The business world has gone through a complete overhaul in the recent past, thanks to advancements in technology. From creating a better customer experience to increase efficiency and building trust, tech tools have given businesses a lifeline by keeping them productive and competitive. With the dynamics seen in technology, therefore, it is no surprise that more will be expected in the near future.
As the year ends, is your business prepared for 2020 and the IT trends that will take over? From robotics to language processing, chatbots and much more, the business world is set for better prospects in technology. The following are some of the notable IT trends you can expect to see in 2020.
1. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
There is no denying that despite AI being a relatively new phenomenon, it has already made a great impact in the business world. In the last few years, AI has helped streamline business operations and helped in better decision making. Admittedly, there is still some untapped potential in AI, and this is expected to explode in 2020 and beyond as it becomes more sophisticated and diverse. The following are some of the areas that will feel the impact of AI in 2020:
Cybersecurity – Even with the advance in technology, most cybersecurity tools still call for the input of human interaction at some point. However, 2020 will see companies and businesses rely more on smart tools to help deal with incidence response and event monitoring. Nextgen firewalls will have inbuilt machine learning technology to help recognize a pattern and auto-lock any possible threats. This will mean a gradual phase-out of passwords.
Transportation – The introduction of self-driven cars created a buzz in the last few years thanks to Google and Tesla despite the shortfalls in automation. However, 2020 will see these cars getting fully automated as they get connected to a high-tech network.
Healthcare – By 2020, there will be a more focused approach to smartphone-based cognitive therapies that can be used to treat such conditions as eating disorders, depression and substance abuse.
Marketing – AI-powered marketing tools will become more relevant and will be used to depict customer behavior. It will also come in handy to track the type of content that appeals most to consumers.
2. Edge Computing and Distributed Cloud
The empowered edge is set to dominate across every industry as it gets pumped up with more specialized and sophisticated computer resources. It will also be characterized by more data storage. Edge computing hopes to localize processing and traffic even more. This will help reduce latency, capitalize on the capabilities of the edge and enhance even more autonomy at the edge. Currently, there is more focus on the edge more than ever, thanks to the need for systems related to the Internet of Things (IoT) that deliver distributed or disconnected capabilities into the world embedded system in IoT.
With the automated deployment of applications courtesy of distributed cloud, businesses will attain better user experiences as it optimizes resources efficiency.
With time, edge computing is expected to create an unstructured system that will consist of a healthy collection of ‘things’ and services. These will be connected in an efficient network linked through various distributed cloud services. For instance, the future may see a smart ‘thing’ like a drone communicating with a city-level local cloud service or enterprise IoT platform and later perform peer-to-peer exchanges with other drones nearby for the sake of better navigation.
3. Blockchain
The use of blockchain has significantly increased in the last two years. This is expected to get even better in 2020. This is especially so considering the continued investment by tech and retail giants like IBM, FedEx, MasterCard, and Wal-Mart. As much as small businesses may not yet adopt the use of cryptocurrency in their trades, they may see the need to use blockchain in securing their data and transactions.
In particular, blockchain will be used more in the development of smart contracts by both the real estate and finance industries. It will also come in handy to streamline supply chain management. With the current uptake of blockchain by governments, it will not be a surprise that by 2020, most governments will have fully adopted cryptocurrencies into their legal tender system. This will see more online businesses booms based on the increased security of both data and transactions. In fact, there is a possibility to integrate blockchain with IoT and AI to help streamline business operations.
4. Natural Language Processing
Natural language processing has seen significant adoption in the last few years. This has helped increase efficiency in everyday business operations. As 2020 approaches, more businesses will be looking for better ways to integrate this technology into their business operations. With the conversational interfaces brought about by natural language learning, communication barriers that have hitherto existed between businesses and their customers will be a thing of the past. This will better enhance business operations and expand service delivery to a global scale.
5. Data Analytics
By now, any business worth its salt understands the value of big data and its advanced analytics solutions. Right from retail to manufacturing, big data has become increasingly significant. As 2020 approaches, you can only expect even more data being generated. This is especially catalyzed by the introduction of IoT and connected devices. The future will see businesses in need of real-time data more than ever.
Based on this, 2020 will see the automation of data analysis getting more mainstream as businesses hope to increase efficiency and improve productivity. You can also expect to see the development of in-memory computing (IMC), particularly given the cost of memory has been decreasing over the years. As such, industries will be looking to take up IMC to help offer a chance for scalability while also improving application performance.
6. Hyper Automation
Hyper automation has hitherto been in use by businesses and corporations to help improve safety and increase employee productivity. This is, however, expected to take a whole new level in 2020 as more tools are incorporated to work together. In this regard, AI Robotic Process Automation and business management will work hand in hand to better improve the business prospects of a company. This hyper-automation will not only replace the need for employees in physical tasks but will go a step higher to support and complement the decision-making processes in a company.
Notably, robotics will see a significant adoption as more corporations seek ways to replace the human resource. Soon, you may expect to have a robotic co-worker performing just the same tasks as your previous human co-worker. The use of robots will gain much traction in various sectors including being companions to the sick and senior citizens. More will be expected in offering mechanical muscle or other notable forms of support that improves the efficiency of doing business.
As more organizations rush to invest in tech tools, it is high time you took the initiative to understand your business prospects and position the business for success through technology. By finding workable, agile, and updated tech tools and trends for the future, your business will benefit through increased efficiency and less expenditure. Notably, most of these tech trends will not only make an impact in 2020 but all through the next decade. This will see a paradigm shift in how business is done, both physically and online.
Not sure if your business is ready for the tech trends that will take over in 2020? Or how to protect your business from their risks? Our highly trained professionals can help. Give us a call at 973-577-4548.
