Forrester

Why Read This Report

The technology industry has entered a new cycle of tech innovation and growth, which we are calling "Smart Computing." Like prior cycles of mainframe computing, personal computing, and network computing, Smart Computing will power a seven- to eight-year period when business and government investment in technology grows at twice the rate of the overall economy. Smart Computing will be more complex than what came before — blending elements of hardware, software, and network technologies. Similar to earlier cycles, Smart Computing will grow rapidly because it will help business solve problems that it couldn't address before; in this cycle, Smart Computing will help companies optimize process results and the returns from their balance sheets. Unlike the horizontal technologies of personal computing and network computing, Smart Computing will have a highly vertical industry focus. Vertical solutions will differ significantly from vertical offerings in the past — thus the advent of verticals 3.0 as a result. Tech vendors will have great growth opportunities in this new cycle, but also big challenges in navigating the shift to Smart Computing.