If IT Had a Tableau in the Republic Day Parade…

Sixty-four years back, IT in India was an acronym that meant nothing (well, maybe Income Tax, if you insist). But today, no other abbreviation is more complete than IT.   

As India celebrates its Republic Day on 26th January, it would be interesting to see what its tableau would look like. Here are four technologies and trends that we think it would showcase:

The Power of Mobility:  Leading the tableau, mobility shines bright. It’s probably the biggest invention of our times and that wouldn’t be an exaggeration. Consider this: The mobile phone decided if Arvind Kejriwal should form the government in Delhi. It has given a new meaning to democracy. And it doesn’t get bigger than that!   The Reach of Social Media: Want to start a revolution? Want to start a business? Want to make news? Or Want to kill someone? Tweet. It’s as simple as that. Second on the tableau, and the most colourful one, social media deserves to be showcased. It brought people to the streets for the first time in decades, protesting, seeking justice, wanting change. It bridged the gap between businesses and customers and opened a new revenue stream.   The Potential of BYOD: The best example of giving power back to the people–like the Aam Aadmi Party and its BYOG: Bring Your Own Government policy–BYOD has changed enterprise IT and organizational culture as we know it. It has given organizations a peep into what the future could be: Bring Your Own Technology or BYOT. The possibilities are endless.

The Menace of Shadow IT: Saying ‘no’ is no longer an option. And CIOs have learnt that the hard way. Say no to a new app and employees will find a way to create one, say no to a collaboration tool and marketing will go behind your back to get one. There is no bigger nuisance than shadow IT.  It’s the IT world’s answer to terrorism!