Top 10 tech winners and losers of 2011

Windows Phone 7

Although Windows Phone 7 was officially launched in late 2010, it was only in 2011 that Microsoft's replacement for the awful Windows Mobile 6 finally became a viable alternative to iOS and Android. Updates throughout the year, especially the 'Mango' 7.5 update, added much needed features and refined others.

Although the fledgling operating system is still immature and needs refining, it's now good enough that we know of several employees at companies with BYOD policies adopting Windows Phone handsets in place of Android phones. If this trend continues, Windows Phone 7 will supplant Blackberry as the third mobile operating system of choice besides iOS and Android.

Consumer technology companies

One of the biggest changes to affect IT departments this year is the growing trend towards consumerisation, or more specifically Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies, where employees can choose their own computing clients rather than being given one by IT.

Although BYOD won't be suitable for all companies depending on what they do, where it is allowed employees have tended to shun traditional IT vendors such as RIM, Dell, HP and Fujitsu in favour of consumer tech providers like Apple, Samsung and HTC who have reaped the benefits as a result.