Technology Trends for 2021

2020 has been a year marked by the rapid and necessary technological adaptation, both at home and in companies. COVID-19 has generated a situation that has led us to need, more than ever, the support of technology to be able to carry out our daily lives in the work environment and in the personal environment, converting digital transformation in an urgent need. In the midst of the effects of the pandemic, companies have been forced to join a race to adapt their environments to the latest technologies, a practice that has undoubtedly saved many of them. Therefore, it is important to keep in mind the technological trends who are going to star this year to find out what are the areas that need to be strengthened in this new normality in which Artificial Intelligence, the Big Data, the cloud And the Internet security, among others, have proven to be crucial. The most outstanding technologies in 2021 will be those that help companies continue to improve work flexibility and adaptability to circumstances, and, for now, these are the most resounding.

12 key technological and business trends in 2021

1. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering

In a similar way to the way in which engineering began to be brought to the software world, it is now being brought to solutions of Artificial Intelligence. A solid strategy in this area will facilitate the yield, the scalability, the rendition And the trustworthiness of AI business models, in addition to providing greater value to investments made in this technology. This is an important trend considering that, according to Gartner, only 53% of AI projects go from the prototyping phase to the production phase. According to analysts at the consultancy firm, “the path to the production of Artificial Intelligence means turning to engineering this technology, a discipline focused on governance and lifecycle management of a wide range of operating models of these tools.” 2021 will be the year in which we will see an explosion of real applications of this technology in a productive way and available to end users.

2. Internet of Things (IoT)

El Internet of Things It is a term that we have been hearing about for some time, referring to the way in which any device in the home connected to the Internet forms a synergy giving rise to an integrated whole. But the information generated by these IoT devices presents a challenge: how to turn all the data collected from online user activity into something profitable for companies? With the Internet of Behaviors (IOb).IoB is a relatively new and growing concept that analyzes the data collected from the online user activity from the perspective of Behavioral psychology and uses the results to obtain new approaches to how to design the user experience (UX) or the optimization of the search experience (SXO) .This modality is still in its infancy, but, according to Gartner, at the end of 2025 more than half of the world's population will be exposed to at least one commercial or government IoT program.

3. Virtual voice assistants

Los voice assistants virtual or digital are a technology that may not have taken off completely, although it has gained relevance as a result of the periods of time that many people spent without company during the lockdown. For brands to take advantage of this type of device, the user must adapt and feel comfortable with this technology, and for this it is necessary to understand that Not all attendees are the same: some tend to the subject of information, others to transactions, to local searches... In 2021, the definitive outbreak of this trend is expected, which will consist of an integrated technology, an all-in-one: efficient searches, advanced recognition capabilities, transfer of emotions...

4. Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR)

La Augmented Reality, which mixes the virtual world with the real world, and the Virtual Reality, which recreates immersive worlds for the user, are two technological trends that will continue to break into the market in 2021 to provide higher-level digital experiences. In addition, it is estimated that by 2023 the market value of these technologies will reach 60 billion dollars, according to data from Analytics Insights. 2020 has been considered to be the year that marked a before and after in the adoption of these technologies, so this new year only augurs greater use and impact on various sectors of the economy. Virtual reality and augmented reality will be catapulted with greater integration of AI that will allow better interaction with the environment: remote assistance (engineers, technicians...) will benefit from evaluating situations remotely in real time, medical technologies may be more accurate for diagnosing and treating diseases, etc.

5. eHealth

The concept of eHealth, defined by the European Commission such as “the use of modern information and communication technologies to meet the needs of citizens (...)”, will also be key during this year. telemedicine or virtual patient care has increased tremendously during the pandemic, demonstrating that remote consultations are not only possible, but are also easy and often preferred by users. This trend has just begun, but will soon begin to expand to obtain a wider reach and new groups of patients, while crossing the line of primary care and will include a specialized care which will include all health professionals (psychologists, nutritionists, pediatricians...).

6. Blockchain

The technology Blockchain, also known as “blockchain” and defined as a digital accounting book used for Record transactions securely due to its encrypted and decentralized nature, it provides greater security and business monetization thanks to this data structure. This technology promises greater security and productivity, which is why organizations are increasingly interested in implementing it. By 2021, it is estimated that these blockchains can be applied to other sectors such as intellectual property, food security or asset management. Even so, institutions expect to see development that focuses on prevent Internet fraud and data lossDeloitte, in its global Blockchain survey 2020, states that “50% of the companies surveyed consider Blockchain technology to be one of the main strategic priorities”.

7. Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

La robotic process automation or Robotic Process Automation (RPA) consists of automating those repetitive and systematic tasks that are regularly carried out as part of a work activity in front of one or more software tools. In 2020, it was established as one of the areas of greatest growth within the IT sector, which means that it will continue its expansion throughout 2021 to automate this type of work and dedicate its staff to higher-value work.

8. Hyperautomation

The pandemic has driven the requirement that everything must be digital, so the hyperautomation, recognized as one of the main technological trends, is based on the idea that everything that can be automated in an organization must be automated. Currently, the new way of working is changing businesses, and many organizations are supported by technologies that are not optimized or connected, while accelerating digital transformation requires efficiency and speed. Hence, hyperautomation helps companies to focus on business efficiency, effectiveness and agility.

9. Cybersecurity

One of the problems caused by the transfer of work to homes has been the connection security, equipment and devices, since the mass adoption of the telematic model of work has become the basic technological adaptation of 2020. To solve this problem, it has been necessary to consider the cybersecurity as a priority in organizations: the identities and devices of remote workers are the new perimeter that needs to be securely reinforced, avoiding leaks and theft of company data. This modular technology makes it possible to implement the governance and management of policies and their distribution and application within the organization regardless of location, that is, even if the work is carried out remotely, all data of both the company and the workers are protected. Along these lines, in 2021, technology that is capable of protecting data and, at the same time, maintaining the privacy of users.

10. Distributed cloud

The cloud has proven to be a very useful service to move businesses of any size from a face-to-face model to a delocalized model in a fast and agile way, so that the work can be carried out with no greater requirement than the Internet connection. In this line, the distributed cloud has transformed the new paradigm of digital acceleration, as reported by Red Hat. The portability, integration, organization and unified management of the workloads that this solution offers have been fundamental factors in evaluating the new IT projects for 2021.The concept of distributed cloud involves the distribution of public cloud services to different physical locations while the operation, governance and evolution of services remains the responsibility of the public cloud provider, which means that in 2021 organizations will be able to benefit from the public cloud economy without the need to manage your own private cloud, a complex and costly process. In short, this trend will allow companies to have these services closer physically, which will solve low latency problems, reduce data costs and facilitate regulatory compliance with the RGPD (European Data Protection Regulation), which indicates that data must remain within a specific geographical area.

11.5 G

The fifth generation of Internet connectivity promises to accelerate the network five times more than 4G capabilities, which will provide faster upload and download speeds and, above all, more stable, a fundamental requirement both in the personal and professional spheres. Companies must consider the commercial implications of having this access to the Internet, since it will allow them to offer digital channels loaded with content, achieve greater closeness with the customer and provide 100% digital experiences. In addition, the higher bandwidth will allow collect and transfer more data than ever, which will lead to advances in IoT and intelligent machinery.

12. Operations Anywhere

Being able to carry out operations from anywhere goes beyond teleworking and remote customer service. Las operations Anywhere are a trend that will allow customers and workers to operate from anywhere in a safe way. Both services and work tools will need to be available on all types of devices so that employees can carry out their work with a solid supply regardless of location.