As technology evolves at an astonishing rate, companies are trying to keep pace with the digital revolution. To rise to the occasion, many companies are deploying enterprise technologies so they can grow their businesses and meet the demands of their customers. Customers are increasingly seeking improved quality, expedited service, and comprehensive personalization. Many organizations are already transforming their IT operations to meet this challenge head-on. They are reinventing and reimagining the way they do business, boldly embracing change at the core of their enterprise IT.
What will 2019 bring? There are many emerging and new technology trends that will make their mark in the business world in 2019, and to stay in competition, businesses will have to continue focusing their resources on data management, cybersecurity and IoT connectivity especially. Here’s a look at the top three major business technology trends in the year ahead.
Next-Level Data Management
It’s hard to imagine a time when some form of digital computing wasn’t part of daily life, and all of this technology use generates a lot of data. Whether it’s the smartphone, a desktop computer, or any number of software platforms used to conduct business, all that technology is generating 2.5 quintillion bytes of data every, single day. In fact, some estimate that 90% of the world’s data was generated over the last two years alone.
With 5G technology on the horizon, the speed at which data is generated is only expected to increase (5G networks will be 100 to 250 times faster than their 4G predecessors). Moving forward, the sheer volume of data businesses will need to manage is mind-blowing. Many businesses will implement processes and automate workflows through the use of technologies, such as top-level Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. Businesses will increasingly adopt these systems in 2019 in an effort to mitigate the risks of managing ever-growing virtual storehouses of data. Adopting these systems will not only help businesses with efficiencies, but it will also create a more secure environment for their data.
Increased Cybersecurity
The need for data security is at an all-time high, as is demonstrated by some high-profile security breaches. Accordingly, technology careers rank among the top jobs with the greatest potential for growth. Some organizations are struggling to find qualified IT security specialists to mitigate the risks of data breaches and cyber attacks.
Even though the number of self-reported cyberattacks against small and mid-sized businesses has remained fairly steady, 40% of business owners reported that they were unconcerned about cyber attacks in 2018, nearly double the number in 2017. Although the threat will likely remain the same or increase going forward, this increasing lack of concern is alarming to many security experts.
As IT jobs go unfilled and cybercriminals become more cunning and disruptive, business owners will need to find effective security solutions in 2019; however, 65% of them confess they don’t have a dedicated employee or vendor in place to monitor their systems. Companies looking to close this gap with in-house talent or outside vendors will be a growing trend in 2019.
More IoT Connectivity
With the surge in popularity of Amazon Echo and Alexa, Google Home, and other connected devices, it’s easy to see that more consumers are relying on the Internet of Things (IoT) for tasks in their daily lives. Gartner predicts the number of connected things in use will hit 14.2 billion in 2019, and grow to 25 billion by 2021. But the greatest increase in the number of connected devices will not be among consumers, it will be among businesses, especially manufacturing and industrial applications.
As with consumer products, businesses will be able to gather valuable data to create a self-learning environment, leading to improved processes, greater efficiencies, increased productivity, and cost savings. Customers will reap benefits by having better experiences as a result of intuitive and predictive problem solving and recommendations.
2019 and Beyond
As the year continues, businesses will continue to change and evolve in order to stay ahead of the competition. Through their increased adoption of technology, companies will not only be able to make themselves stand out, but they will make themselves more efficient and safer at the same time.
