The technology landscape is evolving and transforming businesses, governments, and society. Emerging technologies are reshaping the way in which businesses grow, the way a work gets completed, and even the evolution of new markets and industries. The digitization of documents over the last two decades has changed the way we work and have played a great role in improving productivity and profit. The proliferation of electronic devices beyond the desktop computer is one of the most noticeable IT trends that has touched almost every business.
Technology Trends for 2014
Increased Use of Mobile Devices: Statistical reports reveal that the increased use of mobile phones and apps over years. According to a recent report, mobile app usage has increased from 80% in 2013 to 86% in 2014. In 2013 alone, Apple saw a 115% increase in overall mobile-app use. More and more mobile applications are going to require sophisticated and extremely useable interfaces. With competition getting tougher and more exciting, mobile application development has become a challenging process for developers striving to develop interesting apps to entice more users. Gartner also believes that the number of mobile apps will grow, while they become smaller and more targeted than comprehensive applications.
Big Data Analysis: The pressing need to stay one step ahead of competition has sharpened the importance of big data analysis in organizations. The rise of social networks and the growing number of embedded sensors has increased the creation, and storage of information to a higher level. Market research firm IDC reports that the amount of digital information created each year will increase to 35 trillion gigabytes by 2020, which causes an increase of 44 times more data storage than that required in 2009. Analyzing customer data is useful for quick decision making and for the development of strategic business policies and procedures.
Data Security: Security and privacy of big data or information is crucial for any enterprise. An appropriate security mechanism for data management can ensure data integrity, reduce cost of compliance, and prevent the disclosure of sensitive information. An ITRC report says that the total number of data breaches reported from 2005 to September 9, 2014 is 4,781 and the total number of records exposed is 640,805,406. These figures reveal the importance for organizations to have proper data security systems in place.
Cloud Computing: Every year, more and more businesses are making the transition to cloud computing. Forbes reports that around 69% of enterprises with separate budgets for cloud computing predict that their spending will increase in 2014. Also, businesses in the United States will spend more than $13 billion on cloud computing. With the cloud, the use of in-house servers to house massive volumes of data has come down. IBM cites the following reasons for the increased use of cloud computing:
- Provides better insight and visibility
- Makes collaboration easier
- Supports a variety of business needs
- Allows rapid development of new products and services
Between accessing and storing information, the technology industry is in the midst of a huge growth spurt. Moving ahead by adopting technology trends will put you ahead of the competition and keep the organization’s data safe and secure.
