Top Trends in the Technology Industry
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... sneak peek
The technology world is dominated by new trends, and they are very important in the decision-making processes of firms involved in this industry. Every tech-based organization must be very keen on the prevailing conditions in the industry when making decisions to ensure that the very best decision is made at all times. In the technology industry, there are many innovations each new day. Thanks to the thousands of tech startups, new products with a huge impact on our daily lives are announced each passing day. The technological landscape is ever-changing. The main trends in the tech industry today could be identified as; artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, edge computing, quantum computing, virtual and augmented reality, and cyber security. They represent probably some of the biggest concerns for every firm operating in the technology world today. Every business must be vigilant enough to move with the tide in the technological dispensation and ensure they are not left behind by the trends in the industry.
1. Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) has been making the headlines for the past couple of years. AI is one of the concepts that have the potential to significantly impact the world's future. The programming of machines to execute human tasks has been ongoing for the past few years. In most cases, when we hear about AI, robots come to mind; however, although robots are beneficiaries of AI, AI is a concept based on the principle of human intelligence. AI comes to being when machines are programmed to mimic human behavior when performing simple tasks to complex ones.
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In this case, every top firm in technology has been trying to take the lead and dominate the AI sub-sector of technology. Today, AI has been integrated into robotics, customer services (identified as AI Assistants), healthcare, Autonomous Machinery (including self-driving cars), the finance industry, and even social media. AI can rationalize and take up a specific action to achieve a specific goal. . A lot has been tried and tested, with companies like Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and Amazon, among others all having relative success in this area.
The attempt to introduce AI into the public domain has been faced with high-octane challenges, mostly the interaction between the people and the systems. With engineers developing systems that exceed human's ability to reason and learn, the lingering question of the introduction of AI systems has been that of ethics and whether AI systems shall replace humans in the tasks allocated to them. While some people remain skeptical about AI's ability, some concerns cannot be overlooked regarding the extent to which AI's ability reaches.
Artificial Intelligence is still an area under huge development. The minor breakthroughs have been in the making of robots, Amazon's use of drones for deliveries, and Google's board game 'Go' among others; there is yet to be a breakthrough in artificial intelligence. No company can claim to have taken a breakout lead from the rest and left the competition quite behind. It is a major trend in the world of technology, an area to watch over in the years to come, as it should be an interesting area of loads of invention where businesses may easily cash in on the same.
2. Edge Computing
Cloud computing took the internet by storm and major players, including Amazon, Microsoft, IBM, and Google have dominated the cloud space. Edge computing is based on two interesting concepts; cloud computing and the Internet of Things (IoT). IoT comprises devices connected to the internet tasked with executing a task, including collecting data or completing an activity. Earlier on, data collected by IoT had to be transmitted to cloud servers for processing through centralized resources. The transmission was faced with challenges; mostly latency.
Edge computing helps solve some of the problems experienced earlier on through resource decentralization. It is based on a distributed computing framework, where more responsibilities on data storage and processing are brought closer to the IoT, which is the data source. One of the fundamental benefits of edge computing is increased response time. As earlier expressed, data had to be sent to cloud servers for processing; with edge technology, this necessity has been removed. However, it is imperative to note that data transmission to the cloud has not been eliminated; it has been made quicker and more precise.
Consider a medical device in a remote location. Once the device collects data, it can process it to determine if immediate action is required. This determination is made without a connection to the cloud servers. Once it is connected to the cloud, it can transmit a report on the data collected, the response given, and even a justification for the type of response.
With edge computing, time-sensitive actions can seamlessly be taken, even in areas with limited connectivity.
3. Quantum Computing
The concept of quantum computing simply describes the speed at which a block of data is processed through superposition and quantum entanglement. Interestingly, the concept emerged in the 1980s; however, lately, the technology has been fast-tracked and it is now a trending technology.
So how fast is a quantum computer? In 2019 Google Quantum Computer, Sycamore solved a designed problem in 200 seconds, one that would have taken a supercomputer (NOT your personal computer or the server in your workplace, a supercomputer) 10, 000 years. Although recently some designed processors solved the problem in hours, the speed used by the quantum computer is fast, really fast! The speeds of data processing provided by quantum computers will help solve some of the world's complex riddles, simulate molecular structures down to the atomic level, complement artificial intelligence (AI), and more.
