, we see typical users
taking accountability for building their own insights.

The business will be expecting it to be stored
more efficiently, cost effectively and securely
Having all this data is great but if you can’t
control, secure or manage it, or it’s costing you
more to keep it than it’s worth, then what’s
the point?

This swing is a huge driving factor behind data democratisationand data fabric trends. Equally, as businesses become data
literate, they naturally desire to develop meaningful data
strategies enabling them to mitigate any risks to the value,
efficiency, and effectiveness of their data. In short morecompanies are seeing data as a product, or even a commodity.

So, with that in mind, it’s fair to say that I see the trends
in data for the next year seeking to address some of thosechallenges.

This level of democratised data access naturally starts theconversation about the Edge and I expect to see an increase in thisover the coming year.

As a consequence of increasing data access across theworkforce companies will need to provide a robust means ofaccessing and collecting data at the Edge. The use cases for
consuming and creating Edge-based data are almost as vastas the potential problems it can cause if an organisation is
not set up correctly to manage this type of data gathering
activity. The needs of a retail worker are significantly
different from those of an oil refinery worker, the former is
expecting to be provided with historic data about customers
buying habits, whilst the latter is reliant on real time datafrom localised sensors to make critical and immediate
decisions. Both need the local compute power and data
storage capability to ensure accurate results.
5G is going to be an enabler in this space with the ability to
reduce infrastructure costs whilst still providing the speedof access required. There will still be those use cases andcustomers that will need to house the bulk of their data
centrally, which will mean uplifts in network infrastructure
capability, but the cost and development benefits ofoperationalising the Edge for data and compute may well see
these needs reducing.
Given some of the current analyst figures aroundconservative customer adoption rates and the expected
growth over the next year or so, I would expect to see
increased adoption for both development and production
analytical use cases. The benefits of using cloud dataservices for large analytical workloads are significant,reducing data center infrastructure CAPEX with OPEX,
creating flexibility for burst workloads, and removing data
center assets could be seen as a real boost to any corporate
sustainability activities.

Playing devil’s advocate for a moment though. The
need to abstract data from a cloud proprietaryservice or technology is becoming high on
customers agenda. Avoiding vendor lock-in is still achallenge outside of traditional IT technology andthe cloud in this instance is just another vendor
who has technology to market. With Multicloud orat least multiple clouds being the norm for mostenterprises, this need for cloud abstraction ordata mobility is likely to be a major priority in the
coming year.
And finally, I would like to spend a little time
discussing the topic of Data Management, or lackof it. There are so many definitions and opinions
about the right and wrong way to address this
topic that it is diluting the important message ofgetting it right.
When using the lens of DAMA, they define data management
as “Data Management is the development, execution, andsupervision of plans, policies, programs, and practices thatdeliver, control, protect, and enhance the value of data andinformation assets throughout their lifecycles.” It is worth
keeping this front of mind when designing new services orunderstanding what data use cases are driving growth, as
without the ability to manage appropriately we are walking
into the unknown. Data Management should be to the fore,
like the “secure by design” mantra that many companies
work by.
Appropriate Data Management by design, but in doing so,
understanding what the end goal is, management is not theend goal, it’s a by-product that helps create a tangible asset
that is core to today’s data driven business.

5G IS GOING TO BE AN ENABLER IN
THIS SPACE WITH THE ABILITY TO
REDUCE INFRASTRUCTURE COSTS
WHILST STILL PROVIDING THE
SPEED OF ACCESS REQUIRED.”TREND 5

