Gartner’s Nexus of Forces – cloud, mobile, social and information – has reshaped IT and the markets since it was framed as a Nexus four years ago, said Peter Sondergaard, Gartner senior vice president, speaking during the opening keynote of the research company’s 2014 Symposium, held in Cape Town in September.

“Business has gone digital,” he said, and we’re seeing new business designs that blend the virtual and physical worlds together via the Internet of Things. “These digital businesses give rise to the digital industrial economy, and are spiraling out secondary effects that are untying our world.