The constant evolution of technologies applied to business processes is taking a decisive toll on leaders and professionals in the IT sector. At a symposium held at the end of last year, the Gartner Portal presented the main "Strategic Technology Trends" that will affect most organizations during 2018.
These trends can be defined here as recent segments with high potential or sectors that have seen accelerated development in recent years.
Some of these trends, such as Artificial Intelligence, Virtual and Augmented Realities and the "Internet of Things" are advances that all IT professionals should keep on their radars at all times. The list also includes segments related to the integration of physical and virtual environments and greater connectivity between people, companies, devices and services. Check out the main points of the symposium:
01 - Strengthening the Foundations of Artificial Intelligence
By at least 2020, one of the main challenges for technology manufacturers will be to develop systems that not only learn, but also adapt and act autonomously, making an exponential contribution to decision-making within organizations. It will be increasingly essential for professionals to invest significantly in their skills, processes and tools in order to exploit these techniques more and more.
02 - Application Intelligence and Analysis
Just as AI will undergo significant evolution, applications and services will follow this trend. Many of these functions will incorporate some form of Artificial Intelligence. These intelligent apps will transform the nature of work and the very structure of organizations, even affecting business management (ERP).
03 - Internet of ALL Things
Here we have yet another item that goes hand in hand with the evolution of AI, which is increasingly contributing to the development of intelligent things (cars, robots, drones, etc.)
Although still in the process of development and improvement, the use of autonomous vehicles in controlled environments is already a trend, whether in tests in metropolises or in agriculture and mining. Although many experts still believe that, at least initially, these vehicles will have to rely on a driver being present in the event of an unexpected failure, we can already see a step towards semi-autonomous technology in our cultures.
04 - Digital Twins
This concept can be defined as the digital presence of a tangible entity, organization or system in the real world. This connection allows for faster information exchange, a shorter change interval, improved operations and processes and exponential growth in added value.
Over the years, there will be virtual representations of practically every aspect of our real world, and with the help of Artificial Intelligence, they will allow simulations, operations and analysis at an advanced level.
05 - Cloud to the Edge
The concept of Edge Computing refers to infrastructures where data processing, collection and distribution are carried out close to the source. Due to the immense challenges related to connectivity and latency time, this structure is gaining ground among organizations. Initially seen as a competitor to the Cloud model, this application can actually act in a complementary way, in distributed processes that are disconnected or decentralized from the main Cloud platform.
06 - Conversation Platforms
One of the main revolutions in our interaction with the digital world, the development and evolution of interpretation and conversation platforms will bring about a huge paradigm shift in the way we interact with systems. Still in the process of being perfected, the great challenge of this technology is to get rid of some users' frustration with extremely structured communications, which still pose barriers to more agile and uncomplicated communication.
07 - Immersive Experiences
Certainly one of the developments most present in users' daily lives, Virtual, Augmented and even Mixed Realities have transformed the way we understand and interact with the digital world. Although the specific markets for these technologies are still in their infancy and very fragmented, the concept of this mixture of realities has been gaining momentum among leading developers: in this type of immersion, technical functionalities are combined, allowing not only the use of devices such as helmets and glasses but also smartphones and environmental sensors.
08 - Blockchain
The technology that revolutionized the cryptocurrency infrastructure still has a lot to grow in terms of its presence in the most varied systems of record. Initially promoted for the financial industry, the application potential includes many other sectors such as administration, health, industry, media, among others. Although a long-term promise, it will be a reality in the next two to three years.
09 - Event Focus
We can define an "Event" as any digitally marked situation that reflects a change in status. For example, the completion of a purchase order or service. With the advent of Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things and other technologies, these organizational events can be detected much more quickly and analyzed in greater depth. These digital business models also create a demand for change in IT leaders (those responsible for planning) and architects.
10 - Continuous adaptation of risks and trust
With increasingly advanced and targeted attacks, digital business initiatives must adopt a continuous risk and trust assessment approach, known as CARTA, which allows decisions to be made based on trust and also on real risks with adapted responses and solutions. These infrastructures must be able to adapt to any situation, assessing opportunities and managing risks in real time. As part of this approach, one of the main barriers to be broken down is between the security and applications teams, bringing about an evolution in the interaction between development and operations.
As we can see, the progress and development promoted by each of these technologies and the integration of applications between them can provide countless benefits for development, processes and results in organizations. As IT professionals, we must be aware of the opportunities and invest assertively in the skills that can enable us to work in each of these areas. That way, we'll be ready to provide the right answers to market demands.
