IT experts suggest top six not-for-profit technology predictions for 2009

Twenty eight guests at yesterday's inaugural Technology Trends lunch managed to agree on six top technology predictions for the charity and not-for-profit sector for 2009.

Guests at IRIS NFP Solutions' event included leading IT consultants, clients, sector bodies, media representatives and senior managers from IRIS.

Over twenty ideas were brought to the table by attendees, followed by considerable debate to group these into key themes. The guests then voted to determine the top six themes.

These were:

1. Social networking/blogging will continue to increase and become more relevant to the NFP community
2. More demand for data integration – "what we have already must work better together"
   
3. Software as a Service (SaaS) will become more prominent
   
4. Virtualisation and hardware will need to support 24/7 working
   
5. @ Home - more work and leisure time will be spent at home which will pose technological challenges and business opportunities
   
6. People will want 'more for less' from their software vendors

Much debate focused on how the sector and IT suppliers might respond in the tough economic climate ahead. There was a wide consensus that organisations will continue to invest in technology as a key way to help them through the recession.

Guests included sector technology experts Sue Fidler, Peter Flory, Ivan Wainwright, and UK Fundraising's Howard Lake. There were also representatives from the National Council for Voluntary Organisations and the Institute of Fundraising.

Other clients included Cystic Fibrosis Trust, College of Optometrists, Marie Curie Cancer Care, Royal College of Radiologists and Royal Society. Consultants from Brakeley, Indigo Blue, Mayflower Services, Purple Vision, and Sayer Vincent were also key contributors.

IRIS has over 1000 not-for-profit clients. One of the main reasons it convened this event was to help them ensure that their products and services continued to stay in-tune with the sector.

IRIS have already said that they plan to hold the event again in early 2010.

www.iris.co.uk/nfp