5 IT trends and strategies in the spotlight
With the new year well under way, it’s now time to list the IT trends and strategies that will be dominating the year ahead. Many of the technologies and strategies mentioned have been widely discussed for some time now, but according to Gartner this is the year when they really should be taken seriously.
The requirement for digitalised business models and strategies is evident in the various trends. It shows how important it is to continue digitalisation initiatives in companies. Here are five IT trends and strategies worth keeping an eye on:
1: Internet of Behaviors (IoB)
We have written before about the Internet of Things (IoT). IoT is a network of connected physical objects that collect and share information and data via the Internet. The Internet of Behaviors (IoB), on the other hand, is a technology in which you use data you have collected to identify and change behavioural patterns among consumers. It is thus a combination of: technology, data analysis and behavioural studies. In addition to describing behavioural patterns, IoB can make well-calculated guesses about future scenarios. IoB can therefore be used as a basis when you are planning development, marketing and sales.
2: Total Experience (TX)
Total experience (TX) is a strategy in which you combine customer, user, employee and multi-experiences in order to influence and transform commercial results. By linking up these experiences, as opposed to individually improving each of them, you differentiate your business from competitors in a way that is difficult to replicate. Which makes it a good strategy to create a sustainable competitive advantage.
The fact that TX is being highlighted and prioritised now is very much to do with the impact that Covid-19 has had on many companies. Business models have had to be reshaped in order to meet new digital demands that had not previously been the norm. Gartner maintains that a TX strategy is required in order to future-proof your business and is a natural consequence as interactions become more mobile and virtual.
3: Privacy-Enhancing Computation (PET)
Privacy-Enhancing Computation (PET) is a technology for minimising the holding of personal data without risking any loss of functionality in information systems. PET helps users to protect their personally identifiable information that is provided and processed by different services or applications. Instead, the process masks users’ personal information and replaces it with pseudo data or an anonymous identity.
The high profile of PET is very much in line with initiatives to protect privacy, at both national and international level. This will therefore be an important technology for organisations to adopt if they want to continue to be an attractive alternative for their users.
4: Anywhere Operations
Anywhere Operations is an IT business model. It is designed to support customers, enable job appointments and manage the distribution of business services, wherever the user happens to be. The model is about more than “just” working from home or interacting with customers virtually. It also provides unique value-based experiences across five core areas: collaboration and productivity, secure remote access, cloud and network infrastructure, quantification of digital experience and automation to support remote operations.
Many companies have already applied this in their business, above all because of the rapid transition to remote working. The major trend in future will be rather to “think outside the box” and use the business model in ways that might not be totally obvious. It might involve using the model in businesses where you can’t work from home, such as healthcare or education, to create benefits for specific tasks at work.
5: Hyperautomation
Business-driven hyperautomation is a procedure that organisations use to quickly identify and automate as many business and IT processes as possible. As one single automated tool cannot replace an entire process, it’s a requirement that you also automate the stages: discover, analyse, create, automate, measure, monitor and re-evaluate.
Hyperautomation is a combination of machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI) and robotic process automation (RPA). The main focus of hyperautomation is to understand all automation mechanisms and how they relate to one another.
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In the mean time you can find out more about our Journey of Transition model, which helps your company to identify the current situation and desired situation, and supports you on the way there!