Today, we’re taking a look at 5 of the most important technology trends by 2025.
The speed of technological change in today’s world is hard to underestimate. Although innovation in the tech landscape is nothing new, our changes since the pandemic seem to be happening at an accelerating pace. In recent years, we’ve seen a significant increase in everything from AI initiatives to the Internet of Things (IoT).
While not all technology trends are a necessity for every brand, there are some new innovations that will have a lasting impact on most businesses.
5 technology trends you need to be prepared for by 2025 (if you’re not already investing in these areas) are:
1. Automation at scale
The concept of “hyper-automation” has gained increasing attention in recent years. As companies struggle with increasingly demanding customers, rapid employee turnover, and increasingly complex processes, automation is becoming a critical factor in keeping things running smoothly.
Many companies are already investing in simple automation processes, such as managing IT and data processing. However, hyper-automation will take this concept to the next level. With hyper-automation, companies are taking advantage of the combined benefits of RPA (Robotic Process Automation), machine learning, and AI.
Hyper-automation will impact all types of workflows by enabling companies to respond more intelligently and instantly to a range of common problems. The right solutions will involve building “smart workflows” with robotic systems capable of responding to context. The key to success for most brands, of course, is knowing what to automate and how to implement the right workflow strategies.
For example, while various aspects of customer service such as onboarding and routine payment management can be easily automated, there will still need to be humans providing compassion and empathy to end users. The future depends on the perfect balance between human and machine innovation.
2. New Standards for AI Investments
There’s no way around the massive impact of Artificial Intelligence on businesses around the world today. Increasingly, we rely on intelligent solutions to help us identify trends in customer preferences, capture sentiment, and even predict future needs. However, the smarter our tools become, the more they can bring privacy and security challenges.
According to one study, 70% of U.S. citizens currently worry that AI is taking over our lives or collecting too much information. As technologies like natural language processing and biometric security solutions become more prevalent, it’s important that leaders take steps to develop policies and practices that keep everyone safe.
Organizations need to ensure that they aren’t only investing in AI solutions that will make their teams more efficient and productive, but also in solutions that have been developed with AI ethics in mind. Everything from how data is collected and stored to how companies invest in developing virtual agents needs to be rethought. In the future, we can expect to see a variety of new governance strategies in this space.
If you plan to implement more AI technology into your ecosystem in the coming years, it’s imperative that you also ensure you take steps to keep the landscape as secure as possible.
3. The Rise of Distributed Cloud Environments
Cloud technology is probably one of the most far-reaching innovations we’ve seen in recent years. Although the shift to cloud processes has been underway at major brands for some time, it’s become increasingly important in recent years. The rise of hybrid working and distributed workers means we’re all spending more time in the cloud than ever before.
The concept of “distributed cloud” envisions a landscape where organizations can move services, management, and business operations outside of a centralized data center to be accessed wherever they’re needed, including on-edge device networks. Although large cloud service providers are still gaining traction today, the number of smaller providers that can deliver more flexible solutions is likely to increase.
Regardless of what happens next in the cloud landscape, interoperability and open standards will be critical. Teams will need access to simple and accessible cloud landscapes where they can combine multiple tools into a single platform. At the same time, organizations will need to ensure that the use of these cloud environments doesn’t cause problems with the team’s internal compliance and security strategies.
