John Brand

Forrester's global analysts have written some great pieces on gamification. In general terms, this research is is just as applicable to the SE Asian markets. However, there are some specific differences within the region that should also be considered. The most important thing to remember is that, while the general principles of gamification definitely hold […]

A number of my colleagues and I attended the recent global SAS analyst event to understand the future of SAS’s business and technology strategy. It was clear to me from this event that SAS is attempting to bridge the increasing divide between “traditional” analytics and the big data and cloud-based analytics worlds. Here’s a few […]

I recently took some holiday leave and saw two small, but clear examples of where mobility changes the economics of IT. The first was in a restaurant where the wait staff used their own smartphones and a simple order taking app. There was no expensive mobile platform for the restaurant to purchase in order to […]

Over the past 12 months, I’ve taken a number of client inquiries on globalization and multilingual strategies. But in all cases, it turned out that the challenge wasn’t really providing multilingual support. Instead, organizations are struggling to meet demand among customers, suppliers, partners, regulators and others for direct access to core enterprise systems from multiple […]

IBM has just announced that one of Australia’s “big four” banks, the ANZ, will adopt the IBM Watson technology in their wealth management division for customer service and engagement. Australia has always been an early adopter of new technologies but I’d also like to think that we’re a little smarter and savvier than your average […]

A number of Forrester analysts from the Asia Pacific region attended the recent SAP analyst event in Singapore. Meetings with SAP global and regional executives and a large number of detailed breakout sessions over the 1½-day event all clearly indicate that SAP is continuing to try and reposition itself as a true generalized application platform […]

In a previous post I highlighted that disruptive technologies don't even need to be implemented to be disruptive. The mere fact that vendors and other organisations are either creating or being swept up in the hype can be a major disruption to any organisation.  In our soon to be released research on Asia Pacific Trends […]

I've been spending the last few months doing research and a number of speaking engagements and webinars on the evolution of Big Data in Asia Pacific. What has become clear is that APAC organisations are struggling with the disruptive forces of big data – whether they have actually implemented it or not. Disruptive technologies are […]

In a recent media interview I was asked about whether the requirements for data visualization had changed. The questions were focused around whether users are still satisfied with dashboards, graphs and charts or do they have new needs, demands and expectations. Arguably, Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics were probably the first real "commercial" examples of data visualization […]

Australian Banks have often been at the forefront of global banking trends, or at the very least, fast followers that learn quickly from the mistakes of others. In Australia, mobile banking has quickly become a "war" amongst the majors with a range of different banking services and approaches – from basic access to transactional histories, […]

Technologists love definitions. In fact, technologists particularly like arguing about definitions. The term "BT" for example, is constantly under debate. Is it IT or BT? What is BT anyway? How is it different? This line of questioning really doesn't help deliver business results. I often equate it to trying to define "happy." A poor business […]

Reporting Manager. Computer Systems Manager. MIS Director. IT Manager. Chief Technology Officer. Director Of IT. Chief Information Officer.  It's not just a change of job title. It's the recognition of the change of an era. While the current term "CIO" engenders a spirit of managing information assets (not technology) the reality for many is that […]