Information Technology Landscape 2021
Technology is always marching forward and never back. There are several highly intuitive tech companies that place a high emphasis on innovation and creating the best products available for their customers. Due to recent events, tech companies have really started to push the boundaries on what they thought possible for technology.
These innovations have become necessary to help society continue to function in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic properly. It will probably take decades in order to understand the consequences created by the COVID-19 pandemic fully. Almost every single aspect of life has been affected in some way or another.
However, the use of technology has been able to help mitigate the damage in an immeasurable number of ways. While some of the current trends will only be necessary until the pandemic is under control, some of these changes might be permanent.
These are some of the booming trends in the world of information technology to be on the lookout for in 2021.
Cloud Services
The number of companies and private citizens who use cloud services has been growing fairly steadily since they first arrived in 2010. However, since the number of people who work from home has recently skyrocketed due to the pandemic, cloud services have changed from luxury to necessity.
In the old days, companies would store their digital information and resources locally. An employee would be required to log into their work computer at the designated officer in order to access the information stored on servers that were usually maintained on site.
Since working from home has become the new normal for a lot of companies, their employees can no longer access said information and resources. As a result, more companies have started using cloud services in order to give their employees remote access to the tools they need to perform their jobs.
Mobile Apps
Although mobile apps might seem like they’ve been around for a long time, they’ve only been available for a little more than ten years. In that short amount of time, their usage and popularity have absolutely exploded and have become an integral part of daily society for both individuals and businesses.
The growth forecast predicts that mobile apps will become an even larger part of society in the future. Industry experts predict that by the year 2022, more than 258 billion mobile apps will be downloaded, which is an increase of 45 percent since 2017.
Even more eye-catching is their prediction on how much money will be spent on apps. They predict that users will spend more than $157 billion in app stores, a staggering increase of 92 percent growth since 2017.
A lot of apps are designed around fun, games, or recreation, but there are plenty of apps that provide extremely beneficial services that can help their user more effectively operate their business and keep their information more secure.
Whatever the app is being used for, there is no denying that apps are an extremely profitable business and will continue to grow in the future.
Cyber Security
As technology continues to progress into the future, the potential threats that a business or individual may face are becoming more difficult to prevent. The internet has made life so much more convenient for individuals and businesses.
For example, it is now possible to work entirely from home, purchase food and items, and have them delivered straight to your door. There is no denying that this is an unprecedented level of convenience that only requires an internet connection and a smart device. Unfortunately, the convenience of the internet has also put these same individuals and businesses at a greater risk of being attacked by cybercriminals.
Even billion-dollar companies and national government agencies can be successfully hacked. In order to prevent similar attacks in the future, there has been a renewed passion ignited in the field of information technology.
More and more companies are developing software and apps designed to protect your privacy and keep your information safe.
Blockchain Technology
Another trend that is placing an emphasis on cyber security is the development of blockchain. Although blockchain is most commonly associated with the highly volatile cryptocurrency market, it’s actually a very stable technology.
Blockchain is essentially a new way of recording information permanently in order to prevent it from being altered, hacked, or changed in any way. Every time that a block in the chain of information undergoes a new transaction it will create a record that will be recorded to a ledger. This decentralized ledger is easily accessible and allows for more transparency on the history of the information block.
Although blockchain is still relatively new in development, it’s becoming more common, and the applications are limitless. This trend will continue to grow in the future and could eventually become the new standard for security and information sharing on the internet.
Automation
One of the main principles of technology is to “work smarter and not harder.” The wheel is a good example of this philosophy and is one of the oldest pieces of technology created by mankind. We’ve advanced pretty far from the wheel in the modern age, but the principle has stayed the same.
For example, most car manufacturers will now use automation robots to weld together the chassis of a car instead of having a human worker perform the task. The benefits of using automation can be almost priceless for a business.
Although these robots will require maintenance and break down occasions, they will generally be able to perform their jobs at a much higher quality than a human, require less time to complete them, and there is virtually no possibility of any humans experiencing an injury.
Automation also removes the human element of a job. Unlike humans, robots will never get tired, sick, quit, retire, go on vacation, or ask for a raise. It’s fairly clear to see why the transition to automation has been steadily growing over the years, and the pandemic has only increased the demand for more.
SMART Technology
Highly similar to artificial intelligence, SMART technology is an acronym that means Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology. The overall goal of this type of technology is to create a cognitive awareness for objects and permit them to learn.
Most people have encountered this style of technology in the form of cell phones, as smartphones have been the standard for about a decade now. However, in recent years SMART technology has been applied to a wide variety of products including vehicles, watches, doorbells, thermostats, locks, refrigerators, and dozens of other everyday items.
The applications are virtually limitless, and the potential benefits make the pursuit of this technology a very high priority in the tech world.
For example, the use of SMART technology has been applied to vehicles, and it’s possible that the world may one day see self-driving cars become the new standard. It’s nearly impossible to estimate just how much the world would change in the event that self-driving cars become readily available, but the positives seem to outweigh the negatives highly. As a result, tech companies are pouring in billions of dollars into the research and development of both artificial intelligence and SMART technology.
The Takeaway
The COVID-19 has greatly impacted the way of life for billions of people around the planet, and the information technology world has responded to these changes.
Current trends have become way more necessary for practical applications, and ideas of the past have recently become realities. In the wake of these recent advances, tech companies have become more focused on providing the best experience possible for their users.
SOURCES:
How Cloud Storage Works | HowStuffWorks
The 2017-2022 App Economy Forecast: 6 Billion Devices, $157 Billion in Spend & More | Appannie.com
The 10 Biggest Ransomware Attacks of 2021 | Illinois.touro.edu