There’s no doubt that today, IT trends are harder to keep up with than ever before. Why? In the last fifty years, space, military, and industrial research helped develop and advance computing at scale. So, what’s next?
What trends should you keep an eye on in the future, and how are organizations responding to new technologies, such as IoT, VR, AR, and other trends?
- Accelerated Digital Transformation
Many organizations were challenged to adapt to the pandemic landscape by taking digital transformation more seriously than before. Facilitating communication has also become a large part of this transformation since people started working predominantly from home. Platforms like Slack, Teams, and especially Zoom, have seen a dramatic increase in the number of consumers.
IDC predicts that 70% of all organizations will have accelerated use of digital technologies in areas of business resiliency, employee productivity, and customer engagement.
- Internet of Things (IoT)
IoT is found anywhere in the modern world. People use a growing number of connected devices, making the IoT business one of the most important new technologies.
For instance, Apple’s latest reveal is called AssistiveTouch, and the technology allows users to control their Apple Watch without having to touch the screen. By only clenching your hand or rolling your wrist, you can now activate apps—something that would have looked like sci-fi a few years ago.
From smart homes to wearables, such as activity trackers, to traffic management and tech for smart cities, IoT’s current concern is enhancing security. Users are still vulnerable to cyberattacks, data breaches, and other hacks, unfortunately.
- Alternatives to cloud computing
Cloud computing became a major trend in recent years, becoming the norm. The benefits of cloud computing include cost reduction, reliability, enhanced disaster recovery, and collaboration. But new technologies are evolving every day, becoming alternatives to cloud computing for many organizations.
Edge computing is the practice of bringing data and computation closer to the physical world where this information is needed. It’s a great asset and beneficial in saving data bandwidth, thereby increasing response time. It’s also extremely useful for IoT devices that can now process data almost in real time, without the need to send information all the way to a data center.
- 5G Network
5G networks offer an unprecedented transmission speed, faster than many existing home broadband connections. This is beneficial for smart devices and IoT gadgets. A smoother interconnection and more complex operations will be easier to achieve, helping drones, autonomous vehicles, and smart cities develop faster.
- Virtual Reality (VR)
VR simulates a user’s hearing and vision, enabling a new experience of a virtual environment. So far, VR has been very popular in gaming applications. However, it can also improve education by providing students with memorable experiences, and it is used in museums and galleries nowadays, as well. Moreover, as the pandemic challenged the cinema industry, new forms of VR entertainment enhance the traditional movie theater experience.
Furthermore, VR is now becoming a part of training and simulations in areas such as aviation and medicine, but the hardware is still expensive.
- Blockchain
Blockchain seems complicated, but its core concept is simple. A blockchain is a type of database usually related to cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. Today, many organizations believe blockchain will be the next breakthrough, and the technology is already popular in IoT.
- Chatbots
Small and mid-size businesses, along with large companies, are leveraging chatbots in order to improve customer service and offer a more responsive and conversational experience. Today, this technology is enhanced by AI and machine learning, empowering organizations to create personalized services and human-like interactions. However, chatbots with complex features are still quite expensive.
