New InformationWeek Reports Research Finds 53% of IT Pros Classify Database Licensing Costs as Overpriced or Outright Highway Robbery

Just 12% say their databases are a good deal, yet few are investigating cloud, open source and inexpensive NoSQL alternatives

By UBM TechWeb

Published: Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2012 - 9:11 am


SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 31, 2012 -- /PRNewswire/ -- InformationWeek Reports (http://reports.informationweek.com), a service provider for peer-based IT research and analysis, announced the release of its latest research report. The 2012 State of Database Technologyreport encompasses analysis of results from InformationWeek's recent survey on database trends and guides readers in developing a smart database strategy. More than 750 business technology professionals responded to this poll.

Research Summary:

The well-established data structures that have served businesses effectively for more than 40 years are showing their age. Changes to how organizations use data, as well as the sheer amount of data managed, have led to new hosting and structuring options, including NoSQL, semantic data stores and hosted warehouse environments. InformationWeek's 2012 State of Database Technology Survey tracks adoption of these technologies, investigates how respondents are securing their data, and gauges interest in cloud-based and virtualized databases.

Findings:

• 55% of survey respondents say they will not leverage cloud services for their primary databases.
• 38% have no defined procedure for conducting a forensic investigation after a database breach.
• 37% are running their primary databases in a virtualized environment.
• 2% have Hadoop in production use, though an additional 37% are investigating or running pilots.

The report authors, Joseph P. Raiti Jr. and David Read, serve as the CIO and CTO, respectively, of independent consultancy Blue Slate Solutions.

For full access to the research data, members can download now:http://reports.informationweek.com/abstract/81/8637/Business-Intelligence-and-Information-Management/research-state-of-database-technology.html

"This report includes some interesting trending from our August 2010 State of Database Technology Survey," says Lorna Garey, content director of InformationWeek Reports. "For example, in 2010, 24% cited the ability to meet complex database requirements as a top factor influencing their choice of operational database. For our 2012 survey, that number is up 18 points, to 42%."

For more information:Art WittmannVP & Managing Director, InformationWeek Reports415-947-6361awittmann@techweb.com

About InformationWeek Business Technology Network(http://www.informationweek.com)

The InformationWeek Business Technology Network provides IT executives with unique analysis and tools that parallel their work flow—from defining and framing objectives through to the evaluation and recommendation of solutions. Anchored by InformationWeek, the multimedia powerhouse that looks across the enterprise, the network scales across the most critical technology categories with online properties like DarkReading.com (security), NetworkComputing.com (networking and communications) and BYTE (consumer technology). The network also provides focused content for key IT targets, such as CIOs, developers, and SMBs via InformationWeek Global CIO, Dr. Dobb's and InformationWeek SMB, as well as vital vertical industries with InformationWeek Financial Services, Government and Healthcare sites. Content is at the nucleus of our information distribution strategy—IT professionals turn to our experts and communities to stay informed, get advice and research technologies to make strategic business decisions.

About UBM TechWeb (http://www.ubmtechweb.com)

UBM TechWeb, the global leader in technology media and professional information, enables people and organizations to harness the transformative power of technology. Through its three core businesses – media solutions, marketing services and paid content – UBM TechWeb produces the most respected and consumed brands and media applications in the technology market. More than 14.5 million business and technology professionals (CIOs and IT managers, Web & Digital professionals, Software Developers, Government decision makers, and Telecom providers) actively engage in UBM TechWeb's communities and information resources monthly. UBM TechWeb brands include: global face-to-face events such as Interop, Web 2.0, Black Hat and Enterprise Connect; award-winning online resources such as InformationWeek, Light Reading, and Network Computing; and market-leading magazines InformationWeek, Wall Street & Technology, and Advanced Trading. UBM TechWeb is a UBM plc company, a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $2.5 billion.

