2020 was an interesting year, wasn’t it? While we were all challenged to survive the stay home orders, technology was also put to the test. But it wasn’t all doom and gloom – technology allowed us to work from home, stay in touch with the people we care about and helped us learn how to cope with the uncertainty.
As we head into 2021, there are some big technology trends to keep an eye out for. These trends will have a big impact on how we live our daily lives and the driving force for how we manage change in the face of the unexpected.
Working from home
In early 2020, many businesses around the world had to adjust to stay at home orders at warp speed. Changes that may have taken months or years pre-COVID, were actioned in a few short weeks. So as we move into 2021, we’ll be looking for more than just the setup of a home office, but how technology can work to improve security and storage of data.
Cybersecurity
Speaking of working from home, the Coronavirus pandemic saw millions of employees leave the secure office environment and the number of cyberattacks skyrocketed a whopping 238%. Businesses will need to reevaluate their cybersecurity strategies and find new ways to ensure the safety of their data with so many people working from home on different networks.
This is where artificial intelligence and machine learning come in. There’s a strong need for automated tools and more sophisticated tech to help businesses uncover potential threats online. In 2020, Microsoft and others invested heavily into their cloud security and we predict this trend to continue as new cybersecurity threats continue to surface.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
We have more data than ever before that can be used to give us insights into human behaviour and help us meet the needs of a changing world. AI can spot patterns in data that we may miss and self-learning algorithms are set to become even more important, particularly when managing a public health crisis like COVID-19.
As more and more behaviour takes place online, we’ll likely see more AI tools start to be used by businesses to learn from their customers. From shopping habits, socialising and productivity, AI is set to integrate into different aspects of life online in 2021 and beyond.
5G network
There have been a lot of conspiracy theories about 5G making the rounds, and in 2021 we’ll start to see exactly what this network upgrade can do. It’s predicted that it will allow for better streaming of virtual and augmented reality, as well as improve the overall experience of online gaming (particularly cloud-based gaming services like Google Stadia).
Essentially, 5G will make it possible for us to do more on the internet and access it faster, from anywhere. AI and machine learning need real-time access to Big Data to run effectively, so soon it may be possible for this to happen anywhere in the world.
IT compliance
When we talk about compliance, we’re talking about what businesses and individuals are doing to follow the legal rules. For IT, this means the measures taken to increase data privacy and strengthen security for IT systems. Data privacy and cybersecurity are some of the biggest risks facing businesses and these trends are predicted to continue.
In order to keep up with regulations and changes in privacy laws, we may see businesses embracing automation and machine learning in 2021. What we may also see is a rise in the need for IT compliance talent, especially at the enterprise level, to address the need for constant compliance which is set to become the ‘norm’.
Multi-Cloud evolution
It’s mind blowing to think about how quickly the cloud evolution has come about. In 2021 and beyond, we’ll start to see cloud alternatives pop up as one of the major trends in technology. We’ve seen the big players, like Google and Dropbox, dominate the market, but other smaller providers are starting to appear, like Aerobatic and Amazon S3.
With the introduction of 5G and increased capabilities across all kinds of devices, it’s natural that we’ll need more robust and readily available storage solutions to handle all the data we’re creating now and into the future.
Get set up for success with the Geeks
Whether you’re setting up new devices or need to update or adjust your current network security systems, we can help. Give the Geeks a call on 1300 599 521 to learn how you can stay ahead of the curve and harness some of the technology trends above for your home or office.
