Digital technologies, and the software running on them, have done more than just make it easy for consumers to connect with each other and entertain themselves. Digital technologies have changed both business and society. Look around you now, and increasingly, people — your customers and employees — are perpetually connected to the Internet, able to connect, share, and transact with the firms they choose to do business with. Look even closer and you’ll see digital capability thrusted into emerging products and services across industries: from automotive (GM partnering with AT&T) to sportswear (Nike Fuelband) and from agriculture (Monsanto acquires software firm) to grocery (Tesco launches virtual grocery store).

Business leaders, across geographic regions and industry, recognize this change in society, fret about the impact to their business, and have changed their priorities. Take a look through the results of our Forrsights Business Decision-Makers Survey, Q4 2012 and you’ll see customer acquisition and retention, growth, and addressing customer experience challenges at the top of their critical priority list. Improving margins now take priority over simply reducing operating costs, and most believe technology needs to embody their future business outcomes. Their expectations of you have never been greater, so too is their concern that you might be the inhibitor to success. 

Our spring Business Technology Forums — May 6 and 7 in Washington, DC and June 10 and 11 in London — will bring our latest research and thought leadership together with first-hand knowledge from industry leaders on what it takes to master, architect, and deliver your firm’s future digital technology-fueled business outcomes. As the host and champion of these events, I have insight into all the content being developed from our analysts and industry speakers. Prepare to be inspired!

Join us and you’ll learn:  

1. Which technology competencies are now core to business success. I’ve seen numerous capability competency models from organizations over the past few years. When they’re done well, they start from the outside — centered on your customers’ impact on your business strategy — and work their way into IT. Developing the outcome-based organization your business leaders expect will force you to revisit the services you provide and the competencies needed to deliver and sustain them. Do you know what business services are truly commodity, and what's core to your digital-fueled future?
    
2. Why agility matters in design and architecture. The rate and pace of change in many business areas — especially those facing and supporting your customers — far exceed historical efforts to standardize on common architectures and technologies. That pace of change has prompted many of your peers to establish separate architectures, processes, and organizations, while relaunching SOA efforts, to focus on the digital challenges they face. Do you have the right frameworks and architectural models to design and deliver engagement and support the tenfold increase in connected people, products, and services that your leaders expect? 
    
3. Where to blow up your vendor ecosystem. If you aren’t concerned with many of the large established vendors that you’re dependent on, and their ability to help you deliver the business outcomes your business leaders expect, you should be. Many systems integration vendors don’t have the local talent and skills you need — like the multiskilled development staff that can roll out engaging solutions on top of open Web platforms. Your preferred software vendors (much like you) have massive legacy to deal with, complex integration challenges from acquisitions, and life cycles that just aren’t in line with today’s more demanding expectations. Can you afford to wait for today’s ecosystem to deliver what your business leaders need?

Join us this spring and our collection of analysts and industry speakers will help you master, architect, source, secure, and deliver tomorrow’s digital fueled business outcomes. I look forward to welcoming you in Washington, DC and London.