Gartner, a global leader in Market Research & Analysis, puts-forth the technologies that higher education CIOs should have on their radar this year, especially as they look to enhance their competitive advantage and support emerging business models. IN light of this, Glenda Morgan, Senior Research Director, Gartner says, "Institutions looking to thrive in the expanding education ecosystem must lever-age technology early on that enables them to become more innovative". These top-ten strategic technologies are:

Next-Generation Security & Risk Management: There are a variety of factors ­ global regulatory compliance, growing Internet of Things (IoT) landscape and expanding software as a service (SaaS) portfolios ­ that are pushing higher education institutions to address security and risk matters with a multidimensional strategy.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Conversational Inter-face: AI conversational interfaces are a subset of conversational user interfaces (CUIs), in which user and machine interactions occur in the user's spoken or written natural language. CUIs place responsibility on the machine interface to learn what the user wants, rather than the user having to learn the software, saving user time, increasing student satisfaction, and being available to use 24/7.

Smart Campus: A physical or digital environment in which humans and technology-enabled systems interact to create more immersive and automated experiences for university

stakeholders, Smart campus initiatives are still in the early stages. But there has been a rising interest across higher education institutions.

Predictive Analytics: Predictive analytics use historical data to recognize patterns and assess likely outcomes using statistical or machine learning techniques. They can assist in everything from calculating student demand for a certain course or identifying students at risk of failing, dropping out or transferring.

Nudge Tech: Nudge tech is a collection of technologies (cloud, mobile, social and data) that work together to achieve timely personalized interaction with students, staff and faculty, such as a just-in-time text (SMS) re-minder for class.

Digital Credentialing Technologies: Digital credentials are a natural evolution from traditional credentials in eliminating fraud. The maturity of technologies like block chain and data encryption, coupled with the evolution of professional networking sites, are driving a change in the delivery of higher education credentials.

Hybrid Integration Platforms: Educational institutions are increasingly adopting cloud-based business applications, resulting in a hybrid portfolio of cloud and on-premises systems. A hybrid integration platform (HIP) leverages the best in-the-cloud and on-premises integration approaches, and is rapidly becoming the reference framework for next-generation integration infrastructure.

Career Software: The importance of career software has peaked globally as educational institutions become increasingly accountable for their students' outcomes after graduation. Ms Morgan stated, "The market for career software is large and diversified, so universities must take the time to invest in the tools that fit its needs and specific ecosystem".

Student Cross-Life Cycle CRM: Student cross-life cycle CRMs create a campus-wide, 360-degree view of a student across his or her major educational phases, beginning with precollege and moving through prospect, applicant, enrolled, graduated and alumni statuses.

Wireless Presentation Technologies: Wireless presentation technologies are likely to become more important, as higher education institutions move to bring your own device (BYOD) and as the use of mobile technologies, to allow users to project material from related de-vices onto a screen using a wireless network, rather than hard-wired connections like a projector.