8 months ago I made 5 predictions for the future. I boldly stated that these are the Technology Trends to Watch in 2015. However, like corporate objective setting and individual performance reviews it is generally wise and a best practice not to wait until the end of the year to assess performance against targets.

Therefore, what follows is my prophecy progress scorecard and also my opportunity for course correction.

Security is priority #1

Anyone who has read the news lately should will understand exactly why this made it to number 1. If you thought the Sony Hack was the worst it could get look no further than Avid Life's - AshleyMadison service.

@#$! got real and the consequences have been devastating. You can't control the pirate or hacker agenda but you can control your data security. We all need to review what information is being shared and determine which service providers to trust with our data well being.

For the C suite, business managers and IT administrators everywhere - start talking to your vendors and trusted security experts. Ensure those patch levels are up to date and audit your data management implementation and security strategy. If they aren't up to snuff it could very well be your customers in distress and your job that is next on the line.

Verdict: Spot On

Computers manipulate the real world

In many ways computers are already manipulating the real world. However, the real breakthroughs aren't going to be delivered this year but certainly Driverless cars and Delivery Drones are in our collective near future.

Verdict: Nothing new to report

The Cloud and Big Data becomes boring

Boring was not the best word choice. The point really is that Big Data is now applicable to all organizations whether old or new and not only online businesses and startups but legacy enterprises too. Therefore, the basic sentiment is right. Increasingly, Big Data is no longer a mystery. Business analysts have started to learn how to adapt their statistical models to the deluge and regular IT has started to comprehend Hadoop and see its value in the ecosystem.

From Cloudera, Hortonworks, Mapr, to Datameer there are a host of new providers on the scene. Most have solid partnerships with cloud providers and the big hardware players. Increasingly these young players and companies cannot do it alone and the established players like Fujitsu and others have the hardware and the expertise to deliver. Do you want to maximize the value of your data and turn it into an asset? (who wouldn't) Find a partner competent and ready to help now.

Still confused about what Big Data really is? Think Volume, Variety and Veracity. Better yet, read this review by Forbes and buy Thomas Davenport's book Big Data at Work: Dispelling the Myths, Uncovering the Opportunities.

Verdict: Accurate. Steady Progress

Wearables don't take off but smart/conscious homes and devices do

No, wearables didn't take off. Yes, Google Glass was put on pause.

But your home still hasn't gotten concious and neither has it got any smarter except for maybe your TV.

Verdict: Neither Wrong nor Right

Natural interfaces move beyond the smartphone

These have and are absolutely showing up in every nook and cranny. Did I say everywhere? Yup. Smartphone, browser, Operating Systems, Speakers and TV. That's right.

The latest incarceration is Cortana from Microsoft, which was preceded by Amazon Echo, Google Now and Apple's Siri.

Verdict: Spot On

Scorecard

^21/2/5

Written by Nneko Branche.