SOURCE  http://www.sacbee.com/2012/01/31/4228045/new-informationweek-reports-research.html

The Big Little Book of Nexts: Trendspotting for 2012

The Big Little Book of Nexts: Trendspotting for 2012


November 2011


What will make the world tick in 2012? And might that ticking sound more like a patient, plodding grandfather clock or a time bomb? According to Marian Salzman, it depends on whom you ask. Salzman, CEO of Euro RSCG Worldwide PR, North America, and one of the top five trendspotters in the world, digs deep to look for social patterns, then applies everything to where the future is headed, in cultural, political, technological and economic matters. For 2012, Salzman has created her biggest annual trends report ever, with more than 150 trends sighted in 32 categories, from Asia and Modern Life to Color and Grooming. Here is just a peek at what’s in this year’s report, which you can download with the button below:  (PDF@:  http://eurorscgpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Trends2012_PR_FIN.pdf)

• The U.S. State of Mind. Politics will reach a boiling point with more protests, most likely organized and cross-promoted on social media.
• Re-feathering the Empty Nest. Recent college grads, the biggest casualty of the dire job market, look for Mom and Dad to come to the rescue. Likewise, seniors will choose to move in with their grown children.
• Double-Dip Frugality. Look for 2012 to be the year of essentials only. Pop-up stores will continue to soothe by offering one-off items without the sticker shock, and brands will look to co-produce products and lines.
• Be Private, Be Present. Experiencing full-blown information overload, many will rediscover their need for privacy. We will still expect our leaders and businesses to be transparent, but in our personal lives look for a retreat en masse from TMI.

SOURCE: http://mariansalzman.com/?page_id=1674

Deloitte Predicts the Top 10 Technology Trends for 2012

Deloitte Predicts the Top 10 Technology Trends for 2012

Mobility, social, analytics, cloud and cyber represent five imminent technology forces for business innovation

NEW YORK, December 8, 2011 — Deloitte today announced the research findings from its 3rd annual "Tech Trends 2012" report, which identifies and predicts the top 10 emerging and disruptive technologies that are expected to play a crucial role in how businesses are anticipated to operate globally in 2012 and beyond.

"As we head into 2012, many CIOs are evaluating the various aspects of IT, looking ahead to the new technologies that can help them drive business growth in the years ahead," said Mark White, principal and chief technology officer, Deloitte Consulting LLP and co-author of the report. "Mobility, social, analytics, cloud and cyber are technology forces each impacting business today. The intersection of these represents an opportunity for new business technology value and innovation.”

Deloitte’s "Tech Trends 2012" distinguished the technologies in two categories: "(Re)emerging Enablers" and "Disruptive Deployments." (Re)emerging Enablers are five technologies that many CIOs have spent time, thought and resources on in the past, but deserve another look this year. Disruptive Deployments are five additional technologies that showcase new business models and transformative ways to operate. The 10 predicted technologies identified for 2012 are:

(Re)Emerging Enablers:

Geo-spatial Visualization: Within the world of visualization, geospatial takes advantage of an explosion of geographical, location-aware data. Sources feeding this growth include new semi-structured data from mobile devices, geo-tagging of existing enterprise structured data and tapping into new streams of location-aware unstructured data.

Digital Identities: The digital expression of identity is growing more complex every day. Digital identities should be unique, verifiable, able to be federated and non-repudiable. As individuals take a more active hand in managing their own digital identities, organizations are attempting to create single digital identities that retain the appropriate context across the range of credentials that an individual carries. Digital persona protection is becoming a strong area of cyber focus.

Data Goes to Work: Organizations are finding ways to turn the explosion in size, volume and complexity of data into insight and value. This is occurring across structured and unstructured content from internal and external sources. This is expected to complement but not replace long-standing information management programs and investments in data warehouses, business intelligence suites, reporting platforms and relational database experience.

Measured Innovation: CIOs can help facilitate the discovery of the next wave of true disruption--and continuously improve the business of IT and the business of the business. Measured innovation offers an approach to managing both disciplines by providing a pragmatic way to identify, evaluate and launch potential innovations with a focus on aligning opportunities to areas that can fuel disruption and create measurable, attributable value.

Outside-in Architecture: Flexibility in operating and business models is proving more important. As a result, need to share is colliding with need to know and shifting solution architectures away from a siloed, enterprise-out design pattern and into an outside-in approach to delivering business through rapidly evolving ecosystems.

