Each of the past few years, GXS has published a list of predictions for the coming year. With the start of a new decade, we have taken a different approach this year. Instead of issuing predictions about just 2010, I asked a group of eight GXS Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to offer their opinions about how changing market conditions and new technologies will impact B2B e-Commerce over the next 10 years. We developed 10 different predictions on a wide range of topics including cloud computing, SaaS, mobility, SOA, agile development, open source, social media, sustainability, emerging markets and demand driven supply chains.
Here is a list of the Top 10 technology and business changes that our SMEs wrote about:
- Cloud Computing – Rowland Archer, Chief Technology Officer, demystifies cloud by explaining the three different computing layers – infrastructure, platform and application. Rowland offers insights as to how cloud will introduce new levels of operational efficiency in the supply chain and B2B integration. Read Rowland’s article or watch a video interview with Rowland and John Radko to learn more.
- SaaS – Andrea Brody, VP of Product Management, explains how SaaS applications will create exponential improvements in supply chain visibility through a new predictive insights capability. By analyzing the demand and supply signals exchanged between companies, SaaS applications will offer unparalleled insights into value chain activities. Read Andrea’s article or watch her video to learn more.
- Mobility – Mark Morley, Director of Industry Marketing, envisions the creation of a “Corporate App Store” for users of mobile devices such as iPhones and Blackberries. Mark explains how the introduction of new, high-speed 4G mobile networks will combine with widespread adoption of smart phones to create this new category of mobile applications. Read Mark’s article or listen to a podcast interview to learn more.
- Services Oriented Architecture – Brian Greenberg, Product Manager for B2B Software, explains how the features of B2B integration gateways will evolve rapidly as a result of new SOA platform architectures. Brian offers examples of rich new features corporations can expect in the coming years such as pre-processing business logic and real-time, business process analytics. Read Brian’s article or watch his video interview to learn more.
- Agile Development – Justin Duewel-Zahniser, Product Manager for Trading Grid Online, outlines how agile development platforms such as 37Signals’ Ruby on Rails and the Django project will accelerate innovation in the B2B integration sector. Justin also explains how cloud computing and offshore development will combine to disrupt traditional software development models. Read Justin’s article to learn more.
- Open Source – I wrote a prediction about how Open Source could become a compelling alternative to the traditional exchange models used for supply chain integration. I have listed a few examples of how manufacturers and retailers can learn from the communities of open source users in other sectors such as higher education and local government. Read my article or recent blog posts to learn more.
- Social Media – Allison Tobin, Director of Corporate Communications and Social Media Strategies, explains how corporations should start to “friend” their trading partners in the supply chain. Allison offers examples of how the new generation of digital natives will be employing tools such as microblogging, crowdsourcing and social networking to perform business functions ranging from marketing and product development to on-boarding and supplier relationship management. Read Allison’s article or listen to a podcast interview to learn more.
- Sustainability – Jamie OHalloran, Director of Corporate Sustainability, discusses how the price of carbon will force corporations to rethink supply chain strategies. Jamie foresees the introduction of slow-moving ocean freight options as well as nuclear or wind powered commercial vessels. Read Jamie’s article to or listen to a podcast interview to learn more.
- Emerging Markets – Mark Morley, Director of Industry Marketing, offers insights as to how the use of B2B e-Commerce technologies will evolve in emerging markets. Mark explains the key catalysts which will drive adoption of B2B in the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) countries and other rapidly developing markets in the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia. Read Mark’s article or listen to the podcast interview to learn more.
- Demand Driven Supply Chains – I also wrote about how the widespread adoption of web 2.0 technologies will enable consumer products companies to look forward, not backwards, for demand planning. There are several examples of how wish lists, search analytics and product pre-order options from Amazon.com and Google can be leveraged for insights into future buying behaviors. Read my white paper in PDF format or recent blog posts to learn more.
