International Data Corp. has published a report that suggests a framework for information technology companies and professionals to drive service innovation with “third platform” computing technologies.

IDC predicts third platform IT-as-a-service will be key for approximately 65 percent of industry’s global competitive strategies by 2016, the market intelligence firm said Wednesday.

The platform is becoming a major force in the execution of business operations and IT organizations need to implement a new approach in order to deliver that kind of technology, the report states.

“A method of assessing service innovation maturity is needed as a planning tool and source of guidance to prioritize and evaluate the progress of an IT organization in adopting to the true customer (business) perspective of IT thirdÂ platform services,” said Bill Keyworth, vice president of research at IDC.

IDC also recommended that enterprises adopt a “theory of constraints” paradigm to identify and resolve IT alignment issues instead of launching big projects to meet IT objectives.

George Newstrom, executive director and general manager of Dell‘s federal government defense and national security business, said third platform encompasses cloud computing, mobile devices, social business applications and analytics tools.

He believes these technologies represent a new level in IT’s evolution and could serve as a tool for government organizations.