Top 5 business IT predictions for 2019

The end of a calendar year provides the perfect opportunity for business leaders to evaluate any significant changes to the IT landscape that have affected the organisation over the past 12 months, while also looking ahead to the continued technology evolution that will span into the coming year.

IT professionals within a variety of industries are faced with the challenge of remaining abreast of the ever-evolving realm of business IT, and 2019 was a period of particularly pronounced upheaval for several reasons.

More companies than ever before embraced the latest advancements in cloud technology over the past 12 months, while artificial intelligence (AI) continued to establish itself as a must-have capability for many firms. It would also be impossible to overlook the wide-ranging data security implications presented by the new European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which continues to impact businesses.

With 2019 just around the corner, IT analysts are already predicting significant steps forward in the coming months, which should encourage savvy business leaders to familiarise themselves with the emerging trends, and ensure their enterprises are prepared to take advantage of the opportunities presented by these developments.

Security continues to dominate priorities

While seizing new opportunities and innovative tech will certainly be a key focus for businesses in 2019, many organisations will renew their underlying fundamentals relating to security.

GDPR has created many new legal obligations around data protection, and the highly-publicised WannaCry ransomware attack of May 2017 has highlighted the financial and reputational damage that such incidents can cause. For this reason, businesses of all sizes will pay close attention to their data security and privacy policies, ensuring they have a robust system in place to maintain the trust of their users and clients.

New technology is emerging to assist in this manner, including AI-equipped applications that can predict and automatically address flaws in real time, along with new authentication systems, such as biometrics, to replace weak passwords.

Companies should invest in the latest security technology if they want to protect their data and their customers in 2019.

Rising investment in machine learning to drive AI surge

AI has emerged as a major talking point in day-to-day business operations for some time, and its prominence is predicted to grow in 2019. Organisations of differing sizes are increasingly harnessing the power of AI to varying degrees, giving those that do so successfully a major advantage over their competitors.

In a recent report, Gartner indicated that the algorithm-driving data processing capabilities delivered by machine learning will allow companies to make the most of augmented analytics, which allows analysis of huge datasets with greater ease than ever before.

The rise of AI will bring benefits across a wide variety of business functions, including HR; finance; sales and marketing; along with customer service; procurement; and asset management. Businesses in these industries will be able to identify trends and develop strategies that are rooted in solid evidence.

Augmented reality to revolutionise user experience

Many businesses are constantly looking for new ways to provide their users and clients with more engaging and immersive digital experiences, and virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) technology all provide different ways to deliver this.

With the mainstream adoption of VR still constrained by high costs and the inconvenience of the associated headsets and sensors, AR is likely to emerge as the most important tool for businesses to achieve this goal, allowing them to create intuitive digital interfaces that can be overlaid onto real-life items and environments.

Due to the fact that AR apps are compatible with the most modern smartphones, it represents a much more accessible solution for the consumer.

Those businesses that do embrace AR will be able to connect with their target audience in completely new ways, and across multiple devices, which is likely to drive greater engagement and improved sales.

The continued rise of blockchain

Blockchain has been hyped as one of the biggest things in business IT for a number of years, and it is likely that 2019 will see this highly promising technology take a few more steps towards mainstream adoption.

Statistics published by IDC suggest that blockchain investments are currently increasing at a compound annual growth rate of 73%, as businesses turn to these highly secure distributed ledgers as a way of automating business processes or digitising records.

The technology has been proven to help lower costs and improve cash flow, as well as expedite transactions, which means it has multiple uses in supply chain and currency settlement applications.

While its impact remains unconfirmed, the number of businesses investing in blockchain suggests it is highly likely to be a significant market disruptor in the coming years, and while 2019 may not be the year it reaches full maturity, some headway will certainly be made.

Paving the way for future advances

The world of business technology is constantly evolving, which means every organisation needs to make sure they dedicate resources within their 2019 corporate IT strategy to getting ready for the next wave of game-changing advances.

IT experts and business leaders need to research the ways that future technologies could be applied to their operations, making preparations to accommodate them in a timely manner. Doing this in 2019 could give your business a crucial edge over competitors in the years to come.

Mike Cohen is the CEO of Evaris