4 Top Technology Trends for 2021 and Beyond
Speed, efficiency, and security are the buzzwords here. Is your business up to date on these tech trends?
1. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Yes, Artificial Intelligence has been a hot topic for a decade. From getting directions to requesting a ride, AI is already part of our daily lives. How many times a day do you “hey!” your virtual assistant?
What keeps AI on top of the trends list is its continued potential to shape how we live, work and play. A 2020 Deloitte survey on AI adoption found that 67% of participating businesses were using machine learning with 97% projecting to use it in 2021.
2. Robotic Process Automation (RPA)
Using software to automate business routines from email replies to processing transactions, Robotic Process Automation, or RPA automates repetitive tasks that workers used to do.
While Forrester Research estimates RPA automation will endanger the jobs of nearly 9 percent of the world’s workforce, it can also be a job creator. In fact, McKinsey finds that less than 5 percent of occupations can be totally automated. Compare that to nearly 60 percent that can be partially automated. Jobs are being reimagined to work with RPA rather than being replaced by it.
3. Edge Computing
Once a new tech trend, cloud computing has become mainstream. Major players like AWS (Amazon Web Services), Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform may dominate the market, but cloud computing is no longer the emerging technology trend. Edge is.
Edge computing is designed to help solve some of the problems posed by cloud computing’s processing delays. By “living” closer to where the computing needs to happen, Edge computing can better handle time-sensitive data or instances where connectivity is limited.
4. Cybersecurity
Remember when Cybersecurity was just a stern warning by your IT department to not open email attachments? Those days are gone. Cybersecurity Ventures estimates that by 2025, Cybercrime will cost businesses around the world $10.5 trillion annually.
Ransomware, malware that holds data and even entire computer systems hostage, is on the rise. A Sophos study found that 37% of participating businesses were victims of Ransomware in 2021. It’s a hot trend we could all do without, but not taking Cybersecurity seriously could be a business killer.
Resources
Duggal, Nikita (2021, November 11) What is Artificial Intelligence: Types, History and Future. Simplilearn.com.
(2020, July 14) Ammanath, Jarvis and Hupfer. Thriving in the era of pervasive AI: Deloitte’s State of AI in the Enterprise, 3rd Edition. Deloitte.com.
Arora, Chivam (2021, November 11) What is RPA: An Introduction and Career Possibilities. Simplilearn.com
Boulton, Clint (2016, September 28) Why bots are poised to disrupt enterprise. CIO.
Chui, Manyika and Miremadi (2015, November 1) Four fundamentals of workplace automation. McKinsey Digital.
Morgan, Steve (2020, November 13) Cybercrime to cost the world $10.5 trillion annually by 2025. Cyber Security Ventures.
The State of Ransomware 2021. Sophos.