SecureConnectivity
for the ‘New’EnterprisePaul Norman
Chief Architect

VPN technologies have been the de facto solution to allow remoteconnectivity to business applications and data for decades. It’sa neat solution, customers typically have all their apps and data
hosted and protected within their data centers protected by aperimeter of security products. VPNs create a secure tunnel acrossthe internet into the corporate network allowing users to accessresources hosted within. You authenticate once on connection andthen you are trusted to move around the corporate network as if
you were connected locally.
The strategic trend towards mobile workforce enablement andthe move to cloud has been greatly accelerated by the pandemic.
This has resulted in customer apps and data being distributed
across a mix of SAAS solutions (e.g., Microsoft 365), hyper-scale
cloud providers (e.g., Microsoft Azure, Google and AWS) and theirown private data centers. The pandemic necessitated enterprises
to move quickly, many of which had to adapt and scale the onpremises networking solutions and amend their security posture
to allow the business to continue to function.
Now the dust has settled, and customers are settling back into
a “normal” set of working practices post pandemic its very clear
there is a trend towards more consumption of cloud services notjust for business apps and data but also operational and security
controls of the end user workplace environment.
This is seeing enterprises actively looking to address the following:•	Provide efficient secure user access to applications
wherever they are• Remove unsecured split tunnelling•	Reduce the ‘hair-pinning’ of traffic through the on-premises
data centers to eliminate bottlenecks and bandwidth
constraints•	Reduce reliance to on-premise resources such as on-premise
security controls•	Increase user experience through transparent security andbetter network performance•	Increase end-to-end visibility from the user to the resource
being accessed• Consolidate tooling• Reduce operational and security risk
The above points are all common goals for many customers that
had to adapt quickly during the pandemic and are now struggling
with the scalability and security constraints of traditional network
controls such as VPN.

60%
ZERO TRUST NETWORKACCESS CONTINUEDGROWTH, YEAR-ON-YEAR

Security Services Edge (SSE) solutions address these
problem areas by allowing remote users to securely
access corporate services directly over the public internet
without being forced through the customers on-premises
data center, increasing user experience and security inthe process.
SSE solutions typically an integration of several technologies
including Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), for accessing
private applications; Secure Web Gateways (SWG) for securing
Internet access; Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASB) for
securing SaaS and cloud app access, and Firewall as aService (FWaaS). Customers may already have one of moreof these provided by different vendors that have previously
specialised in these fields. SSE is an integration of thesetechnologies into a single vendor delivered solution.
2023 will see more customers who have a cloud firststrategy move away from VPN and implement ZTNA and
SWG technologies to address scalability, user experienceand security concerns. ZTNA has continued to grow 60%
year on year and increasingly toward an SSE agent-basedarchitecture. While these new customers may not implement
the full SSE stack straight away its expected that customers
will prefer vendors that have a full SSE capability with 80% of
customers adopting this technology by 2025.

WHAT IS SSE?
Security Services Edge (SSE) is acollection of integrated, cloud-centric
security capabilities that facilitatessafe access to websites, Softwareas-a-Service (SaaS) applications andprivate applicationsGARTNER

WHAT IS ZTNA?
Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) is
a product or service that creates
an identity- and context-based,
logical access boundary around an
application or set of applications.

GARTNERSUMMARY

The 5 trends chosen offer a glimpse to the priorities of ourcustomers in the coming year, and where we will be focussing
some of our attention and investment activities. But, change
is happening across the entire technology landscape, covering
areas that we’ve chosen not to focus on this time.

Paul BrayCTO UK&I

The recurrent themes of the paper speak to a required
transformation of operating models and practices to embrace
the opportunities of new technology – whether that is
exploiting the Low Code revolution, preparing yourself for a
multi-cloud reality, or very simply doing all that you can doto remain secure in the face of ever prevalent cyber risks
and threats.

The impact of global political uncertainty and tensions arehaving an influence on business thinking. At a global trade level,
we are seeing a shift in stance from globalisation towards morenationalistic tendencies, impacting not only businesses market
opportunities but their supply chain and technology delivery
models – such as the continued references to “cloud lock-in”
cited throughout this paper.
Nonetheless, in the face of a challenging and uncertain world,
we remain optimistic that technology is one of the keys to
unlock the challenges you may face. Regardless of your rolein IT or business, working together and collaborating on key
initiatives that drive business value is a vital ingredientfor success!

There are also a range of business issues that are driving thetechnology agenda. Sustainability as part of the wider ESG
framework continues to be a business-critical imperative.
With the conclusion of COP27 recently, continued focus isrequired on delivering the decarbonisation agenda, with manyorganisations focussed on delivering robust science backed
plans to support their own activities in this area.

Working together andcollaborating on key
initiatives that drive
business value is a vital
ingredient for success!”

Office of the CTO
The Office of the CTO (OCTO) team leads in the exploration
and application of technology products and delivery
methodology to aid the digital transformation of ourcustomers.
As a team of cross-functional technologists with extensive
industry and IT experience we deliver thought leadership,
advice and real-world implementation experience to help
our customers achieve their goals.

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Hatfield Avenue, Hatfield, Hertfordshire AL10 9TW, United Kingdom
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