2015's 10 top strategic technology trends.

• Position: TECHNOLOGY

Technology research firm Gartner has identified the top 10 strategic technology trends for 2015 and beyond. Each of these factors will likely be very disruptive to the business, end users, or IT; require a major investment; or pose a risk if adopted late--affecting organizations' long-term plans, programs, and initiatives.

The trends cover three themes: "the merging of the real and virtual worlds, the advent of intelligence everywhere, and the technology impact of the digital business shift," explained David Cearley, Gartner vice president.

The top 10 trends are as follows:

1. Computing Everywhere The focus will shift to mobile users as opposed to mobile devices only.

2. Internet of Things (IoT)--The combination of data streams and services created by digitizing everything creates four basic usage models--Manage, Monetize, Operate, and Extend--organizations can leverage.

3. 3D Printing--Worldwide shipments of 3D printers are expected to grow 98% in 2015 and double in 2016.

4. Advanced, Pervasive, and Invisible Analytics--Organizations will need to focus on analytics as the volume of data coming from the IoT, social media, and wearable devices explodes in order to deliver exactly the right information to the right person at the right time.

5. Context-Rich Systems--"By understanding the context of a user request, applications can not only adjust their security response but also adjust how information is delivered to the user ..."

6. Smart Machines--The...