Quantum technology has not been fully explored and there is still a long way to go before quantum computers can be fully deployed, and even find their way into your home. However, these advancements are promising.
4. Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR)
Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are concepts that you have probably heard about. Although the names are at times used interchangeably, they represent different concepts in the digital world.
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Virtual Reality focuses on a digital simulation of a new reality. By using the right VR hardware, you can experience new realities and give you the impressions that you are in a new realm. VR hardware components are designed to block any touch with your surroundings, especially sound and sight. There are videos of people using VR to ride a roller coaster and ending up screaming during the tight curves and sharp drops. That is the true focus of VR, replacing your world with a new reality, and ensuring you feel part of the new reality. You might be physically in the normal world, but you are wholly immense, both mentally and emotionally in a new world.
Augmented Reality's (AR) focus is to add to your normal world. AR takes real-world surroundings and adds digital elements to them using technologies such as depth tracking, computer vision, and mapping. Real-world elements can be collected using cameras, processed, and outputted using eyeglasses or screens on a device such as a mobile phone. We can bet you remember Pokémon Go. Pokémon Go is a mobile game. In 2016, the game was introduced as an AR where users would walk around, locate, and interact with game elements appearing in the player's physical location.
Augmented Reality does not require specially designed hardware as is the case for Virtual Reality. Microsoft's HoloLens is a great example of an AR device. On the other hand, common VR devices include Meta Quest 2 (Oculus by Facebook), Sony PlayStation VR, Valve Index, HTC Vive Pro 2, and HP Reverb G2.
Both Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) have a wide range of uses from education and training, marketing, and gaming in many industries, including edTech, medicine, retail, gaming, and more. The possibilities provided by AR and VR are endless.
5. Cloud Computing
Although cloud computing is not an emerging concept, the evolutions and advancements made still make it a trending topic.
The use of networks of remote servers has become a trendy issue as people and organizations try to store their data and access it from whichever location without the need of carrying around their physical devices. There are a host of firms offering cloud computing services, a service that has become so common among large firms and even among people. Cloud computing not only offers flexible storage space for the user but also more foolproof storage for the user's data. The use of cloud computing is only predicted to keep improving over the coming years, as people keep embracing the service.
The leading firms in offering cloud computing services include Rackspace Cloud, IBM Cloud, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. The high number of service providers not only shows the potential of this area and its trendy aspect but also the acceptance of the same services by the people. Going forward, every bit of storage may just be taken from the local storage space in personal computers and organizational services to the cloud network.
6. Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity has been a case of concern for several years now. The concept of cyber security might seem old; however, it has made our list thanks to its evolution. Cyber threats have evolved with malicious actors developing new and complex ways to compromise systems and steal data. This evolution brings about the need to develop and adopt robust and high-performance tools and techniques to protect our systems and data. Cybersecurity is an area of great concern because it affects everyone, from corporations to individuals and even governments.
Every company would love to have its data and information very secure, and highly inaccessible to unauthorized persons. However, cyber security issues are making all that seems impossible. It is one of the negative trends in the world of technology that everyone is trying to deal with. The fact that technology keeps changing and improving makes it difficult to stamp out the vice, but every day there are renewed efforts to fight cyber-attacks. Improved knowledge and better technology shall keep helping make things better.
7. Enterprise Mobile Apps
A great and important trend in technology has been the development of mobile apps for enterprise applications. Every form of business is trying to capture the imagination of smartphone users with mobile apps that bring the services closer to the user.
The banking sector, online retailing, and many others have taken the mobile application industry by storm. This is informed by the high penetration of smartphones globally and the ease of using mobile apps as compared to browsing on the web.
Today, you can book airline tickets on a mobile application, transact millions of dollars from a banking app, access critical government services from another application, and even access health services from another mobile application. The user-friendliness and the attractiveness of the mobile apps in user interface make them a preference for many.
... Conclusion
The world of technology is fast changing, and keeping tabs on the trends is a daily routine. The best technology today can become obsolete and useless tomorrow, and the users of technology have to live with that. Therefore, keeping tabs on the trends is an important part of making change decisions and moving with the tide of technology. Today, it is about AI, cyber security, and cloud computing. In a few years, there shall be other things making the headlines in technology. Therefore, one needs to get done with a trend in the meanest amount of time possible to move with the times. Technology provides a great platform for growth and development, and it is only fair that one takes advantage of a single development before the next one comes up. Every trend is important and has a huge bearing on the industry.
