In 2015, there will be a redefinition of what it means to be a technology company, mobility will become a critical driver of any company’s business success, and real-time analytics will help optimize natural resources exploitation, from agriculture to oil fields. This is all according to Joseph Bradley, Vice President of the Global Internet of Everything (IoE) Practice at Cisco Consulting Services (a part of Cisco Systems, Inc.).

Bradley‘s predictions about emerging technologies are all part of our second annual Technology Predictions series in which industry experts share their predictions with us about the hot tech trends that they think will take center stage in 2015. We’ll be sharing all of their predictions with you over the next several days. Read on for more from Bradley.

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Tectonic shifts in enterprise technology have accelerated the ambitions of nearly all companies to transform into digital companies. There is a need for companies and governments to become digital organizations through the “3 I’s”: creating Innovative capabilities, becoming culturally Inclusive, and deploying Internet of Things (IoT) solutions. As this transformation moves to standard practice, here are my top five technology predictions about trends that will shape and hone the IT landscape in 2015.

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Prediction No. 1: There will be a redefinition of what it means to be a technology company

The boundaries of the technology industry will continue to be challenged and expanded as IT companies partner with, invest in and acquire more non-IT companies. This year, we witnessed the beginnings of this trend with Google, Inc.’s acquisition of Nest Labs, Inc.. 2015 will bring an upswing as nearly any company could be considered a technology company. Innovation in the industrial sectors such as medical, automotive and transportation will lead technology companies to look for non-traditional business partners and inspire us to rethink what it means to be a technology company.

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Prediction No. 2: Millennials will disrupt traditional notions about workforce culture

In 2015, Millennials will disrupt traditional notions about workforce culture, spurring more collaborative and social methods of communication. By 2020, nearly 20 percent of the U.S. workforce will be comprised of Millennials according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. As Millennials enter the workforce in 2015, they will bring new ways to communicate including social media and always-on Web access. This will spur companies to heavily invest in new collaboration tools from videoconferencing, blogs, wikis, activity streams and more. Companies who can successfully embrace Millennials’ work habits will benefit from a more diverse workforce that is able to easily integrate across groups, skills and geographic boundaries.

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Prediction No. 3: Mobility will become a critical driver of any company’s business success

In 2014, more companies realized that mobility is no longer an option or an add-on to their business strategies. The advances in business intelligence (BI) gained from mobile devices and usage upended the way businesses drive success. In 2015, there will be an incredible acceleration of hyper-aware, context-aware and agile enterprise mobile apps. This will result in deeper engagement with customers, streamlined business processes and more. In 2015, the app economy will become more vibrant and continue to expand beyond what we imagine today.

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Prediction No. 4: Big Data must equal real-time business value

Most companies are talking about the digital transformation but very few understand the underlying purpose of embracing technology. Ultimately, technology drives change around the way we work, live, play and learn. With that, there is an increased need for Big Data to become real-time and, in the next year, real-time analytics will level up from the early adopters and small startups.

Big Data is nothing without Big Judgment. This means that for analytics to be useful in an IoE world, it must be delivered to the people who need it in real time. This requires a network that is contextually aware, predictive and secure.

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Prediction No. 5: Real-time analytics will become a critical directive for any company

Combined with fog computing, real-time analytics will help optimize natural resources exploitation, from agriculture to oil fields. Gains in productivity from real-time analytics will help companies face tightening natural resource constraints and population growth. Once companies are able to leverage Big Data in an agile manner, there will be continued shifts and breakthroughs in 2015.

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2015 Technology Predictions graphic courtesy of SiliconANGLE