2018 Technology Trends That Are Here To Stay

By:  Sunil Bhatia, CEO Infogain

 Here are 6 Technology Trends transforming our future:

Tech Trend #1: Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning, including RPA and Virtual Assistants

The ability to use AI and Machine Learning to enhance decision making, reinvent business models, and remake the customer experience will drive the payoff for digital initiatives in 2018.A recent Gartner survey showed that 59% of organizations are still gathering information to build their AI strategies, while the remainder has already made progress in adopting AI solutions.Business intelligence and data analytics activities are becoming easier to perform, and that’s driving their adoption in mainstream businesses that are seeking to make better, faster decisions.And as enterprises become more acclimated with automation, RPA will take over low-value repetitive tasks and work. We will see RPA-based digital workers (i.e., bots) replacing and/or augmenting office and administrative positions and sales and related jobs to deliver enhanced customer experiences. In addition, virtual assistants’ popularity will increase, driven by the presence and easy accessibility of assistants in smartphones.

Tech Trend #2: Blockchain

A practical approach to blockchain demands a clear understanding of the business opportunity, the capabilities and limitations of blockchain, a trust architecture and the necessary implementation skills. Identify the integration points with existing infrastructures, and monitor the platform evolution and maturation.The inherent distributed, secure and scalable nature of blockchain architecture will see adoption in financial, insurance, healthcare, government and networking/IoT.

Tech Trend #3: IoT

IoT will increasingly appear in a variety of objects ranging from smart healthcare equipment to autonomous harvesting robots for farms. With the proliferation of IoT sensors, CX, Security, digital services, cloud, AI, Machine Learning mobile devices and digital services creating an abundance of data, having the ability to turn this information into meaningful and actionable insights will help businesses to thrive in 2018.

Tech Trend #4: Intelligent Apps

Intelligent apps powered by AI and machine learning are no longer a futuristic nicety, rather they are a present-day necessity that every enterprise must get on board with sooner rather than later if they want to compete and attract and retain top talent. With benefits aplenty, ‘smart apps’ can expedite business transformation and deliver unprecedented new insights, while unleashing next level productivity.

Tech Trend #5: Cloud

There will be a continuation of cloud adoption in mid-sized and larger enterprises in 2018. Enterprises now also recognize that most cloud companies invest heavily in the security of their cloud infrastructure, platforms and cloud applications. Security teams of the cloud companies are much larger and much more experienced than their own. Overall, the larger enterprises are becoming comfortable and confident with cloud security and the cloud itself.

Tech Trend No. 6: Customer Experience (CX)

According to Forrester, 72% of businesses say that improving Customer Experience (CX) is their top priority. CX needs to be as uniform as possible, across any device or platform that your customers use to interact with you. Using a smartphone app along with sensors, items are tracked when they are removed or replaced on shelves, while the retailer knows exactly what is in the customer’s cart and upon exit are instantly charged to their account. Businesses are also using speech-enabled service to deliver superior CX. Customers will be able to have full-fledged conversations with bots while allowing businesses expand their capability to answer customer service issues with each interaction.

In 2018,these top technology trends will deliver more dynamic and flexible digital outcomes. They are here to stay and transform the way businesses use IT in the coming year and beyond.