In today’s world, the pace of change is faster than ever. Most corporations are adapting to the changing environment brought about by the pandemic in order to remain resilient to the global socio-economic crisis caused by COVID-19. Furthermore, focusing on digital technologies to overcome these challenging times and get people back to work is giving businesses more opportunities to innovate. Companies around the world are also looking for new technological innovations such as the collaboration software, to help them plan ahead, invest, and achieve higher returns.
Here are the leading technology trends that are expected to have the greatest impact on businesses in 2021.
IT Automation
More and more people are now using automated technologies to speed up routine processes, improve quality and efficiency and free up time for employees. But what is IT automation and is it valuable to your IT department? IT Automation is a set of tools that allow you to perform repetitive tasks automatically. In other words, without human intervention, it is the software that performs the IT tasks. IT automation plays an important role in providing services proactively so that you can deliver technology services to your customers more quickly and efficiently. It also allows teams to work more efficiently, minimize errors, promote teamwork and free up time.
Internet Of Things (IOT)
The Internet of Things refers to all devices connected to the Internet that are not conventional computers. It is a future in which it is already possible to communicate and exchange data over the Internet with smartphones, vehicles, apps and more. Applications are wide and range from fitness trackers and smart watches to headphones, cameras, traffic lights, and so on. The Internet of Things is slowly starting a further industrial revolution. The explanation is simple: devices including Interactive LEDs such as TouchIT Rapide reduce increase overall efficiency when connected to the Internet. Staying with our Interactive LED example, the possibilities are so much more than a regular whiteboard, or a flipchart in the corner of a meeting room.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
AI or artificial intelligence is another technological trend that attracts the attention of a large number of investors and the media. AI systems use applications to mimic smart human actions in real-world scenarios. AI is present everywhere in the area where it is used: search engines use it to improve answers to questions, speech recognition, language translation, email services use it to filter spam, banks use it to predict exchange rates and stock market prices, doctors use it to detect tumors, robots use it to locate themselves and obstacles, autonomous cars use it to drive, video games use it to improve performance. People talk about the potential of super-intelligence and the threat of AI, but big companies like Google, Amazon, Baidu, Microsoft, etc. are investing billions in AI, and the labor market associated with AI is growing extremely fast.
Cloud Computing
The introduction of apps and hardware that make use of Cloud Computing, such as Contribute Cloud and the TouchIT Rapide have helped to improve efficiency and reduce cost. Gone are the days when you implement a collaboration system for exampole would you need a whole new server room full of expensive hardware. Today, it is all cloud based, just like Contribute Cloud. In addition, with many popular innovations such as AI and automation, the cloud is expected to bring about major changes in the industry. According to the study shared by the Digital Marketing Resource Centre, it is predicted that by 2021, 75% of workspace will be occupied by millennials. This data speaks for itself about the trend in the world of digital natives. With the changing world and emerging technologies, the use of technology in almost every workspace is evident. The increase in this number is also attributed to the growing needs of workers. These digital natives simply expect more from your IT infrastructure. They expect to be connected always wherever they are. This is only possibly by embracing the Cloud.
Increase in Video Conferencing
An average business meeting lasts about an hour, and the costs of failed meetings accumulate very quickly. In the USA alone, $37 billion plus financial costs. Forced by a global pandemic, the shift to Video meetings has been evident. How many “zoom calls” do we now have a week instead of face to face meetings? As the decentralized workforce and video conferencing continue to grow in the industry, they will not be cut off by providing video quality that is only “good enough. In 2021, 4K UHD video and high quality audio will become the video conferencing norm – no more “can you hear me?” “oh, you’ve frozen” – these will be things of the past.
3D Printing Technology
Its been around for a whilem but the barriers to entry, namely price, have dropped dramatically of late. The method for converting any digital file to a 3D physical object is 3D printing. You can either draw or scan any object that you want to turn into a real object using a design software or simply download any file from the Internet. It is in science and engineering, medicine, aerospace, automotive, building, education and entertainment. Being able to prototype and react quickly to design changes, or product demand changes is important. Methods such as this have been used in response to the coronavirus pandemic. 3D printing companies and markets are expected to reach $35.4 billion by 2021, according to industry estimates.
Conclusion
With the use of emerging technologies such as AI, large amounts of data and analytics will have an extraordinary impact on supporting companies in the new standard of digital reporting and benchmarking.
Waiting for the human to generate the report will certainly be a thing of the past. This should be coming from technology and software. This “new normal” that we are living in today will see the technology landscape change because our needs have changed. We need the technology of the office wherever we are. Be that at home, in the car, at the gym we need to be connected. SaaS, Cloud Computing, AI, all are contributors to what is needed to keep the business world moving in these difficult times.
