Unit 1 overview of IT Industry
Concept Learning
IT Industry Outlook
The term technology commonly refers to society’s application of scientific knowledge to solve
practical problems in industry or commerce. Technological innovation, or the application of
technology, takes many forms and often involves the interplay of expertise across multiple
disciplines and industry verticals. One framework for categorizing technology entails the use of
five distinct groupings, namely, information technology (IT), life sciences, advanced
manufacturing, advanced materials, and energy & environmental sciences.
Each segment of this technology framework has contributed to economic growth and the
well-being of society. The magnitude of advances in medicine, transportation, safety,
manufacturing, agriculture, media and communication are almost difficult to comprehend. Since
the turn of the millennium though, the one segment that arguably has had the greatest impact on
businesses, consumers and other industry sectors is information technology (IT).
Information Technology (IT) can be defined as the utilization of computing via hardware, software,
services and infrastructure to create, store, exchange and leverage information in its various forms
to accomplish any number of objectives. Additionally, the term encompasses the workers that
develop, implement, maintain and utilize information technology directly or indirectly.
At a macro level, the year ahead will once again feature the usual mix of optimism, progress,
uncertainty and regressions. The amazing pace of innovation over the past five years will deliver
new benefits to untapped users around the world, small businesses and other non-early adopter
segments. Businesses and users of all types will continue to seek value from technology in the
form of capabilities, but also in its ability to reduce complexity rather than add to it. In the
backdrop sits the ever-present hand of government policymakers. In an increasingly interconnected world the stakes have never been higher for tech policy.
From a technology standpoint, many of the trends from previous years will enter a new phase of
maturity in 2015. Businesses will begin using cloud and mobile to build advanced systems. The
ability to manage data will become a critical and highly demanded skill. The potential of many
connected devices and sensors will lead to new areas of opportunity. And over it all, security will
have to change as technology evolves to drive new business prospects.
For the IT channel, 2015 stands to be the year to really up its game. Business transformation will
remain the buzz word of the moment as channel firms of all stripes continue to assess the direction
Unit 1 overview of IT Industry
of their companies in the age of cloud computing, mobility, managed services, big data, social
media and other market and technology forces. Navigating new routes to market and evolving
customer buying habits will challenge channel firms to focus just as much on their own branding
and marketing as they will on elevating their tech skills.
Globalization, driven largely by technology, becomes ever more pervasive and influential with
each passing year. The number of people with access to the Internet recently crossed the 3 billion
threshold, representing 42% of the global population, according to Internet World Stats. Less than
two years ago, U.S. websites accounted for 9 of the top 10 slots worldwide. Estimates now suggest
the list includes far more international representation with sites such as Alibaba, Baidu and
Tencent capturing huge market shares. Similarly, U.S. technology companies maintain a hold on
many of the top slots in hardware, software and IT services. Although this too may change as new
generations of global-minded entrepreneurs seek to make their mark.
Since the Great Recession, the “do more with less” mentality has dominated corporate strategy.
This undoubtedly led executives to pursue strategies such as simplification with the end goal of
cost cutting in mind. It should be noted that while simplification often goes hand-in-hand with cost
cutting and the elimination of waste, it is not always the case. Simple, elegant solutions that are
embraced by workers and customers alike typically require much more than trimming fat at the
margins. Another factor driving the renewed push to simplify stems from innovations, such as
cloud computing, mobility, business process automation (BPA), managed services, big data and
other developments that have given businesses unprecedented access to tools to support
simplification efforts. For IT companies, opportunities lie not only with implementation, but also
with providing a true consultative experience to their customers. Simplification may take the form
of helping CIOs shift from maintenance mode to innovation mode, helping to balance the security
needs of the organization and the needs of workers or helping customers navigate the sometimes
overwhelming number of technology options.
