According to Gartner's December 2012 report
on cloud computing, an uptake in cloud computing adoption among businesses
will influence security vendors in 2013. Gartner says that by 2015, 10% of
enterprise security functions will reach organizations through the cloud,
because security vendors will modify their offerings to match increased
expectations for cloud-based solutions. And as more corporate networks are
virtualized, there will be a similar transition, Gartner says, to vendors
offering VPN and firewall functions in the form of virtual switches as opposed
to physical appliances.
Gartner
says that by 2015, 10% of enterprise security functions will reach
organizations through the cloud
Growth expected in
location-based services
Based on recent industry figures and
trends, ABI Research foresees significant growth in the LBS (location based
services) market in the coming five years. ABI says growth will occur mainly in
North America and Europe as a continuation of strong interest in LBS, which
links mobile users to information and advertising based on their current device
location. Growth is also expected in Brazil, China, India, and Russia, where
ABI has noted the increasing presence of LBS startups. "There is heavy
investment, strong local and international competition, and most importantly,
an appetite for these applications," says Patrick Connolly, ABI Research
senior analyst. The research firm expects LBS revenues will exceed $6 billion
by 2017.
Semiconductor revenues
declined in 03 2012
Citing economic concerns as a cause and
sagging PC sales as a side effect, research firm Gartner's report on the
semiconductor market indicated a 3% year-to-year decline in Q3 2012. Revenues
reached $307 billion in Q3 2011 and $298 billion in Q3 2012. Steve Ohr, a
Gartner research director, says, "Uncertainty about the state of the
macro-economy, coupled with ongoing inventory overhang, sent ripples through
the semiconductor industry." Gartner had expected semiconductor revenues
would rise a little in 2H 2012, "paving the way for a recovery phase in
2013," but this increase did not materialize.
Security budgets will be strong in 2013
2012 was a good year for enterprise
security, with about 45% of companies increasing their security budgets
compared to 2011, according to a recent study by TheInfoPro. And 2013 could be
just as good, with 47% of respondents saying they expect their security budgets
to increase and just 8% expecting a decrease. Top security related projects
include mobile device management, data leak prevention, and application aware
firewalls, according to TheInfoPro. The study is based on interviews with 200
security professionals at midsized and larger organizations in North America
and Europe.
“Soft” server market means revenues
decline
After a strong server refresh cycle in 2010
and most of 2011, year over year revenue from sales of servers was down 4%
worldwide during the third quarter. This marks the fourth consecutive quarter
of revenue declines. IDC group vice president Matt Eastwood cites a number of
issues for the continued decline, including technology transitions and poor
macro-economic conditions in many areas of the world. Eastwood notes that every
geographic region except the Asia-Pacific had a decline in revenue from server
sales. Server unit shipments were up slightly during the third quarter; server
shipments have been up 11 of the past 12 quarters. Microsoft Windows servers
represent 51.1% of the market, Linux takes 21.5%, and Unix accounts for 17.3%.
Number, cost of Cyber
Attacks show sharp increase
The number of Cyber Attacks has more than
doubled in the past three years, and the financial impact of those attacks has
gone up by about 40%. Those were among the figures released in the third annual
"Cost Of Cyber Crime Study" conducted by Ponemon Institute. This
year, the average cost of cybercrime was $8.9 million up 6% from last year and
38% from 2010. On average, enterprises face about 102 successful Cyber Attacks
each week, up from 72 attacks per week in 2011 and 50 attacks per week in 2010.
Malicious code, denial of service, stolen or hijacked devices, and insider
attacks are the most costly cybercrimes, according to the study.
Cloud services to become “everyday”
sourcing option
When it comes to cloud services, there's a
changing mindset among CIOs and line of business managers, IDC reports. Changes
in cloud services and better user understanding of the benefits mean hosted
private cloud will become the enterprise preference for cloud deployments by
2015, says Chris Morris, a lead analyst for IDC. Cost and security are two
major factors contributing to the shift. By 2015, IDC reports, cloud will be
just another common delivery model within new commercial terms for supply of
business and IT services, forming the basis of what IDC has coined the
"Outsourcing 3.0" period.
One quarter of American adults own
tablet computers
New research from Pew Research Center's
Internet & American Life Project shows that fully one quarter of adults in
the U.S. own a tablet computer. The survey found minimal differences in
ownership based on gender and race, but significant differences when it came to
age, household income, and education level, as this chart shows.
