Modern and well-thought-out technology architecture, digital twins, employees as technologists, teleworking, as well as the role of technology in cooperation with other ecosystem actors – these are the five most current information technology (IT) trends in the world.
They will soon affect business, the public sector and society as a whole, according to this year’s Accenture Technology Vision 2021 study.
The study focused on the challenges posed by the pandemic. On the one hand, the economy is experiencing an accelerated digital transformation, on the other hand, there are still many unknowns, but every company wants to return to growth.
Instead of waiting for more clarity about the future, companies need to be able to see the opportunities in the current conditions to build a better future in order to remain competitive.
Companies, organizations, as well as every leader, must become masters of change by working and living in the new conditions. “Small pilot projects and the gradual scalability of the latest technologies are outdated luxuries, as development is more imaginable than ever without the active use of the latest technologies and innovations. The wide range of technologies enables companies to implement different solutions from their competitors, as each market participant can have its own unique solutions that can be used as a competitive advantage. Leading companies do not wait for other companies in the industry to introduce new opportunities and norms, but they create them, ”explains Kristaps Banga, Accenture’s Head of Innovation in Latvia.
Modern and well-thought-out architecture
Business and technology strategies are inseparable, because the modern and efficient existence and functioning of a company is inconceivable without technology. 89% of managers believe that the ability of their organizations to create business value should be increasingly supported, given the constraints of the pandemic as well as the capabilities of the technology architecture. The role of architecture is more important than ever to respond flexibly to change by adapting a company’s digital ecosystems, services and processes. 77% of business leaders agree that architecture plays a critical role in an organization’s ability to offer a wide range of technological capabilities.
Today, companies are increasingly appreciating cloud technologies. Accenture helped one of the world’s largest jewelry companies move to the so-called cloud by moving about 70% of its applications and infrastructure. The move will enable the company to save around 30% of IT spending over the next five years, which can be channeled into new digital initiatives, including improving the online shopping experience. It is also expected that in the future more attention will be paid to sustainable development, which can be promoted by the transition to cloud technologies, as well as by creating a smart architecture.
Digital twins in the economy
A digital twin is a replacement for a system or physical object in digital form – an intermediary that stores data from various sensors located in a physical object, device or system.
Digital twins enable companies to more visualize, analyze and model different simulations, thus playing real-life or hypothetical situations on a computer. This makes it possible to test changes without risk before they are implemented. In parallel, companies are starting to build several smart twin networks to cover all product life cycles. In the near future, digital twins will be the basis for companies to test new business strategies and approaches. 65% of executives predict that investment in digital twins will increase over the next three years.
The pandemic has changed consumer habits, so companies (in addition to qualitative historical data) need a strategy to survey real-time analytical data. Digital twins can be used in different areas of the economy. For example, the Singapore National Research Foundation created the city’s digital twin, combined with real-time data on climate, traffic, etc., to help model different situations and see how plans and changes will affect cities in emergency evacuation situations, traffic constraints, construction processes, and more.
Employees as technologists
In the democratization of technology, companies need to ensure that the employee becomes a driver of change with the necessary skills (without in-depth IT knowledge). Whereas previously the IT department and IT specialists were mainly responsible for the implementation of a new IT system or solution by organizing training for employees, now almost all employees can be innovators. This does not mean transforming all employees into programmers, but they must be taught to think like technologists.
The changes bring about the development of employees’ digital skills, which are gradually approaching IT skills, so that they understand the basics and benefits of technology and want to regularly update their knowledge. 86% of managers agree that they need to train employees to think like technologists. IT market players are also becoming more involved in training, for example, a number of cloud companies are already offering a range of solutions free of charge.
The use of automation solutions is expected to increase so that employees can focus on higher value-added tasks, as well as in some areas the use of the Low-Code development approach, which allows people without programming knowledge to create websites and mobile applications.
Telework – the new norm
Companies and employees are moving to a new model – work responsibilities in many industries can be performed from anywhere. In the past, there were initiatives that allowed an employee to use private devices to perform work duties, but now the work is also outside the office. 82% of managers agree that their company has experienced the biggest changes in human behavior in their history as a result of the pandemic. Even after a pandemic, teleworking will be the new norm in the work environment, and it will be possible to do it not only from home, but from anywhere.
At present, the desire of employees to return to the office is decreasing. Last May, in a survey by research firm Perceptyx, 33% of employees said they wanted to return to the office, but at the end of June, only 4% said so. People are different, some will want to return to the office, but others will want to continue working 100% remotely. Companies do not have to fight for change, but think about how best to support employees by introducing a new work culture, reviewing the role of the office.
The right proportion will be different for each company. Employee experience is more important than before, so do not do without analysis. Digital security will play a critical role, from file storage, home network security, update updates, password policies, and more. The employee environment becomes part of the company.
The role of technology in cooperation
The pandemic showed how precarious cooperation with other companies can be. By reshaping relevant partnerships with technology and innovation, companies can better adapt to change. Consumers are also becoming more aware of the power of interaction and becoming more demanding. Cooperation helps to overcome shortcomings and helps to better prepare for the future, as well as discovering new ways to use interactions.
Over the next three years, companies will face changing customer expectations, various geopolitical challenges, so it is important to realize that no company will be able to exist alone. Companies will cooperate more actively with scientists and research institutes, which will result more in practical cooperation. Interlocking technologies will be more widely used in reciprocal value exchange transactions, as they are a decentralized transaction log on a network in which each entry depends on previous entries, which is almost impossible to distort.
Artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, augmented reality, quantum computing will also be used more. Along with various solutions, it will be observed that companies will share more infrastructure, which will provide an opportunity to create new business models. New approaches to cooperation will boost the ecosystem economy.
–
