Enterprise Applications - was the leading technology trend in 2012: In 2012 enterprise applications was the most popular trend in Kenya. Organizations in every industry focused on rapidly extending enterprise application capabilities. Previously, many Kenyan organisations had invested in basic back-office systems to automate their business processes. All this changed in 2012, as organisations ranging from financial institutions, government agencies and small businesses all went looking for new Enterprise applications. The one major difference with the Enterprise applications in 2012 was that most organisations were looking for more functionality, features, security and robustness. This trend was partly driven by the new breed of enterprise applications that have grown substantially, well beyond automating core back-office processes. CIOs were looking for Enterprise applications that supported use of mobile devices, social computing platforms, and analytics tools. A good example is NSSF, who implemented a new ERP system that will enable the fund reduce its member benefits payout turnaround time and streamline its operations countrywide through real time management in its business functions.
Mobility and Social Media: With a cell phone in every pocket, enterprise mobility presented the 2nd most important enterprise ICT trend of 2012 for Kenyan organisations. Kenyan businesses changed in 2012 to meet the needs of the mobile carrying consumer. ICT leaders in local organisations were at the forefront of helping their businesses improve their ability to serve these clients at their convenience. Businesses increasingly used mobile services and social networking solutions (LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter) to reach out to their customers. These solutions present local organisations with a range of interaction capabilities that exceed those provided in traditional messaging environments. Notable amongst this was the use of virtual mobile banking.
CIO East Africa