Tablet Ownership by Age
·
18 to 29: 25%
·
30 to 49: 31%
·
50 to 64: 27%
·
65-plus: 13%
Tablet Ownership by Annual Household
Income
·
Less than $30,000: 10%
·
$30,000 - $49,999: 27%
·
$50,000 - $74,999: 32%
·
%75,000 – plus: 47%
Tablet Ownership by Education Level
·
No high school diploma: 7%
·
High school graduate: 18%
·
Some college: 27%
·
College graduate: 41%
Business move toward mobility not likely
to slow
Anticipating that 40% of the workforce will
be mobile in 2016, research firm Gartner asserted in a recent press release
that the "consumerization trend has hit IT as an unstoppable force, as 821
million smart devices (smartphones and tablets) will be purchased worldwide in
2012 and pass the billion mark in 2013." Businesses, which in the past
have been relatively cautious on the whole when contemplating new technologies,
have begun to more quickly adopt mobile devices and technologies over the past
couple of years. Gartner cites the iPhone as an example of this, stating that
just one year ago businesses largely resisted Apple devices but are now
accepting them. According to Gartner, business uptake of Android smartphones
will increase from 34% in 2012 to 56% in 2016, and by 2016 Windows 8 will take
third place in business-market tablet sales to Apple and Android.
Leap motion raises $30m, announces Asus
deal
San Francisco-based Leap Motion announced
it has raised $30 million in Series 6 funding, all from existing investors.
Leap Motion is a leading developer of gesture recognition technology, which
lets users interact with devices solely through movement. Some analysts have
heralded gesture control as the next major advance in user-device interaction
technology. A61 Research, for example, forecast in July 2012 that 600 million
smartphones will include vision based gesture recognition technology in 2017.
In addition to the new funding, Leap Motion also announced an OEM partnership
deal with computer manufacturer Asus, which will include Leap Motion's technology
in upcoming devices.
Leap
Motion brings gesture-based control to computers, including future Asus devices
Microsoft acquires startup R2 studios
Redmond, Wash.,-based Microsoft is further
advancing its home entertainment and automation efforts with the acquisition of
the Silicon Valley-based id8 Group R2 Studios, which Apple and Google had
reportedly been interested in acquiring, as well. Microsoft has not discussed
financial specifics or future plans related to the deal, but the buyout is
likely to bolster Microsoft's Xbox business. R2 Studios is best known for its
app that transforms Android mobile devices into touchscreen controllers for A/V
systems, thermostats, and other electronics. The company has reportedly been
working on streaming media applications.
Online collaboration company Vobi raises
$1.5m
Vobi, an Austin, Texas,-based developer of
Web-based collaboration services, has raised $1.5 million in Series A funding
from Trailblazer Capital. Vobi's cloud service enables customers to
collaborate on projects and specific files based on their cell phone numbers.
Customers use their own devices for Vobi workspaces, with project files kept
in sync so that all team members are always on the same page.
Jumpstart Vegas to
promote tech startups
The 6,000 member Las Vegas Metro Chamber of
Commerce (which recently added "Metro" to its name) launched the new
JumpStart Vegas initiative to help tech startups in the area thrive. Vegas Inc.
reported that James A. "Jay" Barrett, Jr., the chamber's newly
appointed chairman, says the growing Las Vegas tech startup community is
"not a fad" and hopes the JumpStart Vegas initiative will ensure that
startups find a permanent home and support system in the area. The initiative
is designed to work as a networking and mentoring system that will connect
entrepreneurs with chamber members, lawyers, and accountants.
SDN startups to watch
A recent report from IDC focuses on SDN
(software-defined networking), which the research firm calls "a rapidly
emerging set of scalable, flexible technologies that have networking vendors,
cloud service providers, enterprise IT, and industry pundits all sitting up and
taking notice." Essentially, SDN provides network administrators greater
hands-on control over network features and traffic. "Providing better
alignment with the underlying applications, this programmability allows for
greater levels of flexibility, innovation, and control in the network,"
says Rohit Mehra, VP of network infrastructure at IDC. In its report, IDC
identified five SDN-related startups to watch: Big Switch Networks (promoter
of an Open SDN platform), Embrane (distributed software platform provider),
Midokura (network virtualization developer), Plexxi (affinity-driven networking
solution provider), and Vello Systems (proprietary OS Data Center Gateway
provider).
