Navigating Shortening Obsolescence Cycles: Actions Technology Leaders Should Take Now

This IDC Perspective reveals that a critical success factor for technology leaders is the ability to adapt as technologies, technology providers, and organizational needs change. We have entered an environment of increasing change - driven by AI innovation. One of the consequences of increased technological change is the shortening of obsolescence cycles. As technology lifetimes shrink, there is an increased need to shorten technology planning and modernization timelines while also reviewing and changing business practices and decisions regarding the useful life and payback period of technology investments. Technology leaders, departments, and their broader organizations that perform best in an environment of rapid change are those that make their processes, plans, and architectures more agile and adaptive and that recognize that such capabilities are now the minimum required."The pace of technology change has always defined the technology leader's challenge," says Niel Nickolaisen, adjunct research advisor for IDC's IT Executive Programs (IEP) practice. "What is different currently is that the pace itself is accelerating - and the organizational models, planning horizons, and financial assumptions that served technology leaders well at a slower pace are no longer adequate. The technology leaders who recognize this structural shift and adapt their practices accordingly will increase the likelihood of their and their organization's success."