Disruptive Deployments:

Social Business: The emergence of boomers as digital natives and the rise of social media in daily life have paved the way for social business in the enterprise. This is leading organizations to apply social technologies on social networks, amplified by social media, to fundamentally reshape how business gets done. Some of the initial successful use cases are consumer-centric, but business value is available – and should be realized – across the enterprise.

Hyper-hybrid Cloud: Cloud-based and cloud-aware integration offerings are expected to continue to evolve, and many organizations face a hybrid reality with a mix of on-premise solutions and multiple cloud offerings. The challenge becomes integration, identity management and data translation between the core and multitenant public cloud offerings, and offering lightweight orchestration for processes traversing enterprise and cloud assets.

Enterprise Mobility Unleashed: Mobility is helping many organizations rethink their business models. Consumer-facing mobile applications are only the beginning. With the explosion of mobile use cases, organizations should make sure solutions are enterprise class – secure, reliable, maintainable and integrated to critical back-office systems and data.

Gamification: Serious gaming simulations and game mechanics such as leaderboards, 

achievements and skill-based learning are becoming embedded in day-to-day business processes, driving adoption, performance and engagement.

User Empowerment: User engagement remains a key doctrine for enterprise IT with consumerization setting expectations for solutions built from the user-down, not the system-up. Compounding the need, IT is becoming increasingly democratized, with empowered end-users able to directly source solutions from the cloud or app stores – on a mobile device and increasingly on the desktop.

"The next 12 months will see several technologies including the cloud, big data and mobility continue to grow, while a topic like gamification is just starting to emerge at the enterprise level," said Bill Briggs, director, Deloitte Consulting LLP and co-author of the report. "It will be important for CIOs to help lead their organizations in these areas, as they can redefine the role that IT plays within an organization and place them in a position to positively disrupt their operating models, business models, or even their industries.”

About Deloitte Tech Trends

For the past three years, Deloitte’s annual "Tech Trends" report has identified the 10 trends anticipated to have an impact for CIOs in the coming year and beyond. The predications are based on insights from Deloitte’s technology subject matter specialists, input from some of its largest clients and discussions with industry analysts and alliance members. To subscribe to receive a digital copy of this year’s complete report, please visitwww.deloitte.com/us/techtrends2012.

As used in this document, "Deloitte" means Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries. Please see www.deloitte.com/us/aboutfor a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries. Certain services may not be available to attest clients under the rules and regulations of public accounting.

site:http://www.deloitte.com

Big in 2012: Trend-watchers tells us what to expect

Published: Tuesday, January 03, 2012, 8:02 AM

 By Amy Kuperinsky/The Star-Ledger 

David Paul Morris/GettySteve Jobs introduced iCloud in June. Trend-watchers say we'll live in digital clouds, more than ever before.

Out: Human interaction.
In: Saying you want to get together, but not actually doing it.

Out: High-fructose corn syrup.
In: Good ol' honey.

Out: Spending large on your wardrobe.
In: Going shopping, in your wardrobe.

So say two professional trend-spotters, at least.

Marian Salzman, president of the North American division of the public relations firm Euro RSCG Worldwide, has been spotting trends for 15 years. Her annual trends forecast is called "The Big Little Book of Nexts."

Ann Mack, director of trend-spotting at the advertising firm JWT, issued her seventh report on trends last month.

Here's what they say will transpire in 2012.

The rise of fiction
"Real life has been so much more real than reality TV," says Salzman. "We've been through a really traumatic year," she says, even if that has meant saying goodbye to some of the most reviled world leaders. Look for the rise of "curated drama," she says. Instead of finding solace in the antics of "Real Housewives," for example, we'll look for escape in "well-designed television programming," meaning shows that are scripted, not documented, she says.

APThey'll be working hard for us in 2012

Honey and mushrooms
When corn syrup got a whole lot of negative press, people were looking for ways to sweeten healthfully, or at least naturally.

