Technology will continue to transmute our lives and the way
business is conducted, understanding and anticipating trends are essential to
the success of organizations and individuals.
Based on the opinions of 31 successful executives, Christina
DeMarais has produced a whitepaper titled 31 Technical Predictions for 2019,
which sheds light on what we can expect this year. I share the ones that seem
most relevant to me and should be used for scenario planning and strategy
development.
The next step for Amazon will be the hotel industry. As part
of its portfolio of solutions, the firm can be expected to begin offering
cleaning and home renovation services, as well as entering the travel and
restaurant sectors.
Cyberattacks will move into the real world. What happens
when virtual attacks go to real assets, the damage will be greater, and with a
longer duration.
Security will move upstream. Information security aspects
will be considered during the application development process. The interest
will not only be in avoiding loopholes in security codes, but the emphasis will be
placed on identifying abnormal activities that could generate risks.
Customer success is the new growth of startups. Focusing on
building a strong customer base is the foundation for building strong
companies.
The workspace will evolve. By performing repetitive tasks
performed by robots, employees will spend less time in the workspace, so the
offices will be a network of spaces where employees can work, brainstorm, learn
or work independently.
The healthcare industry will move to B2C. Consumers are
increasingly empowered and expect a better and more personalized experience
from the healthcare sector. Consumers will be able to compare prices for
services and will seek services outside of traditional locations.
Soft skills will be the hallmark. People will focus on
services that only humans can perform, creative thinking, judgment, empathy. In
the coming years, adaptability will be the most enduring skill, understood as
the ability to continually learn and adapt.
Agile development will play an important role throughout the
organization. A flexible approach will encourage experimentation,
collaboration, and development. The ability to generate, analyze and learn from
data will be essential when developing new solutions.
Technology will play a vital role in improving the quality
of jobs. Artificial intelligence will help improve the human experience. A
Gallup's study found that 44% of workers now believe they are "burned
out" on the job.
The use of blockchain will become popular. A large number of
transactions will require more secure information processing systems, which
will accelerate the adoption of these technologies.
Companies will recruit candidates with training that goes
beyond traditional training. A traditional college education will not be a
requirement and development opportunities will be more knowledge-driven.
Voice technologies will not replace keyboards or displays.
The voice will be complementary, and customers expect companies to offer them
ways to make it easier for them to communicate with the company.
Brands will use market intelligence technology. Businesses
will strive to forge closer connections with potential customers, which will
require a more appropriate approach to reach them using artificial
intelligence.
Synthetic biology will be the main source of innovation.
Science, technology, and engineering will work together to solve local problems,
with a focus on safety, ethics, and responsibility.
Tech companies will remain private for longer. This will put
strong pressure on the liquidity of organizations, therefore, special attention
should be paid to financially healthy growth, the flow will remain the main
one.
Clients will be as influential as directors. Customers are
the epicenter of business models and they expect the company to continually
pamper and satisfy them.
More and more companies will develop ethical codes for the
use of data. Society demands better control over the data collected, inferred, and derived. The ethical use of artificial intelligence and "machine
learning" must be a clear commitment of organizations.
The use of visual data and artificial intelligence will
dramatically increase the value of communication services. Companies are
optimizing data processing to make it available to decision-makers in a simple
and timely manner.
Online shopping will become the new traditional business model.
The decline of large retail chains will continue as operations move to online
operations.
The demand for enterprise risk management services will
continue to grow. Market uncertainty requires companies to have formal risk
management systems to improve decision-making.
The tsunami of small and medium enterprises will abandon the
idea of having their own technological infrastructure. Companies will find it
safer, cheaper, and more rewarding to rely on experienced vendors to manage
their technology solutions. This can accelerate the integration of the
ecosystem.
Giant on-demand workers will be younger and more selective
in their career choices. Attracting and retaining talent will be an ongoing
challenge for projects and ongoing work.
Understanding these trends and knowing how they can be used
to accelerate the growth of an organization is the key to success in the next 5
years for any organization and any professional who wants to stand out for
their valuable contributions.
