A new analysis of technology trends  from Capita Technology Solutions and Cisco reveals a strong disconnect between nine key trends, including the Internet of Things and big data, and the ability of businesses to implement the technology to realize those trends.

Among the key findings is a disconnect between the apparent relevance of a trend compared with the number of decision makers who say their industry has the skills to implement it.

For example, while 70 per cent of IT decision makers said the Internet of Things (IoT) was relevant to their business, almost three quarters (71 per cent) said they did not have the skills to identify the opportunities for growth offered by IoT, while 80 per cent they did not have the skills to capitalize on the data received from IoT. Just 30 per cent said it was being implemented.

Similarly, nine in 10 businesses said big data was relevant to their business, but it was being implemented in fewer than four in 10 businesses (39 per cent) and 64 per cent did not have the skills to recognize how they could use big data within their business.

The report identified several key barriers to implementation of IoT, the most prevalent being the perceived risk of security breaches, issues surrounding data governance and overcoming problems created by adapting legacy IT systems.

Legacy IT infrastructure was the top barrier to the implementation of big data, along with data governance issues and cost.

Adam Jarvis, managing director, Capita Technology Solutions, said: “It’s clear that there are several important, technology-led trends which have the capacity to transform the way business is done,” said Adam Jarvis, managing director, Capita Technology Solutions.
“While it is encouraging that levels of awareness around the strategic benefits of those trends are high, these results suggest more needs to be done to support businesses and help them close what is a substantial skills gap.

“Without the necessary skills and infrastructure needed to implement trends such as IoT and big data, businesses across the board will suffer long-term competitive disadvantage; it is up to us as an industry to find the best and right ways to deliver that support,” he added.