"If you can provide an alternative to that and call it 'natural,' good for you," says Mack. Honey, undeniably natural but also exceedingly saccharine, will be a big sweetener in 2012, she says. And not just in food but also in cough remedies and over-the-counter medicines. Mushrooms, too, fit the bill for something good-tasting that isn't so bad for you, she says, and are even, possibly, immunity boosters. Calling edible fungi "the next big thing in functional foods," Mack says to look out for a wide variety, including pricey truffles.

Buying local
The Year of the Dragon will also be the year of the locavore, says Salzman, locavorism being the pursuit of locally produced food.

"It's really going through the stratosphere," she says. "Local pies, local cheeses, the more local the better." Why? "It's a sense of control," says Salzman. The idea that we know the place a food is made, so it's therefore extra consumable. Which would make food grown in your backyard extra desirable, right? If only we weren't stuck in a cloud ...

Cloud life 
"I think we're going to live our lives in a cloud," says Salzman. That cloud involves us, our mobile digital accessories ("Everybody's going to have a tablet. You might even have more than one," says Salzman) and a sense that we'd like to think we want to see more people in person, but really don't want to. When you're living "in 140 characters or less," social intimacy -- meaning actual face-to-face conversation -- "just feels like more work," says Salzman. "We'd rather read it than say it."

Darren MichaelsStrong women, slacker men?

Inhaling
No, not that kind. The kind of inhaling that allows you to smell your flavors instead of eating them. If you're into that.

Mack points to Le Whif, a calorie-free "chocolate experience," and Breathable Foods' AeroShot Pure Energy, an inhaler that contains a mix of caffeine and B vitamins.

A new American Dream
The old vision of success is changing, says Salzman. It's going to mean not everyone will think college is the way to get there, especially considering the crippling impact of student loans.

"The student loan crisis is going to be the biggest crisis in the world," she says. This gives old benchmarks -- earning a degree, buying a home -- a new context. Salzman says many more people will be asking if they really need those thing to get by, or can they achieve whatever it is they consider their dreams in other ways.

Marriage
College isn't the only part of American life in flux. Marriage is also being seen more as an option than a necessity, says Mack.

"The reason why women are opting out of marriage is because they are gaining in education," she says, with women earning the most bachelor's and master's degrees. "Motherhood is now untethered from marriage." Just look at a Judd Apatow movie, she says: Men are portrayed as slackers while women are the ones in control.

Self-diagnosis, alternative treatment
Eating all that locally produced food, tapping away on our tablets also has us gaining weight and getting sick.

Tim Farrell/The Star-LedgerA Diane von Furstenberg crystal beaded flapper dress from 2003. Will Depression chic make a return?

"We're more inside, more than ever before," says Salzman. And usually not on the treadmill. "We're exercising our jaws talking about exercise." So we're also apt to be Googling our ailments.

"If you suffer from epilepsy, if you suffer from a sprained wrist, you can do all of the medical research," says Salzman. "It's made us much more willing to embrace (the) homeopathic," says Salzman.

Catering to maturity
"Someone who's 65 may live two, three, four decades after that," says Mack. "The sky's the limit for them, as long as they can afford it."

So it makes sense that technology should adjust to maturity instead of just paying lip service to youth, what Mack calls "retooling for an aging world." GlassesOff is a good example, she says. The forthcoming digital program aims to actually treat the blurry vision of presbyopia via the screens that would normally strain our eyes.

Indulgence penalties
Mack says it's telling that in Hungary and Denmark there have been taxes on foods high in fat, salt and sugar, as well as on soda and alcohol, with legislation pending in Australia and the U.K. Americans have balked at attempts to control their diets and snacking, but expect more policing in the world at large, she says.

"You can't ignore our growing waistlines," says Mack. "Which can be a huge cost on the government."

Depression chic
Faced with a lack of leisure funds, grads saddled with overwhelming loan payments and many others with little extra wiggle room in their budgets will be "curating their closets," says Salzman. This means there will be a reliance on classic wardrobe staples and a pushback against buying novelties, she says. At the same time, "Depression chic" will become popular, she says. That doesn't mean wearing torn-up burlap sacks, but it does involve flapper dresses and "loud, exciting scarves."

