The consulting firm, Nucleus Research, recently published its predictions for the top tech trends for next year. They narrowed the top trends down to ten, which are listed in their four-page PDF.

Here's a quick summary of some of the most notable.



Healthcare Technology - The push will be on to move out of the dinosaur paper age currently the house for patient data and into electronic health records. Therefore, positions in data capture devices and electronic record management application will be sought after.

The Cloud - Of course, you've heard about the cloud, which will continue to be a top trend in 2012.



Technology as Capital - The unemployment rate is expected to continue to hover around the 10 percent rate. Companies have tightened up their purse strings, but when they do spend, they are more inclined to spend on technology rather than people. Technology expenditures are expected to continue to expand in 2012.



Smarter Software - In years past, software development emphasis was on adding more functionality and feature to software. In the coming year, expect to see more buzz about making software smarter, more intuitive, and integrated. The goal will be to help users become more production through self teaching.



All About the Consumer - In 2012, there will be renewed focus on the customer, both from the standpoint of retaining the best customers and attracting new ones. CRM and related applications will focus on helping the customer have the best experience possible.