The future of IT, where to begin? It’s that time of year – where we all start getting nostalgic about the year that’s nearly over, as well as excited over the new year to come. And that also means predictions about what we will see over the next 12 months and beyond. So, what can we expect, technologically?

The Internet Of Things

We’ve talked a little bit about the Internet of Things (IoT) before amid the growth of connectivity. IoT is designed to do just that, to connect. So that any device connected to the internet can talk to each other. The telecoms industry enables internet device connectivity, in fact, it’s one of the biggest players in the IoT market and its development.

We’ve been seeing steady growth in this industry, mainly on the consumer side, as more smart-devices and smart-home compatible gadget releases take place. Now, it’s businesses’ turn. IoT offers businesses unprecedented opportunities for gathering data and automating processes, as well as developing new products and services to meet the ever-increasing demands for connectivity. We can expect IoT  to have a major impact on business, even those that don’t operate in the technology sector.

5G Data Networks

By now, most of us have heard of, and taken advantage of, 4G data networks. It’s what makes a lot of the connectivity businesses depend on possible, particularly as we continue to move into a more mobile-centric world. But 2020 promises the delivery of something even better – the next generation of internet connectivity.

5G offers super-fast download and upload speeds, as well as more stable connections. For businesses, the potential to launch brand new products and services that simply aren’t possible right now will arrive. Not to mention, moving into new markets and increasing productivity. It will also allow businesses to experiment with the next technology trend…

Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality

Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) have been around for a while, but they haven’t always been ready for mass-scale use. But it’s been maturing, and the technologies have made extraordinary progress in the last decade or so.

With new software and hardware developments come new use cases for business. In fact, 2020 looks to be a big year for them. VR and AR offer opportunities to consumers to preview company offerings, ranging from products to hotels, holiday destinations and even different shades of cosmetics. In a recent poll, 63% of consumers say they would be interested in using VR this way. And as such, brands are starting to take notice.

Some brands have already experimented with this concept and have seen huge success. Makeup brand NARS, for example, launched a 10-minute ‘try-on and swatch’ video that includes a ‘virtual try-on’ function on mobile devices, so viewers can see how the shades would look on them live as they watch. We expect to be seeing more of this type of interactive video used by businesses in the coming months.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is another technology that has been slowly embedding itself into the business world. But one of the key areas it’s geared up to make a big impact in is security and cybersecurity. Also, when combined with machine learning, AI has the potential to revolutionise the cybersecurity world,  to create hyperautomation.

Hyperautomation can automate security tasks that are traditionally performed by human beings. These range from repeatable tasks to those that can prevent more sophisticated hacking techniques, including digital twins. AI in the security space has previously demonstrated some weaknesses. But these are showing off their capabilities more and more every day. Soon we expect to see AI cybersecurity tools feature as the standard to protect businesses and business data.

Plan for 2020

Whichever way you look at it, 2020 is set to be an exciting year for technology and business IT. At Indigo IT, we can’t wait to help more business owners streamline their IT infrastructure, adopt new cutting-edge technologies and improve their business functions with effective IT solutions from all across the spectrum, including those we’ve talked about today.

If you’re looking to make 2020 your best year yet, or just want to find out about how to improve your IT,  get in touch with the team today.

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