COVID-19 pandemic is the greatest challenge the world has faced in many years. It impacted every industry, transforming people’s lives and businesses, and altered the course of companies development. In this article, we are going to outline increasing IT tech trends for 2020-2021 and how businesses can use this information for investment.
Gartner’s research forecasts a decrease in IT spending to total $3.5 trillion in 2020, a decline of 7.3% from 2019.
But the pandemic didn’t stop, which means that all industries will tend to evolve to have less physical experiences. People in 2021 will rely more on digital technologies in their day-to-day operations. Therefore companies should integrate emerging technologies to stay competitive in the market.
Lockdowns all over the world made millions of employees continue to work remotely. Anywhere operations are vital for businesses. Service should be accessed, delivered, and enabled anywhere where your customers or business partners are. That trend encouraged several industries’ growth.
1. Project management tools.
Many industries now use CRM and ERP systems to manage the workflow and track the time employees spend at work. The more customized solution is the more likely the industry would like to use it or develop its own. Agile methodology and cloud-based solutions help to bring new technologies into the trend. Personalized customer experiences and eliminating redundant tasks through automation boosts productivity. Easy access from desktop, mobile, or tablet makes it possible to work from any place and improves flexibility. For the software providers that open new markets like platforms for distance education, telemedicine, church and prison management, HR, and marketing tools.
2. Cloud-based solutions.
Cloud-based solutions are a must in post-COVID reality. All the important data can be stored securely in the cloud with shareable access. The backup option, provided by cloud storage, allows your documents and files to stay safe when your computer crashes, servers fail or you can’t get to the office. It also saves money, as you don’t store anything on physical devices, so you don’t have to maintain or replace them. Besides, now cloud-based solutions are customized and continuously evolve bringing profits through subscription-based models. Developers can design client-oriented products, building a stable subscriber base, and increasing productivity and efficiency.
3. E-commerce.
Service industries became much more tech-savvy because of lockdown and social distancing. Now app-based ordering, online tracking, voice ordering, and user ratings are a part of everyday life. Delivery and peer-to-peer platforms are now changing the landscape through innovative product offerings. Amazon’s online grocery sales in the second quarter of 2020 tripled year over year. Self-quarantine brought the elderly segment to the market. More than a million new users of age group 65+ entered online shopping. That means high demand for UX and UI designers and more user-friendly interfaces and marketing funnels as convenience beats price.
4. Artificial Intelligence.
AI uses algorithms to solve tasks by studying large amounts of data to make conclusions or statistical estimations. Data processing, face and speech recognition became possible due to AI. We use AI in neuron networks, chatbots, analytical tasks for financial services. User-friendly services will invest in chatbot development for online retail, banking, property, insurance, financial and legal advice markets. AI-as-a-service platforms such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and IBM Cloud give a boost to the popularity of machine learning among the developers. AI algorithms in 2021 may help businesses to organize effective logistics, provide 24/7 customer support, and post visual content on social networks.
5. Cybersecurity.
The amount of data in cyberspace provides a possible threat of cyberattacks. Next-generation firewalls, malware protection, DNS filtering, antivirus software, and email security solutions are rapidly evolving to protect data from leakage. Data-driven technologies require a high level of cybersecurity as thousands of people are working remotely and the volume of data is enormous. Cybersecurity is a must in such spheres as file storage, intellectual property, stock trading, crowdfunding, legal services.
COVID-19 pandemic not only restricted some companies from IT spending but also created long-term trends that may significantly transform many industries both inside and outside the technology sector.
The tools for the implementation of new trends demand reskilled specialists for the job. Have a closer look at the most emerging and popular tech skills for 2020. Thus businesses can plan their scaling and restructuring, taking into account all the factors of the upcoming year.
Appservice company has deep expertise in the above-mentioned technology stack and may help your business become a success.
Planning to scale your business after the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic?
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