Cloud computing, flash memory and mobile applications are among the top 10 technologies and trends that will be of key importance to businesses in 2010, said Gartner.

Last week the research house singled out the technological ideas that will be most important to firms’ long-term plans. Advanced analytics made the cut, as did IT for green and client computing.

Gartner claimed many firms will look at “reshaping the datacentre”, and implement plans based on five-year, rather than two-decade, growth projections. Social media and live migration of virtual machines will be priorities. Security kit that focuses on monitoring activities and patterns, rather than just excluding threats, completed the top 10.

Gartner vice president Carl Claunch said: “Companies should adjust their list based on their industry, unique business needs and technology adoption mode.”