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3. Virtualisation for availability

Virtualisation has made the Gartner list again, but for 2010 the firm is preaching virtualisation for availability. This encompasses live migration, or the movement of a running virtual machine while its operating system and other applications continue to execute as if they remained on the original physical server. The idea is to use a single knob that can be tuned to any level, obviating the need for high-reliability hardware, fail-over software and fault-tolerant hardware without sacrificing availability. The result? Big, big cost savings.

4. Client computing

With virtualisation bringing new ways of packaging client computing applications, Gartner argues that choosing a PC hardware platform and operating system becomes less critical. The researcher recommends that enterprises construct a five- to eight-year client computing road map addressing device standards, ownership and support; operating system and application selection, deployment and update; and management and security plans to manage diversity.

5. IT for green

Called green IT by Gartner the past two years, the firm now says the smart use of IT can boost an enterprise's green credentials. IT can also provide the analytic tools others in the enterprise may use to reduce energy consumption in the transportation of goods or other carbon management activities. Google, IBM, Microsoft and several other vendors are big green IT supporters.

6. Mobile applications

Mobile applications would top the list for many companies, particularly Internet-driven businesses such as Google, Yahoo and Microsoft, which are greedily eyeing mobile search and display ads. Gartner claims that by the end of 2010, 1.2 billion people will carry smartphones, or some sort of handset that enables mobile commerce and other Web services. The iPhone has catapulted mobile apps into the consumers' consciousness, with enterprise users following. The emerging Google Android-based smartphones, such as Verizon's Droid, will advance this movement.

7. Advanced analytics

Companies have long been using business intelligence to build windows into their operations. They could further help themselves by embracing more analytical tools to simulate how actions they take will affect business processes for customer relationship management, enterprise resource planning, or other applications.

8. Flash memory

Serving as the storage technology behind our beloved USB memory sticks and digital camera cards, flash memory is considered fast but expensive. Yet, as with most technologies, the cost of flash is dropping, opening the door for additional market placement in consumer devices, entertainment equipment and other embedded IT systems.

9. Social computing

Returning from the past two years, social computing takes into account the idea that workers spurn internal- and external-facing environments to support their work. Gartner says enterprises must focus both on the use of social software in the enterprise and participation and integration with externally facing enterprise-sponsored and public communities.

10. Security: Activity monitoring

While classic security techniques have tried to bar malicious intruders from attacks, companies are embracing monitoring and analysis tools to identify and isolate suspicious activity.