--- title: "IT Challenges: Tech’s Trend Towards Complexity" id: "14080" type: "post" slug: "it-challenges-techs-trend-towards-complexity" published_at: "2012-10-30T11:58:20+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-15T19:03:05+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2012/10/30/it-challenges-techs-trend-towards-complexity/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2012/10/30/it-challenges-techs-trend-towards-complexity.md" excerpt: "To put it simply, each major change adds IT challenges and infrastructure needs, and the way to prepare is to invest in this area." taxonomy_category: - "Operations" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "complexity" - "IT Infrastructure" - "Technology" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "C-Level" - "Executive Team" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Executive Leadership" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » IT Challenges: Tech’s Trend Towards Complexity There are many truisms when it comes to technology, but here’s one you can take to the bank: The more complex things get, the more resources you need. And things are getting more complex. Last week, Gartner’s David Cappuccio spoke at the company’s IT Expo in Orlando, laying out a series of trends for the tech industry over the next decade. There are 10, many of which go into specifics about key issues. > This is already estimated to be a $3.6 trillion industry in 2012 alone. It has nowhere to go but up. I won’t go over the whole list. Fans of nice round numbers [can see a recap over this way (opens in a new tab)](http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericsavitz/2012/10/22/gartner-10-critical-tech-trends-for-the-next-five-years/) . But there’s one key point on the list that sort of explains the other nine: Demand for IT services and resources is going way up. Things like network bandwidth and storage will leap. We’ll see a rise in network-connected appliances and cloud usage. Mobile device management will continue to become a bigger part of the IT work description. Things that once didn’t need IT oversight could become growth areas. Simply put, information technology infrastructure needs are going to continue to rise. [This is already estimated (opens in a new tab)](http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/09/information-technology-spending-to-hit-3-6-trillion-in-2012-report-says/) to be a $3.6 trillion industry in 2012 alone. It has nowhere to go but up. Associations are going to see social media, e-commerce, and mobile become increasingly important. And there’s going to be a time when your association’s technology endeavors cross wires. If you rely on Apple’s Passbook to sell tickets to your events, for example, you’re already combining elements of social media, e-commerce, and mobile technology. Actually, now that I think about it, let me bring up a second point from Cappuccio’s list: For every 25 percent increase in functionality added to a system, complexity jumps by 100 percent. That’s a huge leap, and if your association is growing, or at least trying to, this is a compelling reason to build a stronger backbone. Are you investing enough here? If not, get to it. [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. 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