In the near future, manufacturing companies will work together in hyper-connected value networks in which data-and-analytics applications drive productivity, new customer experiences, and societal and environmental impact.

“Car drivers can currently make in-vehicle payments by using applications such as Alexa, Xevo Market or the Banma platform to purchase fuel, food, or pay for parking,” said Mike Ramsey, research vice president at Gartner. “The types of services available will continue to increase as automakers, merchant brands and services, and software suppliers’ partnerships proliferate.”

79% of marketers believe the best way to engage B2B buyers is to deliver personally relevant communications. This level of personalization requires more from marketers - more customer insights, content, and resources. However, this is a luxury many B2B marketers can’t afford right now.

Chief marketing officers (CMOs) must focus on building trust as 57% of consumers reported they lacked trust in U.S. brands, according to a recent survey by Gartner, Inc. In the midst of dire loss of trust, marketing leaders hope to differentiate themselves by improving brand trust.

To be more agile and adaptive in the year ahead, marketing leaders must prioritize four core competencies with a renewed focus that accounts for the unprecedented changes of 2020. Customer understanding, adaptive planning, data-driven decision making and strategic cost optimization are the core competencies that will help marketing to survive and thrive in 2021.

COVID-19 has reorganized the risk landscape for chief audit executives (CAEs), as CAEs have listed IT governance as the top risk for 2021, according to Gartner, Inc. Analysts said the pandemic is giving rise to new sets of risks while exacerbating long-standing vulnerabilities.

Automation of routine work with artificial intelligence (AI), digital dexterity, and hybrid work with distributed workforce will be three key trends impacting the future of work that CIOs should focus on, according to Gartner, Inc.

The growth of connected devices, incorporation of network virtualization functions, and shift to a multi-tenant cloud infrastructure are key factors driving the global Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) testing market. Compared to other markets, the impact of COVID-19 on the Gigabit Ethernet testing market was mild due to the shift to working from home.

As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded, CIOs faced epic challenges and the road to recovery stretches ahead. For many business leaders, recovery isn't just a return to their former state, but a top to bottom rethinking of what business they need to be in, and how they must be run.

Sweeping market changes have made it clear that supply chains, long managed to be cost-effective and reliable, must also now be resilient and sustainable. Making this resilience a reality requires executives to have visibility into how materials and goods enter and move through the chain, as well as tracing inputs and outputs all the way to the hands of the customer.

CFOs and senior finance executives are facing a growing list of responsibilities and demands from internal stakeholders as the pandemic has stress-tested the finance labor model in real time. More than 1,000 finance leaders participated in the global survey conducted in July and August 2020.

“Supply chain leaders spend a lot of time working to understand and improve their internal operational metrics, but it’s important to introduce customer experience metrics into the supply chain scorecard,” said Beth Coppinger, senior analyst with Gartner.

Six forces in the IT industry will present a fundamental threat to technology and service providers (TSPs) through 2025. “Forces outside of a TSP’s control demand a response – adapt to thrive or struggle to survive,” said Rajesh Kandaswamy, research vice president at Gartner.

IT spending is forecast to contract across all categories and regions in 2020. While businesses in most industries have begun to reopen, pandemic mitigation measures have created financial burdens, with the transportation, manufacturing and natural resources industries the most severely impacted.

Frontline and overlay sellers have the lowest data proficiency despite their focus on sales data and buyer activity. The Gartner report revealed that sales reps are considered to have one of the worst data proficiency (43%) in the organization – significantly lower than marketing teams (49%), customer service teams (49%) and finance teams (53%).

A 2020 Gartner, Inc. survey of 1,000 employees in March revealed that they are facing a greatly increased frequency of “career moments”, resulting in increased incidences of employee misconduct and more negative perceptions of corporate integrity.

Despite the disruptive impacts of COVID-19, 47% of organizations plan to increase their investments in the Internet of Things (IoT). 35% of organizations reduced their investments in IoT while a larger number of organizations are planning to invest more in IoT implementations to reduce costs.

The coronavirus pandemic has put chief supply chain officers (CSCOs) under pressure to adapt and prepare their networks for an uncertain future, according to Gartner, Inc. Supply chain leaders must adapt their strategies, investment and leadership style to ensure long-term efficient growth.

Frost & Sullivan’s recent analysis maps the autonomous technology roadmap and market trends in the two leading regions: North America and the European Union. By 2030, Level 4 autonomous trucks will account for transportation of ~6.4% of general freights by ton-miles in the United States, leading to savings of $4.75 billion in annual freight costs.

Despite increased investment, only 10% of organizations are achieving significant financial benefits with AI. The role of mutual learning between humans and machines is often underestimated in generating value from AI. Those companies that draw on multiple types of interaction and feedback between humans and AI are 6X times more likely to amplify their success.