“The transformations brought about by the 3rd platform are having significant effects on how the business uses IT, how IT is delivered, and how the IT organization is structured. Insightful CIOs will seize the opportunity to be key players in this transformation and elevate their role in the enterprise” said Michael Rosen, adjunct research advisor with IDC’s Research Network.The IDC FutureScape report that this web conference is based is available. To learn more about IDC Predictions and IDC FutureScapes, visit the IDC website.Louis Columbus, writing at Forbes.com, provides coverage of the webinar held on Oct. 29 to discuss the findings. He says, “IDC sees the shift to a service paradigm in IT accelerating, along with a greater reliance on partners, clouds and global sourcing through 2017. Based on how often analytics was mentioned in the webinar, it’s clear IDC is getting a large number of client queries in this topic area. Demand for analytics continues to skyrocket according to Joseph Pucciarelli, Group Vice President of IT Executive Programs Research.”He adds, “IDC also is predicting that by 2017, each person will have 24 digital IDs and five or more Internet-connected devices. The research team emphasized that these devices will require more extensive platforms than exist today for supporting the wide array of services these devices will deliver. The proliferation of devices will lead to IT departments embracing a more flexible cost model that has the potential to reduce fixed costs and permit multiple sourcing arbitrage.”IDC says its FutureScapes are used to shape IT strategy and planning for the enterprise by providing a basic framework for evaluating IT initiatives in terms of their value to business strategy now and in the foreseeable future. IDC’s FutureScapes are comprised of a set of decision imperatives designed to identify a range of pending issues that CIOs and senior technology professionals will confront within the typical 3-year-business planning cycle.IDC is a global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. More than 1,100 IDC analysts provide global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries.