Deloitte On Technology

Welcome to the Deloitte On Technology Blog.

Every day, our technology practice leaders help some of the world’s biggest companies understand the ‘art of the possible’ when it comes to technology to address tomorrow’s business needs today. We want to share their experiences, their vision, in their own voice, with you.

We look forward to sharing lessons from the frontlines and things we think you’ll find interesting. And we invite you to share your voice on our blog pages. We not only encourage sharing, but welcome the opportunity to engage with other technology aficionados. If you like what you read, we hope you will subscribe to receive alerts when new blog posts are added.

Recent blog posts

Big data’s “crunchy” questions

Posted by Gregory Szwartz on May 24, 2012

The world of traditional analytics is a comfortable one. Relying on scenarios, simulations, and predictive modeling, your organization has gained considerable expertise using structured data to support decision-making. And from all accounts, it's a neat and tidy process.

Enter Big Data. Representing terabytes of previously untapped information from social media and other data streams, big data is unstructured and messy in comparison...Continue Reading

Getting started with big data

Posted by Gregory Szwartz on May 22, 2012

Big data’s potential is immense, but so are the challenges to capturing it. It is easy to get lost in the possibilities and become overwhelmed by the enormity of the implications of big data. Companies need to decide where to focus, what capabilities to build, and what talent to pursue and develop...Continue Reading

The postdigital landscape

Posted by Bill Briggs on May 17, 2012

The convergence of the five postdigital forces presents businesses with a new set of tools, opening the door to a new set of rules for operations, performance, and competition.

As in the post-industrial era, our country didn’t forego industrialization; instead, it became the new normal for business. The same is true for the postdigital era, but for digitalization....Continue Reading

Say hello to the new Deloitte Digital

Posted by Deloitte On Technology on May 14, 2012

Back in January, we announced the acquisition of Übermind, a mobile-focused digital agency. Since then, we’ve been working on a bigger initiative that has evolved into Deloitte Digital.

Today, we’re excited to introduce you to Deloitte Digital – a global business that is focused on helping clients harness digital technologies to positively disrupt their business. Deloitte Digital’s offerings include mobile, social, web, strategy, digital content, and digital ERP...Continue Reading

Is big data just a big distraction?

Posted by Gregory Szwartz on May 10, 2012

According to the World Economic Forum, sources such as online or mobile financial transactions, social media traffic, and GPS coordinates now generate over 2.5 quintillion bytes of Big Data every day. That's a mind-boggling amount of data. However, if you believe the advocates of Big Data analysis, every bit of it is worth sifting through...Continue Reading

Big data, big decisions?

Posted by Gregory Szwartz on May 8, 2012

More organizations are engaging in big data analysis, and just as many are considering doing so. After all, no company can afford to ignore what could be a powerful new source of business advantage.

But is big data truly a font of compelling information just waiting to be tapped into? And can decision-makers extract equally big insights from it—and feel comfortable making decisions based on this insight?...Continue Reading

Stuff we (well, the Deputy CTO Bill Briggs) think is interesting: Text alert tattoos

Posted by Bill Briggs on May 3, 2012

Bill Briggs, director and Deputy CTO, returns to the blogosphere to talk about “Stuff We Think is Interesting”, a compendium of technology tidbits to guide and inform our Technology practice. . He wrote about crowdsourcing in his last post and today it’s about tattoos – of the ferromagnetic ink variety

Nokia is taking the idea of embedded mobility to the next level – with a prototype for a tattoo made out of ferromagnetic ink that can produce a vibrating sensation to notify users of activities on their smartphones...Continue Reading

Billions and billions: Big data becomes a big deal

Posted by Duncan Stewart and Paul Lee on May 1, 2012

The seemingly abstract concept of “big data” has moved into the mainstream. Conferences draw thousands of attendees, dedicated venture funds are popping up, and companies focusing on big data tools and services are receiving funding rounds over $50 million. Large, traditional software players are validating the market by partnering with or acquiring early leaders in the space...Continue Reading

Introducing the CIO Journal: Meet the team

Posted by Deloitte On Technology on April 26, 2012

As we discussed in our last post, Deloitte has signed on as the exclusive sponsor of CIO Journal from The Wall Street Journal, a premium news and information service for chief information officers and other senior business executives with an interest in technology.

Now that you know more about the CIO Journal, meet the team of writers and editors that deliver the business-led, technology-enabled insight...Continue Reading

Introducing the CIO Journal

Posted by Karen Scherberger Henrie on April 24, 2012

Deloitte has signed on as the exclusive sponsor of CIO Journal from The Wall Street Journal, a premium news and information service for chief information officers and other senior business executives with an interest in technology.

