IDC Sees 'Post-Disruptive' 2008

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. -- Over the past several years, the IT market has been reshaped by a handful of key disruptions online delivery, community-based development, solution-oriented packaging, and emerging markets. These disruptions, which started at the margins, gained momentum in 2007 with the rise of everything-as-a-service, Web 2.0 applications, open development communities, "free IT" funding models, and the emergence of non-traditional competitors like Google, YouTube, and Facebook. These developments set the stage for what IDC believes will become the Post-Disruption Marketplace.

In 2008, IDC predicts that the most important market leaders in the IT marketplace – many of whom have been cautiously dabbling in these disruptive new markets, models, and offerings – will jump in with both feet. The year will be marked by greatly increased investment in emerging markets, introduction of a raft of new online product and service offerings, the opening-up of closed business models to communities, and innovative new approaches to simple, solutions-oriented packaging. IDC expects there to be so much investment in these disruptive markets, business models, and offerings, that they will cease to be considered disruptions – they will become the new status quo for competing in the IT marketplace for the next decade.

"Disruptive technologies have been a persistent theme in IDC's predictions over the past several years," said Frank Gens, senior vice president of Research at IDC. "These technologies have been creeping into everything from enterprise software and hardware to consumer gadgets and telecom services, forcing vendors to rethink their offerings. In 2008, the era of experimentation will end as industry leaders get serious about transforming their products and services to take advantage of – and meet the challenges posed by – these new technologies and business models. The status quo is about to change."

IDC