To say that technology moves at a quick pace today would be a massive understatement. There is no denying that technology is advancing at a more rapid pace than ever before. With that being said, in this blog post, we decided to take a look at some of the most important current technology trends and the impact that they are having. So keep on reading to find out everything that you need to know.
Digital ethics and privacy
There is only one place to begin, and this is with digital ethics and privacy, which are two topics that are getting a greater amount of attention from associations, businesses, government organisations, and private individuals. For good reason, people are more concerned than ever before regarding how their personal data is being used by both public sector and private organisations. Winning trust is important in order to secure a loyal customer base. This is a trend that is only going to get stronger and stronger. There are many different ways that you can ensure that you are operating in a safe manner. This includes the likes of network segregation and using a strong firewall, as well as two factor authentication and having a high quality IT security policy in place.
Immersive experiences in smart spaces
Chatbots that are integrated into various voice assistance and chat platforms are altering the way in which individuals interact with the digital world, just like mixed reality, augmented reality, and virtual reality. These technologies combined are going to have a dramatic impact on our perception of the world by generating smart spaces where more automated, interactive, and immersive experience can happen for defined industry cases or a specific group of people.
New technology competitors
For quite some time, the likes of Shopify for ecommerce business owners and WordPress for blogs have ruled the roost. However, it is likely that we are going to see more more competition come to the market space because demand is so monumental. There have already been a number of competitors to Shopify, like BigCommerce and SquareSpace, as well as free website building platforms for those looking to create a blog or a service based website. It is likely that will see these platforms get stronger and stronger and starting to attract a greater share of the marketplace because businesses will be looking for different website building platforms in order to use as a tool to stand out from the competition in their industry.
Enhance edge computing
Another trend that we are going to see throughout the year is enhance edge computing, and this relates more specifically to the Internet of Things. It involves placing intermediate points between connected objects. At these intermediate points, data can be processed, and therefore tasks will be facilitated that can be formed closer to where the data has been received. This is beneficial because it reduces latency and traffic when responses are sent. By using this approach, processing will be kept closer to the endpoint instead of data being sent to a central server in the Cloud. Nevertheless, edge computing and cloud computing is going to be developed as complementary to one another rather than existing as completely new architectures. They will be administered as a centralised service that runs on distributed servers as well as on centralised servers .
Tech opportunities in the legal sector
There is no denying that new tech and improvements have an impact across all industries. However, ever year, there seems to be one or two industries that feel the force of this morn than others. You can certainly argue that the legal sector is one of these at the moment. More and more businesses are embracing legal case management software so that they can handle their cases more efficiently and accurately. Aside from this, big data is having a huge impact on the legal sector, as is AI and machine learning. You also have DIY law and chatbots, as well as automation.
Digital twins
A digital twin is a virtual replica of a real-world entity or system. Experts have predicted that by next year there is going to be over 20 billion sensors connected to end points. However, Gartner, the famous consulting company, have also indicated that there will be digital twins for thousands of these solutions. The main purpose of these digital twins will be behavioural monitoring. To begin with, these replicas will be implemented by organisations, and over time, they will continue to develop them, improving their capacity to visualise and compile the correct data, as well as responding appropriately to company objectives and make improvements.
Augmented analytics
Aside from the trends that have already been discussed, another one to consider is augmented analytics. This represents another large step forward for big data, by combining AI with it. This means that automated learning will be utilised in order to transform the way that data analysis is consumed, shared, and developed. It is predicted that augmented analytics will soon have the capability to be adopted commonly so that it words not only with data but also in terms of HR and in-house business applications used for this purpose. It will also be used in-house for applications relating to customer support, marketing, sales, and finances. This is all for the purpose of optimising decisions through the use of deep data analysis.
Blockchain
Of course, we cannot talk about current tech trends without mentioning blockchain. This is another type of technology that appears on most tech trend discussion lists at the moment. Of course, we have been talking about blockchain for a little while now, however, in recent times, it has now broken free from the exclusive link it had with the cryptocurrency world, and we have seen that it now has good use in other areas and industries too. This year, we are going to see a lot of different projects involving blockchain get off the ground in an attempt to tackle the hurdles that they still face in various fields, namely insurance and banking. This is also going to be a pivotal time in regards to rolling out decentralised organisations that work with intelligent contracts.
Autonomous devices
Again, autonomous devices, like drones, robots, and autonomous vehicles, have been discussed for quite a bit of time now. However, it is all about moving this trend forward and determining where it is going to go next. For those who are unaware of what an autonomous device is, it simply means something that automates functions using artificial intelligence and thereby replacing a process that would have previously been carried out by the likes of you and I. This is a trend that goes a lot further than just using rigid programming models for automation. This is because artificial intelligence is no being introduced so that advanced behaviour can be developed, meaning these devices will now interact in a way that is more natural with the users and the environment.
Artificial intelligence (AI)
It has been mentioned quite a few times in this blog post already, and so it is only right that we give artificial intelligence (AI) a section of its own. A lot of experts believe that this is the year that AI is going to take off once and for all. It has flirted with doing so over the past few years, but we are now really starting to see the momentum shift. This is the year that we are going to witness democratisation, as it has even been incorporated into the political agenda. This is going to be a topic addressed by the mid point of the year, as the European Commission released a communication on AI in December, stating that this was something that was going to be spoken about.
5G Networks
The final trend that we are going to take a look at is 5G networks. At the moment, the foundations are being put down so that we will be able to use our smartphones to browse the Internet at a speed that will get to 10 gigabytes per second by the year of 2020. If that was not enough, 5G will have reached around 40 per cent of the worldwide population by 2024.
So there you have it: a look at some of the most important tech trends that are making an impact around the world today. Are there any other trends that you have noticed emerging?
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