We’re now here in 2021, after 2021 forced many businesses into drastically changing the way they conduct operations. For the most part, the technological adoptions are here to stay. Businesses that operated traditionally were pushed onto digital platforms to maintain communication with their customers.
The convenience and saved costs of remote working as well as increased employee productivity has caused more employers to allow their staff to work from home indefinitely. These changes mean that the emphasis on cybersecurity will only get bigger. Let’s take a look at the direction tech will be heading in this year.
1. Zero-trust Cybersecurity
Due to sophisticated cyberattacks and changing landscapes, cybersecurity should be looked at from a different perspective. In zero-trust cybersecurity, instead of defining trusted users, devices or networks, every access request should be validated for safety. Using captured data such as user identity, device, location, and other variables, better risk-based decisions can be made.
Data breaches can be contained if data, applications, workloads and other resources are treated as individual, manageable units and access is provided based on the principle of least privilege. The move to zero-trust cybersecurity requires significant effort and planning, including addressing foundational cybersecurity issues, automating manual processes, and planning for transformational changes to the security organization, the technology landscape, and the enterprise itself.
2. “As-A-Service”
“As-a-service” meets the requirements of a fast-paced society where information needs to be available on-demand. Businesses that rely on cloud to provide solutions as-a-service have seen an increase in demand. Zoom, for example, increased its coverage and quality of service and became a household name. Zoom, Skype and Cisco WebEx, all web conferencing apps took up 70% of U.S. market share, proving that such solutions are increasingly important and more opportunities will open up for businesses in 2021.
3. 5G and enhanced connectivity
5G connectivity is more than faster loading speeds for web surfing. 3G allowed people to browse the Web and use Internet services on smartphones and mobile devices. 4G, with its increased bandwidth, sparked a spike in video and music streaming platforms which also gave brought about a new dimension in e-commerce as livestreaming became a trend. What will we be seeing with enhanced connectivity? 5G means that businesses can tap on advanced tech to increase automation in the workplace. For example, a Norwegian fishery operator Salmar uses a 5G network to automate the care and feeding of its fish. Image recognition algorithms are used to detect which fish are over or under-feeding, and automatically dispense food and medicine needed to keep them healthy.
4. Internet of behaviours (IoB)
Internet of behaviours is a trend where facial recognition technology, location tracking and big data is linked to associated behaviour such as device usage or cash purchases. Examples of IoB include using thermal imaging at entry points to single out people with fever or using tracking devices to monitor if people on quarantine leave the quarantine grounds.It is predicted that over half of the world’s population will be subject to at least one IoB program, whether it be private, commercial or governmental by end 2025.
5. Total experience
From now through 2028, the digital landscape will be transformed significantly to provide users with a “multiexperience”. With improved voice-driven capabilities, virtual reality and augmented reality, interactions will become more mobile, virtual and distributed.
Total Experience (TX) is a strategy that connects multi-experience “with customer, employee and user experience disciplines”.
Sources: Deloitte, Forbes, Gartner
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