As an analysis of where we, as an organization, were 20 years ago, the major forces of change were the then developing Internet, communications technology, automation of manual processes and workflows, and exploring the analysis of data (ala Oracle Express/OLAP).

This year, during Willie Hardie’s workshop on Embracing Change within organizations, he cited the major axiom of forces now influencing the future direction of all products and services:

• Cloud, Mobile, Social and Big Data

As these forces drive change in the way we do things and why we do them, pay attention to the technologies that underlie each of these dimensions and make sure you know how they impact you and your organization’s future, and most importantly, why.