More digital transformation has been produced in the last six months than ever in the last decade and the transformation is increasing at a large scale. It is possible that the core technologies like AI and data analytics will continue to dominate the digital landscape or the new technologies will emerge and take the lead.
Below are the top ten digital transformation predictions for 2021.
1. 5G Will Go Mainstream
The advantages of 5G were not that prominent until remote work, videoconferencing, and digital collaboration became inevitable in this crisis for reliable connectivity, and the need for more bandwidth increased. Our dependence on devices such as phones, tablets shows the requirement for the multi-lane superhighway that telecommunications companies already understood we would require. 5G deployments have become a vital part of the solution as businesses nowadays cannot afford to be disconnected. %G is going to go mainstream as people continue to work and manage school from homes.
2. CDP Explosion
An increase in Customer Data Platforms (CDP) has been seen in the previous few months. Uneven data from numerous sources can be particularly tough to organize, which isn’t good for companies that depend on timely, well-curated data to function optimally. CDPs gather data from every accessible source, organizes it, tags it, and make it operational for everyone who requires access to it. Adobe, SAP, Oracle, Treasure Data, and Microsoft are the companies that have already heavily invested in offering the market with powerful new CDPs.
3. Hybrid Cloud Declared The Winning Enterprise Architecture
Businesses are continuously shifting toward a hybrid cloud infrastructure. Hybrid cloud strategies help companies keep the right balance for their specific cloud infrastructure requirements. Large public cloud providers like AWS, Azure, Google, IBM, and Oracle have invested heavily in hybrid. Investment is also increased by OEMs like HPE, Dell (VMware), and Cisco in building tools that allow simpler connectivity between on-premises datacenters and cloud. The innovative attitude to hybrid cloud is growing from conventional IT to support industrial applications as well.
4. Cybersecurity Gets A Jolt
Cybersecurity is important and relevant, however, it was not a critical tech trend last year but it has regained its relevance due to the pandemic. The crisis has been exploited by hackers to grow and unleash their attacks against businesses globally. A surge in attacks on banks and cloud servers has been observed. Since fewer employees are working on-site, which means companies bolster their networks and improve their cybersecurity strategies.
5. Privacy And Confidential Computing Gains Momentum
Confidential computing is another tactic to improve cybersecurity, especially regarding communications and data privacy. The overview of confidential computing is to encrypt the total computing process, not just the data, generating more covers of security around sensitive information. Confidential Computing Consortium is used by Google, Microsoft, IBM, Alibaba, and VMware to develop new protocols and best practices. The technology is relatively new, but it is most likely to slide into the mainstream in 2021.
6. Headless Tech Disrupts Industries, Reshapes Commerce
Businesses can now detach their front-end presentation layer from their back-end data functionality to generate custom shopping experiences. This can be a simple process and this type of commerce is done by a lot of more and more people. Research reveals that the customer acquisition costs of many businesses have increased which can mean that the companies should increase the ROI of their net new customer acquisition costs and also focus on customer development and retention. Companies could become more efficient in 2021 by moving beyond the omnichannel experience to connect everything from warehouses to storefronts to online services.
7. Work From Home Outlasts COVID-19
Working from home was the only feasible option because of the strict coronavirus lockdowns. However, as economies gradually reopen and employees can return to work, companies will need to protect their workforce from possible outbreak resurgences. It is the reason why numerous big tech companies including Google and Facebook have further prolonged their work from home policies. Even smaller companies will consider prolonging work from home as a viable and flexible operational option.
8. AI Democratized At Scale
The democratization of AI and data has been accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic. Companies, governments, and other agencies all got together to develop a solution almost overnight to stop the spread of the virus. The tools that they naturally turned to were Data, AI, and machine learning. It started in 2020 but will continue until 2021.
9. Device Form Factors Become Interesting Again
Customers return to the lighter and smaller devices to stay more connected than before. Rather than using many devices, users have begun looking for hybrid devices such as the Microsoft Surface Duo and the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 that can be used as phones or as tablets, and are foldable. folding smartphones will make a comeback in 2021.
10. Quantum Moves To Mainstream
Quantum computing has seen unparalleled growth. Quantum computing has been leading the pandemic efforts to control the spread of the disease, as well as the development of therapeutics and possible vaccines. More use cases will be seen in other industries as people recognize the benefit that quantum computing can provide such as the capability to simply query, monitor, analyze, and act on data at scale, from any source at any time.