17 Top Enterprise Tech Trends For 2017 And This Year's CES

thidoan (25)in #technology • 7 years ago (edited)

Of all the “What to watch” lists gumming up your social media feeds, “Which tech trends are on the horizon” should be the one you pause long enough to read. It’s important to recognize what technology is increasingly in popularity so you can allocate the time and funds to make these trends pay off for your business. Heading into the new year I tackled some of the top trends in Digital Transformation along with some key trends in Customer Experience. However, with 2017 CES upon us (and by no means just a consumer show any longer) and a new year off to a fast start, we must not ignore the tech trends that will shape the enterprise in the year ahead.

Here are my takes on what to spend and save on for enterprise technology in 2017. CIOs (CMOs and CDOs too) should already be thinking about integrating the following tech:

Cloud Migration. Cloud adoptions will be transforming to cloud-first strategies. Investing in cloud-first technology will mean substantial benefits for businesses, including reduction in hosting and equipment costs, increases in capacity, streamlined operations, enhanced collaboration, and increased productivity. I believe cloud-first is key to keeping your company agile.

Cybersecurity. Security in the world of the internet of things (IoT) must be as agile at the components people use. It must be both fluid and adaptive. Designers must consider IT security early in the development of applications, solutions, and enterprise architectures. I expect entity behavior analytics will be required across enterprises, and multi-layered security measures will rule the day.

AR and VR. Pokémon Go is fun—but we all expected it to change the way we can use augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) in the marketplace of ideas. This year, we will see AR and VR get more mainstream use. There are AR and VR devices in early stage development, but expect versions of AR and VR to pop up everywhere in the upcoming year. In fact, Amazon Go has already hit the ground running by leveraging some of this tech.

Automation For Data Centers And Marketing. Automation comes with a host of anxieties—and not just for factory jobs. But I see automation as an investment in the future; it will expand jobs, just in different sectors. Data centers already use open source automation tools, but I expect to see more marketing and data centers transitioning in this direction.

Intelligent Apps. You’ve been working with intelligent apps on a small scale already. VPAs—virtual personal assistants—are one example. They can transform businesses by streamlining workplace processes, such as prioritizing emails and highlighting specific content. In2017, we will see the rise of intelligent apps that go beyond assistants. In fact, every software category—from security and beyond—will have artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. By leveraging AI, providers can focus on advanced analytics, more autonomous business processes, and more conversational interfaces. Gartner predicts that by 2018, the world’s largest 200 companies will be leveraging intelligent apps.

Blockchain. This will be a big deal for a few crucial industries—music distribution, title registry, and identity verification, to name the big ones. A blockchain is a distributed database in which information—including bitcoins—are listed sequentially in “blocks.” This helps prevent the tampering of data and promises increased trust and less business friction by offering transparent access to the chain. Though I’m hoping this will hit 2017 strong, many blockchain initiatives are still in the early phases.

AI and Machine learning. Artificial intelligence seemed like the stuff of movies not too long ago. Machine learning done by AI is an even greater leap. By 2017, however, expect more systems that can actually learn and change their behavior—leading the way for more intelligent devices. The race is on, though, to see who will dominate the market. Tech giants like Google, Amazon, Apple, and IBM are all in the running. Machine-learning updates will rise across all tech, but who will be the big winner for this platform war is still up for grabs.