Deloitte already serves an important role as a trusted advisor to CIOs. Now CIO Journal gives us another way to connect and engage on the business and technology issues of the day...Continue Reading

Common mobile security mistakes

Posted by Kieran Norton on April 19, 2012

In study after study, IT professionals cite security and data privacy concerns as the top inhibitor to mobility adoption. With tremendous pressure from users (with the C-suite being amongst the most ardent) and business leaders to enhance mobile programs, support more devices and applications and provide mobile access to corporate systems, a knee-jerk reaction to “securing mobile” may be tempting...Continue Reading

Top 10 mobile threats

Posted by Kieran Norton on April 17, 2012

Mobile devices have infiltrated nearly every aspect of our lives. These technologies are already at a point where they offer significant benefits that enhance enterprise operations such as increased employee productivity and efficiency.

However, what makes these devices valuable from a business perspective – portability, usability and connectivity to the internet and corporate infrastructure – also presents significant security risks...Continue Reading

Embracing Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) – Do risks outweigh benefits?

Posted by Kieran Norton on April 12, 2012

Employees at many levels are increasingly demanding more choice and control over the mobile device they use along with increased access to mobile friendly enterprise applications. In addition, they are fixated on a ‘one user, one device’ mantra and expect their smartphone device to provide access to the Internet and to host both their personal and business applications, data, etc...Continue Reading

From nicety to necessity: The future of enterprise mobility

Posted by Evangeline Marzec on April 10, 2012

Mobile is changing the face of business as we know it. Mobile has shifted from nicety to necessity, and businesses are realizing that they should adapt to survive. Mobility is the future of the enterprise—and it demands organizational transformations at each level of the business...Continue Reading

Encouraging Women in Technology

Posted by Janet Foutty on April 5, 2012

There’s been a lot of buzz lately about the potential for a future technology practitioner shortage. That very well may be, but I’d rather turn the conversation from predicting the future to one of how we might solve the problem.

To level set, there are 103 women to every 100 men in the US, but the workforce is only 46% women (according to the 2011 United Nations demographics). That strikes me as a very clear segment that we should be targeting. So, and it should come as no surprise to anyone, I think we should be doing everything we can to encourage more women to build careers in technology...Continue Reading

Future of mobile payments in the enterprise

Posted by Evangeline Marzec on April 3, 2012

Mobile payments offer exciting new possibilities for the enterprise. Though mobile payments solutions are far from standardized, there’s a growing movement to remove hurdles from the payment process.

From SMS-based transactional payments and direct mobile billing to mobile web payments and the much-hyped Near Field Communication (NFC), mobile payments are already taking shape in the marketplace. For example, Google Wallet is already accepted at select businesses nationwide, and Apple recently won a patent for its iWallet initiative. Starbucks had upwards of 26 million mobile transactions in 2011—all within a year of launching its NFC mobile payment app. And Square is personalizing convenience for small businesses with Card Case...Continue Reading

Mobile device management for the enterprise

Posted by Jeffrey Bates on March 29, 2012

As companies develop their mobile strategy, mobile device management (MDM) is often top-of-mind. If you read our previous post, you know that mobile can present many challenges to IT departments, especially when it comes to data security and compliance. IT organizations are actively working to protect their companies, but in the era of bring-your-own-device (BYOD), managing multiple devices, and leveraging mobile apps in the enterprise, it is becoming increasingly more complex...Continue Reading

Understanding the benefits & risks of enterprise mobility

Posted by Evangeline Marzec on March 27, 2012

You passed Enterprise Apps 101, and we’ve covered key business considerations for mobile. Now, let’s talk about the benefits—and challenges—of embracing mobile for the enterprise.

There’s no question that mobile technology can enhance enterprise operations. Whether it’s a mobility solution that contributes to reduced paperwork or one that helps employees conduct business while on-the-go, the benefits can be significant...Continue Reading

Building a business case for enterprise mobile apps

Posted by Meg Brown on March 22, 2012

While it might be tempting to dive head-first into mobile app development, it’s important to carefully analyze and think through your strategy for enterprise mobility. Building a case for enterprise apps isn’t an easy feat: It requires a lot of time, research, and even some (or enormous) amount of convincing. And these are only the initial challenges. When done right, a mobile app can enhance your business through greater efficiency, effectiveness, and reduced time to accomplish tasks...Continue Reading

Breaking down mobile apps for the enterprise

Posted by Meg Brown on March 20, 2012

The opportunities for mobile applications in the enterprise can be endless—and they don’t just apply to large corporations. Even small businesses are finding value in leveraging apps to build more efficient processes. You may already be familiar with consumer-facing apps, but if you’re wondering what mobile apps can do for the enterprise, keep reading.

