Predicting the future is difficult and risky and in the tech industry is even more. In 2022, the covid-19 pandemic will continue to affect our lives in many ways. There are clear and definite changes and developments that will affect all areas of the tech community and how it operates.
Gartner publishes a list of their top strategic technology trends every year, and the themes for 2022 are "Engineering Trust", "Shaping Change" and "Accelerating Growth." Here’s the full list. And everyone are talking about it, and have their opinion.
For us, these are our TOP 5:
1. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
This is not a new trend and that’s been around for a while. Artificial Intelligence has come a long way since IBM’s Deep Blue computer beat a world chess champion.
Today, AI is used in almost everything and are "Smart things" everywhere. Smart phones, smart TVs, smart cities, smart cars, and even smart toilets, and in tools we use to carry out everyday work. It can create code, target marketing, identify new products, machine learning methods that “learn” about content from data and create software code, manage retail stock, automate staff training, optimise manufacturing, and control traffic pattern recognition. And yet, there’s still so much more AI can do to make our lives easier.
According to IDC, AI spending is expected to reach $500 billion by 2024. As the volume of data continues to grow, AI will continue to make advancements. For organisations looking to keep up with ever-changing consumer expectations, finding the right AI solutions to improve efficiency will be critical.
2. DATA
There is no news here, accessing the right data at the right time across multiple platforms and applications has always been important.
Organisations realize to the reality that they must use data and be prepared to use it and provide tangible business benefits. Data has always been critical to operational and strategic effectiveness. Increasing data volume, faster network and processor speed, and the “democratisation” of data are coming together.
Data fabric will soon become a key competitive advantage for businesses. It creates knowledge graphs to add depth and meaning to the data, and “can reduce data management efforts by up to 70%.” (Gartner) which integrate data and application silos with built-in analytics, will be deployed more frequently in 2022. The semantic layer of the knowledge graph makes it easy for business leaders and non-technical users to interpret that data. Giving meaning to the patterns found in data is essential for businesses looking to quickly find insights that lead to revenue-generating opportunities.
3. Cloud
Businesses have been shifting to the cloud for quite a few years, but the pandemic has accelerated this. During 2020 and 2021, many of us experienced the virtualisation of our offices and workplaces. And new operating models are being developed to facilitate hybrid work as the pandemic subsides. Examples include cloud-enabled workspaces, collaboration and monitoring tools for the hybrid workforce.
Cloud and data strategies will continue to be a key factor in 2022, and Gartner sees organisations moving to data fabrics and creating new services specifically for the cloud, rather than simply migrating existing applications to cloud platforms.
4. Cybersecurity
Everyone knows that the number and nature of cyberthreats is increasing. There are no perfect solutions, but companies continue to not fully understand the threats and therefore not invest in cybersecurity or invest in the wrong way.
Our data is everywhere. A cybersecurity mesh architecture (CSMA), recognizes this and works to secure data no matter where it is. A CSMA, which aim to extend security controls to distributed assets beyond the walls of the organisation, will reduce the cost of security incidents by 90% by 2024.
For technology to work, we need to be able to trust it, and consumers are demanding organisations do more to protect consumer information, and it’s going to take a lot more than just changing the name. Privacy laws and regulations will continue to evolve.
5. Hyperautomation
Hyperautomation means finding things that can be automated and doing that as fast as possible, freeing people to work on more important problems. Automating everything, the strategy is an approach to leveraging multiple tools and technology to improve processes.
Gartner says hyperautomation teams should focus on quality, speed and enhancing decision-making, a “total experience” (TX), a digital experience of customers and employees alike. Improving the digital experience, improving data access, native cloud applications, and the increasing use of AI are all part of this trend.
Hyperautomation reduces costs, streamlines operations, and provides a competitive advantage for businesses.
While things move fast in tech industry, major trends will be “trends” for years. The trends for 2022, are all about using technology to help businesses make more confident decisions, and some are strongly connected.
If you’re looking to make more confident data-driven decisions, speak with our team and see how we can help.