2017 saw technologies like IoT, Machine Learning, Cloud and Big Data Analytics take center stage. While these will continue to make big strides, we will see bar being raised even higher in 2018 in terms of technology adoption. Let’s take a look at the top five technology trends that you will be hearing a lot about this year.
1. Platforming the enterprise
In 2018, we will see enterprises embrace common IT platforms, so they can respond quicker to market changes, be more productive and make better-informed decisions. Platforms that are rich in analytics, follow the information flow of the business and are simple enough that users can constantly change the business without investing too much time or effort. Additionally, they add operational scale quickly to traditionally custom-built enterprise IT.
Common platforms like Amazon, Microsoft and Google empower companies to focus on their applications and user experience, over infrastructure management. Platform-based enterprises also free up both human and working capital, which can then be redirected towards differentiated services, giving them a leg up on the competition, leading to better outcomes for stakeholders.
2. Intelligent everything
If Artificial Intelligence became a buzzword in 2017, then 2018 will be the year when it goes mainstream. The enterprise’s ability to tap into AI for aiding enhanced decision making, reinventing existing business models and ecosystems, and elevating the customer experience, will drive the payoff for digital initiatives. As per a recent survey from Gartner, 59% of organizations are still in the process of gathering information to build their AI strategies, while the rest have already made some headway in piloting or adopting AI solutions.
We’re also moving towards the trend of Narrow AI, which comprises highly scoped machine-learning solutions that are meant to target a specific task (such as understanding language or driving a vehicle in a controlled environment) with algorithms chosen that are optimized for that task. Soon, every app, application and service will incorporate AI at some level. In many familiar application categories, we will see AI running quietly in the background. We can also expect several entirely new applications.
3. Blockchain
Blockchain has primarily been associated with Bitcoin so far but holds promise to change other industries. It can potentially be used in government, healthcare, content distribution, supply chain and more. Blockchain is a shared, distributed, tokenized and decentralized ledger that is independent of individual applications or participants, therefore enabling unknown parties to exchange commercial transactions.
Other potential areas where Blockchain has already showed potential are - trading of agricultural commodities, developing medical record systems, tracking the movement of prescription drugs, eliminating the risk of fraud in real estate transactions, and even helping revolutionize how musicians monetize their work. The immediate use case that holds immense potential is the combination of IoT with blockchain —or BIoT, which seems to be the answer to the security issues around IoT devices that are otherwise, easily hacked.
4. Immersive experience
The recent success of the game Pokemon Go brought into strong focus the potential that augmented reality solutions have for business applications. Immersive experience technologies like augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality are already changing the way in which people interact with the digital world. Imagine a world in which field service workers will be able to use an augmented reality (AR) headset to provide visual overlays of complex instructions over their work on physical structures.
These technologies will evolve from pilot projects with modest growth to sustainable business models, market maturity and global availability. Gartner estimates in the next decade, head-worn devices — across all form factors — will generate $72 billion in device revenue alone.
5. Cyber resilience
Even as data is taking centre stage as a hugely beneficial resource for enterprises, the risk of that data getting into the hands of cyber criminals has risen multi fold. Companies which had followed the model of trying to prevent cyber-attacks, are changing their view to perceive cyber security as a continuum. This means continuous evaluation and improvement of risk posture as cyberattacks will happen – so the focus will now be on planning and even practicing for such eventualities.
I am personally excited by the immense potential that these technologies hold for solving problems, bringing new solutions to old issues and opening up possibilities that didn’t exist earlier. Are you convinced that these will be the trailblazers in 2018 or have radically different thoughts? We would love to hear your comments.
All in all, an exciting year ahead!