Recent research found that 71% of enterprises are deploying mobile apps, most of which are finding that it increases worker productivity. So, how exactly are these apps enhancing business operations?...Continue Reading

Watch The Tech Trends of 2012

Posted by Mark White on March 13, 2012

Our annual publication of Tech Trends 2012 — Elevate IT for digital business just got even better. It is now available in video format. Each of the ten chapters is summarized in a three-minute video so you can hit the highlights quickly. Links to the authors and more information are also offered if you'd like to learn more.

Access the videos on Deloitte.com or download the free Deloitte On Technology app for your iPad, Kindle Fire or Android device...Continue Reading

The value of engagement

Posted by Chris Heuer on March 8, 2012

For some reason, the notion of engagement has been getting a bad rap lately. At several recent social media events, each time a speaker or a participant mentioned the word “engagement”, they felt the need to apologize for using it. Perhaps it is because the term is being used so frequently today. Or perhaps it is because it is being misused so frequently. Whatever the reason, professionals should feel comfortable, and confident using the term...Continue Reading

Sharing from the outside-in

Posted by Deloitte On Technology on March 6, 2012

This is a continuation of our previous post, Open Collaboration from the Outside-In.

The growing movement of making traditionally closed internal systems accessible by ecosystem partners externally has resulted in a paradigm shift for not only CIOs but for many executives across the enterprise landscape. By making systems and the data within them more accessible to outside parties, organizations can capture additional value they may not have realized on their own, including insights that can put them ahead of their rivals and potentially discover “net new” partners and customers that were previously unknown or unobtainable through existing means...Continue Reading

Open collaboration from the outside-in

Posted by Deloitte On Technology on March 1, 2012

Today, the amount of data available is growing at a lightning pace. For businesses, managing and selecting the right view of the customer is critical to gaining a competitive advantage. In our fast moving environment of turnkey solutions, the gap between what we could know about our customers and what we do know is far too often growing when we have an opportunity to understand them so much better. It is becoming important to not only find the right data, but to also constantly refresh various dimensions of data so that you may understand your customer at any given moment in time and (digital) space...Continue Reading

SoMoClo: Our new socioeconomic infrastructure

Posted by Chris Heuer on February 28, 2012

Our infrastructure for creating and distributing value across society has been forever transformed in the past few years and we are just starting to see the real potential. While many technological advancements have created the environment in which this new, real time, transparent, connected society is possible, it is the social component that is driving the market.

The greatest return on investment for those seeking to lead through these tumultuous times appears to be a clear focus on people, and the connections between them. To my IT colleagues I have long bemoaned the CloMoSo meme, which put the enablers ahead of the drivers like the proverbial cart before the horse. I suggested it should be SoMoClo, with “Social” leading the way...Continue Reading

Disrupting business as usual

Posted by Michael Raynor on February 23, 2012

Today, more than ever, CIOs are in a rare position to guide innovation investments given technology’s prominence across the business.

For many businesses, the IT infrastructure is the enabling technology that provides opportunities to innovate and break constraints – which is at the core of disrupting business as usual for competitive advantage. It makes sense that CIOs should be at the forefront...Continue Reading

Trending the Trends

Posted by Mark White on February 21, 2012

Looking back at our 2011 Tech Trends report, The natural convergence of business and IT and 2010 report, Depth Perceptions, it has been interesting and thought-provoking to examine the pattern of business evolution and the resulting relationships that have emerged. Completing our 2012 Tech Trends report, Elevate IT for digital business, we confirmed the macro forces that have shaped our annual trend reports. Our trends this year and past were manifestations and applications of those macro forces. They are: analytics, mobility, social business, cloud and cyber security – five digital forces that you already may understand...Continue Reading

Tech Trends Demystified

Posted by Mark White on February 16, 2012

Putting together our annual publication of technology trends takes a lot more than sticking our thumbs in the air or looking into a crystal ball.

All year long we’re in search of the latest technology trends. We begin with a wide range of potential topics, and then select as trends those topics that have the most potential to impact businesses over the next 18 to 24 months. It’s an ongoing process of research, conversations and analysis about the ever-changing business and technology landscape...Continue Reading

Deloitte On Technology

Posted by Mark White on February 14, 2012

A warm welcome to Deloitte On Technology, where we’re using the social sphere to share what’s on our mind, and find out what’s on yours. Here you’ll get the latest insights into what technologies are enabling or disrupting the world today, straight from our technology leaders and subject matter specialists.

