Transformation of Corporate Software for a Connected World Date:   Tuesday , October 30, 2012 Headquartered in Palo Alto, Symphony Teleca Corporation delivers products combined with contemporary product development, systems integration, analytics and managed services to several organizations globally. With 35 offices worldwide, the company employs over 6,100 employees. The $120 billion a year global enterprise software industry is in a period of rapid transition, with more and more companies and industries being run on software and delivered as an online service to a widening range of connected devices. Advances in processing, mobile devices, wireless networking, the Internet and other technologies have fundamentally eliminated the defenses of established industries, and software companies face unprecedented opportunities in the years ahead. But to thrive, independent software vendors (ISVs) must fundamentally transform their traditional design, development and commercialization strategies and processes to be successful in today’s highly connected world. There are many dimensions to this required transformation, however six are clearly the most common today. Incorporating New User Interface Design and Technology: The staggering growth of Smartphones, tablets and other connected devices create a range of new usability challenges for a consistent, cross-platform experience while providing complete enterprise application functionality to the end user across devices. Differences in screen size, processing, power, wireless performance, gesture and new user interfaces (UIs) such as advanced haptics and more create a clear competitive need to leverage the latest in UI design and usability best practices. This area is sure to get more interesting as companies like Apple have filed patents that would allow a device’s display to physically change shapes. This could provide a consumer with a raised button for example or a 3D map that pops right out of the screen. Delivering Software to All Kinds of Devices – including Autos and Employees’ Personal Devices (BYOD): According to NPD In-Stat, the connected device base will increase from 256 million devices (2011) to at least 1.34 billion by 2016. That is a 56 percent combined annual growth rate. Connected devices include tablets and Smartphones as well as connected television and satellite sets, video game consoles and Blu-ray players/recorders. Two of the hottest areas of the mobile ecosystem today are the Automotive sector, where in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) has become of the primary areas of competitive differentiation among auto manufacturers, and the bring-your-own-device phenomenon in the enterprise. Creating complete functionality in a mobile environment along with optimizing application performance over various wireless networks - including cross- platform delivery to mobile devices - can be daunting. Testing alone all the various combinations of devices, operating systems and wireless networks however is a must for transforming software for the connected world. Addressing Client Demand for Software “as a Service”: Shifting from traditional software and delivery models to software as a service (SaaS) is fundamentally changing the economics of software. It also can open new markets, significantly reducing capital and operational costs, and enabling ISVs to dramatically improve their overall business model. Gartner predicts SaaS revenue will reach $14.5 billion this year, a 17.9 percent increase from 2011 of $12.3 billion, with strong growth predicted through 2015 when the market is expected to be $22.1 billion. Also, according to Gartner, “An increasing number of organizations are demanding software functionality as a service (infrastructure as a service [IaaS], platform as a service [PaaS] and SaaS) or via cloud-based services rather than on-premises. As a result, vendors are offering more technology as subscription-based solutions and "pay as you go" offerings, positioning them as more cost-effective and as a way to counter the effects of economic belt tightening”. Evolving to this model is highly complex and a multi-stage process with a significant number of technology decisions to make, but clearly a must do to remain relevant in the modern world of software. Capitalizing on the power of real-time analytics: One of the most powerful competitive weapons in the software industry today is analytics. For many organizations, piling terabytes of structured and unstructured data that changes at rapid velocity needs to be managed and analyzed real-time in a secure environment. According to market research firm IDC, the business analytics software market grew by 14.1 percent in 2011 and will continue to grow at a 9.8 percent annual rate, to reach $50.7 billion in 2016, driven by the focus on big data. ISVs must have a clear plan to capture, analyze and create actionable, predictive intelligence in real time. This area continues to evolve very quickly and is likely to remain a key area of software transformation for years to come. Monetizing new market opportunities: Software transformation has the potential to open new markets and new sources of significant revenue for ISVs. Simply mobilizing software can help ISVs take their solutions in new markets or geographies. Gartner states “SaaS and cloud-based services help vendors to expand revenue growth by making it easier for end users to test and evaluate new types of software, provision new users to current technologies, and migrate users off older versions to newer versions of software.” In some industries, client analytics can also be significantly monetized. A goal of any transformation plan should be top and bottom line growth and mining new markets is the shortest path to success. Refreshing core software development practices: Modernizing traditional software development practices such as agile multi-site development processes, quality, automation and outsourcing of non-core product lines to free-up R&D budgets, resources for transformational initiatives are just the beginning of core practices that may need a refresh. Some of these can also yield the biggest gains in terms of immediate return on investment. According to Voke Research “In the post-global financial crisis environment, software and platforms continue to increase in complexity and demand, and high profile software failures are occurring at an alarming rate. Software failures now equal business failures, and as such, testing has moved from obscurity to prominence. The inextricable link of software and the brand has made business leaders aware of the need for quality software with minimal business risk. The testing of software at every stage of the lifecycle with all aspects of the supply chain is a standard and required practice, and continues to grow in importance.” Summary: The software market is undergoing a dramatic change. New technologies, solutions and business model are not just redefining the ISV landscape, but also provide tremendous opportunities to innovate and create next generation solutions. Symphony Teleca is the leading software development partner in the world today as recognized by Zinnov, Global Services, Gartner and more.