Tech execs’ boldest predictions for 2017 and beyond

By:  Tracy Mayor

Here we go!

What’s coming down the pike for information technology in 2017 and beyond?

As part of our Tech Forecast 2017 survey of 196 senior technology professionals, we asked respondents to name their “boldest, most out-on-a-limb prediction for IT in the next five years.”

Read on for a selection of their responses (hint: bots, self-driving cars and 25-petabyte SSDs are all in the mix).

Self-driving cars

Further reading:

GM to be the first to deploy self-driving cars on Michigan roads

Alphabet’s self-driving car may keep the steering wheel after all

Intel to invest $250M in self-driving cars

3D printing

Further reading:

3D printer owners rate the best 14 machines

Harvard’s 3D-printed heart on a chip could lead to personalized medicine breakthroughs

Researchers demo 3D-printed, shape-shifting objects

Desktop of the future

Further reading:

Why would anyone invest in a VDI startup? Maybe because enterprise IT is so bad

Citrix wins VDI shootout

Ubuntu Mate, Windows 10 and macOS Sierra: A marriage of 3 OSs

SSDs go big

Further reading:

SSD adoption in laptops exceeds expectations

Mingis on Tech: From superfast SSDs to Bluetooth locks and solar shingles

Samsung’s massive 15TB SSD can be yours — for about $10K

IoT ascendant

Further reading:

Is your IT staff ready for IoT?

DDoS attack shows dangers of IoT ‘running rampant’

Internet of things: Early adopters share 4 key takeaways

Help desk 2.0

Further reading:

Is your service center too dependent on technology?

University of California hires India-based IT outsourcer, lays off tech workers

IT service desk suites: The features users love and hate

IT gets strategic . . . at last