Technology is ever-changing these days with new trends and applications gaining popularity all the time. In today’s competitive market, it’s absolutely essential to stay on top of the latest tech trends to ensure that you’re keeping up with the competition. Consumers quickly become accustomed to new technology, so if you’re not using something that your competitors are, you need to step up your game. Begin to integrate some of these popular features like outsourcing technology and machine learning to stay ahead.
1. Multicloud
We will continue to see organizations move their existing applications to cloud-based systems. There are many factors to consider when choosing one of the major cloud providers, including cost, overall security footprint, ease of implementation, and additional services provided. With so many factors to consider, the trend of choosing multiple cloud providers has emerged and will continue into 2021. This means enterprise companies may be running one department on AWS, while another internal department may use Google Services.
2. 5G
Fifth Generation wireless cellular network, 5G, is expected to make a greater appearance in 2021. This will be the greatest advancement in mobile networks since 4G was introduced over 10 years ago. 5G technology will bring benefits to consumers with reduced latency and a maximum speed of up to 20 gigabits per second. 5G technology does have a foundation built with carriers in specific geographical locations already. In 2021, we will see more networks make the shift and make the network more accessible to the general population.
3. Autonomous Driving
Although 2021 may not be the year level five autonomous cars will launch, we will still be making strides in the use of Artificial Intelligence and the advancement of self-driving automobiles. Newer functions will be streamlined with analytics and data capturing, including automated braking and automated lane changing. Many start-ups are also emerging as players in the self-driving market.
4. Outsourcing Technology
Outsourcing is already a widely accepted practice as it helps companies to reduce their costs, improve productivity, and generate new, skilled employees without having to do the recruiting and training themselves. Over the next year or two, outsourcing technology will continue to be on the rise as more companies take advantage of this resource and use it to grow their business.
5. Machine Learning
Although we tend to talk about machine learning as an up-and-coming type of technology, it’s actually already being utilized in ways we may not even realize. A study conducted by O’Reilly in 2018 found that 51 percent of companies were already using machine learning in some respect, and this number has only grown in the last two years.
Social media advertising is essentially built on machine learning as complicated algorithms identify user patterns, habits, and interests to generate highly personalized advertisements for each individual. This is just one area where machine learning is taking off. Many companies are using machine learning to make business decisions, analyze customer behavior, create financial reports, and process data—and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
6. Mobile-First
Year after year, mobile optimization continues to be a top trend for any business as more people are using their cell phones to browse and make purchases. After Google’s move to implement Mobile-First Indexing on July 1st, 2020, mobile design is even more important. Now, the search engine conglomerate is using the website's mobile version to rank and index sites over the desktop version, which means it’s more important than ever to ensure your mobile site is optimized.
7. UX
User experience (UX) is a design trend that has captured a lot of attention in the last couple years. This style of design makes the user’s experience the key element of the design. In other words, the site should be designed entirely around how the user will interact with it, meaning it needs to look appealing and be easy to navigate. However, there are many different UX-focused designs that you can choose from including a minimalist approach or integrating a more advanced type of tech like VR.
8. AR and VR
There has been a lot of hype around Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) in the last five years. While the gaming industry has already taken advantage of this interactive tech, businesses are getting in on the game, too. eCommerce companies in particular seem to benefit the most from other AR or VR options because they allow consumers to use the tech to envision how a product will fit into their real life.
For example, furniture companies are using AR to help customers actually see what a piece would look like inside their home. Clothing and eyewear companies are doing this as well. AR and VR make it easier for companies to sell consumers on an item that they would normally want to see or try on in person, boosting online sales and increasing customer interaction with the site.
Technology is an ever-changing landscape with new advancements being made not only every year but every day. Businesses that continue to stay ahead of the curve are at an advantage in the long. Make sure you know which trends you could be implementing in your business, and visit Nearshoretechnology.com to see how we can help you achieve success.
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