STAATSKOERANT, 24 JANUARIE 2014
No. 37261
7.4 Key success factors and future trends
Despite the challenges facing the IT sector, its products and services have become part and
parcel of everyday business and social life. The fast pace of innovation helps the sector to
remain relevant, while shaping the future of business and society. The factors below are set
to drive growth in the IT sector.
Digitisation, that is, the mass adoption of connected digital technologies and
applications by consumers, enterprises and governments, is one of the key drivers for the
success of the IT market.
a)
b) Consolidation among vendors
As a market matures, operators and service providers tend to consolidate. In a maturing
market, the survival of certain companies can be guaranteed only through mergers and
acquisitions. This trend will continue into the foreseeable future.
c) Growth in mobile computing
A pilot project among nurses in the Eastern Cape revealed that the use of 3G-enabled smart
phones helped nurses and doctors to make accurate diagnoses, prescribe the correct
medication, and reduce patient mortality. Nurses and doctors were also enabled to provide
up-to-date information to patients regarding their health conditions and treatment, update
their own clinical knowledge and share information with their colleagues. Whilst this
development may affect the PC sub-market, it has positive spin-offs in the rest of the sector,
including the development of software and applications.
d) Public sector
Implementation of the e-government policy is critical for the success of the IT sector in South
Africa. This policy deals with issues such as interoperability, IT security and economies of
scale
7.5 Innovation and new applications
a) Cloud computing
Cloud computing can be defined as the storing, processing and use of data on remotely
located computers accessed over the Internet. It involves sharing computer resources, thus
giving users unlimited computing power on demand and accessing their data anywhere
through the Internet, without making major capital investments. The 'sharing' aspect of cloud
computing also allows users to spread their development and maintenance costs over many
users, resulting in lower costs and better service quality compared with 'on-premises' IT
services.
b) Bring your own device
This refers to the policy of allowing employees or students to bring personal mobile devices
such as laptops, tablets and smart phones to their workplace or classroom to access
privileged company information and applications or school work.
c) IT security
The amount of data processed and stored through the IT system is growing at an
exponential rate. This growth is accompanied by growing concerns about security of the
system. There are three main elements to IT security and these are: confidentiality, integrity
and availability.
51
This gazette is also available free online at www.gpwonline.co.za
55