3rd Platform Technologies: A New Phase of IT Revolution

Introduction

The third platform technology is a term coined by the IDC (International Data Corporation) for the new computing platform. This advancement in technology has promoted interdependency between social media, cloud computing, big data (information/ analytics) and mobile computing. According to the research done on third platform technologies, it is considered as the next phase of the IT revolution.

As per information available about this technology, the first platform was the mainframe computer, the was PCs (personal computers) that has dominated the IT sector from 1985 to 2005 and now we come to the 3rd platform which is considered as the backbone of today's IT sector.

It consists of mobile computing, cloud services and big data analytics which makes it a revolutionary phase of the IT sector. According to the directions of IDC, these Third Platform Technologies and social networking will play a major role in future.

We are introducing you to these technologies that lay more emphasis on the improvement of the working environment of an organization. It is one of the key disruptive forces in the field of technology.

Implementation of Third Platform Technologies

There are so many uses of Third Platform technologies. Currently there is no third-platform product, but there are so many proprietary products from open source software which can be used to create, operate and deploy solutions that use the Third Platform Technologies.

The combination of these products will fulfill the needs of an organization. Other than its operation its design is also created according to the functioning of the organization. The following are the list of some suitable products.

• • Apache Hadoop big data framework

• • The Kubernetes container management and deployment environment

• • Eclipse the integrated development environment

• • The Docker container environment

• • Get cloud application platform as a service by the cloud foundry

How many types of Platforms are there?

We are going to discuss the platforms from the first to the latest one. The following is a list of those platforms.

1. First Platform

The first platform technology is considered as the mainframe computer system which began its journey in the 1950s and is still going on.

2. Second Platform

The second platform technology is known as the technology of the client/server system. This technology began in the 1980s with personal computers that are tapping into the mainframe databases and applications.

3. Third Platform

The third platform has been introduced in the early 2010s and in use till the present. These Third Platform Technologies help enterprises to get various types of business benefits. This technology is based on online computing.

4. Fourth Platform

The fourth platform is just a term used in IT companies right now and there is no proof of its actual implementation. According to the research done on the fourth platform, it is found that there is no clear definition available for it. But it is said that it might consist of Quantum computing, IoT, AI and a largely distributed Grid computing system.

Important Factors of the Third Platform1. Mobile Computing

This is one of the major factors of the 3rd platform. If you talk about cloud, social networks, and big data; all of these can also be accessed by this device. It offers the advantage of mobility to the employee. It is also labelled as BYOD (Bring your own device).

According to research done on mobile computing, it was found that around more than half of the IT sector companies are spending money on purchasing tablets, smartphones and e-readers to enhance work efficiency and overall work productivity.

2. Social Technology

Any technology that enables social interactions and offers communication capability is a part of social technology. This technology has made social interaction easy. Every company big or small needs social media. Companies are adding these social elements to their products and services.

3. Cloud Computing

The technology of cloud computing has given a major boost to every organization. It is a trending technology that is usually focused on mid-size companies. This has changed the thinking of people about working in an organization.

Now with this technological advancement employees don't need to be anchored to one physical location. This technology has created a great pathway for an increase in the productivity of an organization.

4. Big Data (Analytics)

The concept of big data is to properly increase the utility of all data. It helps an employee at any organization to have easy access to all the data of their organization like personnel information, sales figure, accounting data, financials and more. These data can be used to make important decisions in major areas of business. This big data has three features when we differentiate it. They are variety, volume and velocity.

5. Internet of Things

The Internet of things is a network of devices that enables the computer system to control and monitor the physical environment. It is applicable in a personal environment, factory automation, transport and many other areas.

It is another one of the major technological aspects in the third platform's technologies that enables it to interact with the system. The sensors and actuators technology in the computer system has already been in use for many years. This helps in the future of computing.

Conclusion

3rd platform technologies have a great impact on the performance of an organization. Nowadays all organizations and industries are adopting these 3rd platform technologies to create an effective work environment and get excellent results. Some of those 3rd platform technologies are already mentioned in detail in this article.

This technological up-gradation by the corporates have improved their work culture and helps in proper utilization of their resources, to easily achieve their desired goals. The problems that organizations face due to the lack of technologies, have been solved by the implementation of these 3rd platform technologies. This technology is slowly gaining pace and will be used across the globe in the foreseeable future.