5 current and upcoming technology trends for digital transformation

Upcoming technology trends

With technology trends always evolving, tech companies and developers are constantly testing out new ideas and ventures to provide consumers with innovative technology to meet their needs. We regularly see ideas such as blockchain for business, cloud adoption for storing large amounts of data, and AR (augmented reality) for fashion retailers being rolled out on a near-monthly basis. Technology trends are becoming bigger and bolder, with the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence, and machine learning heading the crowd. Here are five of the most important current and upcoming digital transformation trends.

Big changes for big data

In the upcoming years, big data will be used to drive important decisions, predictions, and calculations. It’ll also drive significant innovation and disrupt established businesses as the year moves ahead. This data will also add a new level of intelligence to business operations.

One of the technology trends we may see with big data is the employment of artificial intelligence (AI) to retrieve ‘dark data’ (the information assets organizations collect, process, and store during regular business activities, but generally fail to use for other purposes), helping to prevent security breaches and fraud. It will help businesses to become more efficient and increase their growth. A recent report states that the global revenues for big data and business analytics will grow by more than $203 billion by 2020 and that by 2025 there will be 163 zettabytes of data generated per year, most of which will come from IoT.

A move toward 5G

Just as the amount of data produced by IoT and artificial intelligence will force data to the edge, it’ll also force mobile providers to move faster, towards 5G. The latest 5G technology will gain more attention as we move forward due to the boost in data volumes and transactions calling for a need for higher data and network speeds.

Consumers today have a high level of expectation for hyper-connectivity, but the move to 5G will not happen overnight, and it could be patchy at best. At the moment, we’re seeing Gigabyte LTE (the bridge between LTE and 5G) making impressive steps, with brands such as Sony and Samsung leading the way. Much of this movement is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon technology but it’s likely that others will want to become involved in this rapidly growing mobile market.

More attention on augmented reality

Augmented reality is a hot trend in the gaming world, but it’ll move out of this sector and be seen in the business and retail sectors too. It is actively being used in 3D viewers, reality browsers, and even for some retail service providers as a heightened shopping experience for customers.

Industries like telecommunication, manufacturing, and energy, where workers are often scattered and need to work remotely, are using AR for communication and training purposes. Even healthcare companies are looking to use augmented reality tools in the operating room to provide improved services. In terms of mobile, companies have seen a downturn in mobile phone purchases because consumers simply don’t see the value of buying a new phone every 18 months. Devices equipped with AR will prove to be the ‘next big thing’ for mobile users.

Moving all the way to the edge

Edge computing is jumping right to the forefront of the business scene and is one of the technology trends to watch. It is a method of optimizing cloud computer systems by performing computing that is done at or near the source of the data. This means that the cloud at different data centers is no longer relied on: the cloud comes to you.

Edge computing is driven by the sheer volume of data produced by IoT devices. As devices such as smart drones, autonomous vehicles, and other AI-powered gadgets try to connect and communicate with other connected devices, sending this data to the cloud will become impractical. Many IoT devices will need real-time responses and processing, which is where edge computing comes in. While it’ll be the ‘go-to’ choice for processing real-time data, for those of you who have just started learning about cloud computing, edge computing will not replace it. All relevant and important data will still be sent to the cloud.

AI technology trends go to the boardroom

Artificial intelligence is not one of the newest technology trends but it is constantly undergoing changes and offering innovations to consumers. AI has mostly been used in consumer-facing situations, like chatbots such as Facebook Messenger and other platforms.

With improved technology, more artificial intelligence applications will be available to companies to help with marketing and business plans by going through data, collecting information, and putting it into context. It can help business owners make better decisions, as they will have all the relevant data at their disposal. By analyzing activities and log files to discover where there might be wasted time or money, AI can help executives to create streamlined production systems.

The future is technological

One thing’s for sure - technology trends are definitely set to be exciting, especially for businesses. We’ll see changes to big data, and, because of how in demand IoT and its hyper-connectivity is, mobile service providers will have to improve their speeds by adopting 5G.

Augmented reality will offer corporates and businesses unique opportunities to connect with their customers, and edge computing will help with storing and reacting to all the data collected from these IoT devices. All in all, this year is shaping up to be one focused on technological trends. Smart technology is geared towards changing lives, so find out more by reading our thoughts on future technology trends.