Cathy MillerWe might get taxed on junk food, but we'll want to reach for a sweet reward every now and then.

Small delights
Even though we know we have to cut down (and so do companies like Kraft that will start selling a five-pack of gum for 50 cents) we're also "fatigued by all these austerity measures," says Mack. Sick of saving, we'll want to indulge in small ways.

The evidence is there, she says, noting that nail polish sales were up 54 percent this year. And even if we're not polish users, instead of paying for a gourmet meal we might just buy the ingredients to make it at home, she says.

Follow Amy Kuperinsky on Twitter @AmyKup

© 2012 NJ.com. All rights reserved.

A prediction for 2012: A very large percentage of the juicier predictions you’ve already read for the coming year will turn out to be wrong

Business stories to watch in 2012


By Steven Syre |  GLOBE COLUMNIST     JANUARY 03, 2012


A prediction for 2012: A very large percentage of the juicier predictions you’ve already read for the coming year will turn out to be wrong.


Good predictions and forecasts come with details and take risks by seeing something other than more of the same ahead. They are incredibly hard to get right with any regularity, the reason I stay away from the prognostication business.


But it isn’t so hard to put your finger on things that will be worth watching and figure out how to track those developments as they unfold in 2012. At the start of a new year, lots of big-picture issues and smaller stories close to home have my attention.




Start with the broad economy of 2012, the ultimate big-picture unknown. The US economy has started to recover only to stall out - twice! - since the official end of the recession in 2009. We begin this year with several months of real momentum that clearly represent a third opportunity to get on the track of a true recovery. Will it work this time?


Economists are especially reluctant to say. One reason: Europe remains a crisis waiting to happen and it could change everything. But no one can even guess how it will play out in 2012.


So, the US consensus forecast is positive but drab. Economists generally expect slow growth that will not be strong enough to move the unemployment needle very far. Many expect the current pace of growth to slow. Some worry that election-year politics - often a stimulating factor - could actually increase uncertainty and indecision, becoming an economic wet blanket.


All of this is possible, but it is important to point out that the economic herd has missed almost every turn in the recent past. Most economists expected steady improvement at the start of 2011 and did not forecast America’s summer stall. Then many feared a double-dip recession or, more commonly, forecast a muddle ahead, failing to anticipate the strong momentum of the final four months of the year.


A few simple things will tell you a lot about the direction of the economy this year. For one, the four-week moving average of new unemployment claims is one of the most reliable indicators of the short-term future. That number has been shrinking lately, and more progress early in 2012 would be unambiguous good news.


Clear progress in Europe would give America’s economy a real boost. The United States can manage a recession in Europe, but all bets are off in a real financial crisis.


Finally, the price of gasoline - something we see and pay every week - is also an important influence on consumer confidence and could hurt momentum this year. Every time gas prices jump, consumers pull in their horns. Prices at the pump have been steady, but expensive oil approaching or exceeding the $100-per-barrel level poses a threat.


Another development worth watching: how the state’s most important industry works and gets paid. I’m talking about health care changes.


Doctors and hospitals are not just making billing changes. They are reshaping entire organizations in ways that will affect health care and the economy for years to come. Big changes took place last year, and more substantial steps are in store in 2012.


Expect more mergers and consolidation of health services into giant medical networks reacting to pressures to cut costs and accept more financial risk.


One last thing to watch: New products and services from companies in Massachusetts. That covers a lot of territory, but I’m especially interested in Vertex Pharmaceuticals and its new treatment for cystic fibrosis.


Vertex launched its closely followed hepatitis C treatment in 2011 and hopes to win approval for its Kalydeco treatment for cystic fibrosis this year. The drug is on track for a decision by regulators this spring.


Kalydeco would treat a relatively small percentage of patients with cystic fibrosis. But it is the first drug that attacks the underlying defect in the genetic disease and could lead to other treatments that help more people. The drug’s success would be a commercial hit for Vertex and change the way we treat a deadly disease.


Happy New Year. It’s going to be busy in 2012.


SOURCE: BOSTON CAPITAL http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2012/01/03/business-stories-watch/3sRwBmqZikWhNBi8LKGmSK/story.html