Verizon sees increased interest in m2m2p communications, hybrid cloud, security compliance and more

Increased interest in compliance and machine-to-machine-to-people (m2m2p) communications are among the 10 top business technology trends noted by Verizon on a list issued today. Verizon based the report on interactions with customers but also “put our own take on this because of where we sit,” a company spokeswoman said.

Among the top 10 trends, Verizon also noted some new developments within key technology areas, including social networking, the cloud, and others.

Compliance and m2m2p
In an interview with Connected Planet, Verizon Director of Global Solutions and Professional Services Marketing Roberta Mackintosh said Verizon’s data breach report, launched late last year (CP: Verizon launches anonymous data breach reporting site), has found a strong link between data breaches and non-compliance with security standards. Not surprisingly, Verizon sees companies becoming increasingly interested in complying with security standards specific to their industry—for example, HIPPA standards for the health care industry and PCI DSS credit card standards for the retail industry.

Mackintosh pointed to the example of a vending machine selling specialty items, such as electronic goods, as an example of m2m2p communications. While a traditional m2m app would enable the machine to automatically alert someone to fill it when it runs low on an item, businesses now are interested in tapping those communications to, for example, determine which items are selling the best or to support an app that would advise consumers of the closest vending machine location.

Although m2m2p applications such as these traditionally would have required substantial custom software development, Mackintosh said, “What we’re starting to see is some apps out there in the marketplace.” She said, “The pool is growing of available apps that can be leveraged by the development team so that we can take something close and modify it.” Mackintosh predicted that in 2012 and 2013, the cost of m2m2p apps will come down as apps become more “repeatable.”

Hybrid cloud and social networking
It’s no surprise to find topics such as cloud computing and social networking on Verizon’s list of the top business technology trends—but the carrier added a new spin on both of those topics.

On the cloud side, Verizon sees increased interest in a hybrid approach that enables businesses to move workloads back and forth between the corporate data center and the public cloud—a capability Mackintosh said could be critical, for example, to support web marketing campaigns that are more popular than expected.

Verizon hasn’t completed solved how to support hybrid cloud applications, said Mackintosh. “That’s why we’re making key acquisitions—so we will have the intellectual property to focus on this space,” she said, citing Terremark (CP: Verizon to keep Terremark name for data center business) and CloudSwitch (CP: Verizon’s CloudSwitch purchase targets the hybrid cloud) as examples of those key acquisitions.

Businesses originally focused on social networking as a marketing tool, but increasingly Verizon sees businesses expanding how they use those tools to include better intra-company communications and to better understand what the outside world is saying about them. “We’re seeing a lot of customers taking advantage of applications that let them find out what’s being said about them and integrating them into their contact centers,” said Mackintosh. Armed with that information, companies can take steps to leverage positive buzz or squash negative commentary “before it becomes viral,” Mackintosh said.

Video, personalization, energy conservation also make the list
Other business technology trends on Verizon’s Top 10 list include:
-- The “High-IQ Network Effect” will drive increased interest in service level agreements because today’s intelligent networks are carrying more mission-critical data.
-- Chief Information Officers will increasingly be called upon to support strategic initiatives based on applying predictive analytics to enterprise databases.
-- Video is fast becoming the “pervasive and preferred communication vehicle for many enterprise activities” such as team meetings and on-demand information about key projects.
-- Service personalization—such as local phone numbers that reach distant call centers--will become increasingly important.
-- Enterprise apps increasingly will mimic developments in the consumer arena—for example Verizon predicts that enterprise apps will become more widely available via enterprise app storefronts.
-- Public-private partnerships--such as those involving manufacturers, service providers and utility companies—will play a growing role in helping companies conserve energy.