At Deloitte, we take a business-led, technology-enabled approach when we develop solutions to help our clients. This enables us to gain a different perspective on current business issues and the role that technology can play to address them...Continue Reading

The user in the digital enterprise: User empowerment

Posted by Jaco Van Eeden on February 7, 2012

Enterprise users are demanding and expecting more from technology products in the workplace. The idea of user empowerment reflects the user’s desire to use the same elegant technology solutions and products they use in their personal lives to be more productive and effectively perform their roles. They are leaving behind the age of “point, click and type” and moving towards “touch, swipe, talk and gesture”, whether or not the business can keep up. We are entering an era of the democratization and consumerization of corporate technology...Continue Reading

Tech Trends 2012: Elevate IT for digital business

Posted by Mark White on February 2, 2012

I am excited to share with you the release of our Tech Trends 2012. Each year, we work with clients, vendor teams, academics, analysts and Deloitte leadership to identify and refine the relevant trends in technology today that are designed to help CIOs in their efforts to solve their most pressing business problems. As per usual, we’ve selected ten trends that have significant potential for impact for businesses over the next 18 to 24 months and are focused on the purpose and business value they bring to the marketplace. This year’s theme, Elevate IT for digital business, examines the broad impacts of technologies that have gained momentum over the past several years and how IT could elevate business performance. The trends incorporate the manifestations and applications of a number of digital forces – analytics, mobility, social business, cloud and cyber security – already in play. As we observe accelerating patterns of adoption, we envision a time in which these forces are mature, implemented and integrated. Baked-in vs. bolted-on. Creating a new normal...Continue Reading

A Technology Black Belt’s perspectives on user engagement

Posted by Jaco Van Eeden on January 31, 2012

As business and IT professionals, Deloitte Consulting LLP embarks on the user experience journey as a mechanism to help our clients achieve a critical goal: enabling their IT to be effective and align more proactively with the business.

While resistance is still met from IT organizations who still believe they can tell their users what they will get, end users are maturing and their expectations are increasing. The days of constraining your end users because of the limitations of your back-end are over, and IT organizations should figure out ways to adapt...Continue Reading

Idle chatter no more - Capturing the business value of social media in the user experience

Posted by Jaco Van Eeden on January 26, 2012

More and more organizations—perhaps yours among them—are employing chats, blogs, wikis and other online communities to exchange information, collaborate and engage with both internal and external users. As important channels for real-time interaction, these social media tools can also represent a key source of useful business insights.

But if your organization is like many that use ERP systems for widespread operational support, you may not have a natural way to capture and integrate social media insights into the appropriate business workflows...Continue Reading

Are your users "clicked" Off? Increasing employee productivity and satisfaction through user engagement tools

Posted by Jaco Van Eeden on January 24, 2012

In my conversations with executives worldwide, ERP systems often seem to be a source of continuous frustration for end users. Simple tasks frequently require end users to access multiple systems to execute transactions or get the data they need. Navigating between systems is hard, and employees need a lot of training to do their jobs, especially new and infrequent users.

If this sounds familiar, you know that it can create both employee and customer dissatisfaction. But what's the most effective way to address this when you've already made a huge investment in your current ERP system?

A key is to create intuitive, reusable front-end interfaces that map to employee roles for increased user engagement...Continue Reading

Introducing the user experience – How important is the user experience?

Posted by Mark White on January 19, 2012

With the explosion of enterprise technology, mobility products and social media, it feels like just about everybody is utilizing consumer and Internet technologies. But how do you ensure that there is a usable and intuitive front end for the end users? Apple justified not including an instruction manual with the iPad, “You already know how to use it.” In many ways with the advent of these technologies such as the smart phone, this is what the end users have come to expect with their user experience...Continue Reading

Stuff we (well, the Deputy CTO Bill Briggs) Think is interesting: Crowdsourcing

Posted by Bill Briggs on January 17, 2012

Bill Briggs, director and Deputy CTO, has captured the hearts and smartphones of the Deloitte technology practice through his periodic internal publication of “Stuff We Think is Interesting,” a compendium of technology tidbits to guide and inform the Technology practice. We thought we’d share a few of these technology bytes with the rest of the world for your reading pleasure...Continue Reading

Lessons from the CTO frontlines – Technology trends to watch

Posted by Mark White and Bill Briggs on January 12, 2012

As the Chief Technology Officer (CTO), it’s not just my job, but my passion, to be aware of the ever-evolving landscape of technology being put to business use. This aids in the evolution of our annual Tech Trends: to survey - both literally and figuratively - the marketplace in order to determine the trends that are demonstrating significant momentum and potential for impact...Continue Reading

Welcome to the Deloitte On Technology blog

Posted by Mark White on January 10, 2012

Every day, our technology practice leaders help some of the world’s biggest companies solve their most complex business challenges and issues by leveraging technology and industry expertise, helping clients understand the art of the possible while addressing tomorrow’s business needs today. Additionally, for our 26,000 technology practitioners, these same leaders help shape our thoughts and nurture career growth, demonstrating their business leadership and vision by example. We want to share their vision, in their own voice, with everyone – clients and practitioners alike...Continue Reading