===================================
Unit1 Overview of IT Industry
Unit 1 Overview of IT Industry
Concept-learning
Technical terms
| English technical terms Chinese equivalents |
| information technology (IT) 信息技术 |
| life sciences 生命科学 |
| advancedmanufacturing 先进制造 |
| advanced materials 先进材料 |
| energy & environmental sciences. 能源与环境科学 |
| cloud computing 云计算 |
| managed services 托管 |
| big data 大数据 |
| social media 社交媒体 |
| business process automation 业务流程自动化 |
文章参考译文
Part One Concept Learning
IT 行业展望
“技术”这一术语一般是指为了解决工业或商业中的实际问题对科学知识
的应用。技术创新或技术的应用呈现出不同的形式，经常包含了跨越多学科
和行业的专业知识的相互作用。有一种框架将技术分为具有各自特点的五类：
信息技术、生命科学、高级制造、高级材料、以及能源与环境科学。
Unit1 Overview of IT Industry
这一技术框架中的每一个部分都为经济发展和社会福利做出各自的贡献。
医药、交通、安全、制造、农业以及媒体与通讯方面的极大进步已超越人类
的理解。而从千禧之交以来，其中的一个方面，尽管仍存在争议，但对商业、
消费者以及其他产业带来最大的冲击，这就是信息技术（IT）。
信息技术的定义是： 通过硬件、软件、服务以及基础设施实现的计算的
应用来产生、存储、交换和平衡不同形式的信息以实现各种目的。同时，这
一术语还包含了直接或间接的开发、执行、维护以及应用信息技术的工作者。
从宏观的层面上来看，未来的一年仍具有以往的特点：乐观、进步、不
确定性以及回归的交错。过去五年里技术革新的惊人速度将会为全球的潜在
使用者、小公司以及其他非早期技术使用者带来新的利益。各类公司和个人
使用者会继续从技术中寻求功能方面的价值以及降低复杂性的能力方面的价
值。背后，*决策者的手仍在发挥作用。在世界不断交织的环境下，技术
政策的风险从未如此之高。
从技术的角度来看，之前数年的发展趋势将会在 2015 年进入一个新的成
熟期。企业将开始使用云技术与移动技术来建立高级系统。数据管理能力将
成为一种决定性的高需求的技能。许多互联的装置和传感器的潜力会开拓新
的机遇。同时，随着技术的进步而产生的新的业务要求安全性必须进行改变。
对 IT 销售渠道来说， 2015 年注定是不平凡的一年。企业转型仍然是这一
时期的中心。各类 IT 销售企业将在云计算、移动技术、大数据、社交媒体以
及其他市场和技术力量共同作用的时代继续评估企业的发展方向。 建立新的
销售渠道，改善顾客购买习惯是销售企业要面对的挑战，他们不仅要关注技
术的提升，还要同样关注自身的品牌和营销策略。
全球化很大程度上受技术的驱使，其普遍性和影响力随着时间在增长。
互联网应用统计网站的数据显示，使用互联网的人口数量最近已经突破 30 亿
大关，占世界人口的 42%。不到两年之前，美国网站在全球 10 大网站中占了
9 个席位。估计数据显示这一名单包括了国际性的网站，如阿里巴巴、百度以
及腾讯。他们拥有巨大的市场份额。同时，美国的科技公司掌控了许多排在
前列的硬件、软件以及信息技术服务公司。当然，新生代具有全球视野的企
业家在寻求成功的时候，这一切都可能发生变化。
Unit1 Overview of IT Industry
从经济大萧条开始， “少花钱多办事”的思维方式就已经支配着企业策略。
这无疑会是管理者寻求诸如简化流程等策略，已达到削减成本的最终目的。
值得注意的是，简化流程虽然能够降低成本，消除浪费，但并非时时如此。
既受工人欢迎又受让顾客满意的简洁的解决问题方案一般来说需要的不仅仅
是降低利润。另一个推动简化的因素来自于革新，如云计算、移动技术、业
务流程自动化、大数据以及其他发展等，为企业提供了前所未有的简化支持
手段。对于信息技术企业来说，机遇不仅仅在于技术的应用，还来自于为顾
客提供真实的咨询经验。简化的形式可以使帮助首席信息官从维护模式转向
革新模式，帮助平衡企业安全需求和工人需求之间的关系，在数量多的让人
崩溃技术选择面前，帮助顾客选择。