As 2021 begins to creep to a close, business strategists are already looking forward to the up-and-coming technology trends of 2022. While some of these trends will not be new to the new year, they are expected to continue rising in popularity and develop further. Still, 2022 may bring some surprises in the form of completely new and innovative technologies, enabling businesses further optimization and digitization. That being said, here are ten expected tech trends to keep an eye on for the upcoming year.
In 2021, the popularity of 5G soared and is projected to continue rising throughout 2022. While most commonly used with smartphones, it is expected that more businesses will recognize the value of 5G as a substantial enterprise opportunity in the upcoming year. In fact, it is anticipated that enterprise use will become the primary driver for 5G growth in the next few years.
Consumer demand will be a key contributor to the ongoing adoption of 5G. As smartphone launches continue and consumers continue to demand faster connections, more and more technologies will take on 5G capabilities. In addition to consumer demand, IoT and edge computing growth will further increase the need for 5G and accelerated user connections. As a result, it is projected that 5G will become the network of choice in upcoming years due to its speed, performance, and reliability.
There is no question that the adoption of AI was a significant trend in the past year. But, as more and more companies adopt AI into their operations, they require experienced technicians to manage integration and programming. With a shortage of experts in this field, many companies are struggling with the development and deployment of their AI, resulting in wasted time and money.
For this reason, AI engineering is projected to skyrocket in 2022, helping businesses to maximize the value of their AI. The focus of AI engineering is developing tools, systems, and processes to enable an efficient application of AI. As a result, companies can utilize the AI tools they have adopted to improve operational performance and efficiency. For proactive IT professionals, becoming certified in AI engineering could be the leg-up you need.
One entirely new trend expected to take root in 2022 is that of cyber scoring. Just as individuals receive credit scores to demonstrate their creditworthiness to lenders, a cyber score will demonstrate an enterprise’s cybersecurity level. An organization’s credit score will rank the state of its security program and communicate that safety level.
It is believed that as more and more companies are assigned a cyber score, organizations will be required to maintain a specific number to qualify as safe, just as individuals must maintain a minimum credit score to qualify for certain loans. It is possible that if this trend becomes widespread enough, a cyber score will become just as important as a credit score.
Another cybersecurity trend expected in the next year is the adoption of cybersecurity mesh. A cybersecurity mesh is an IT security infrastructure that focuses on small, individual perimeters around a device or network access point instead of a single all-encompassing perimeter. Forming a cybersecurity mesh involves a complete reconfiguration of a network’s preexisting perimeter and must be established in the planning stage of development.
A cybersecurity mesh will provide networks with enhanced protection by providing an integrated security structure to secure all assets, regardless of location. In addition to offering elevated levels of cybersecurity, it is anticipated that the mesh will significantly reduce the impact of security incidents by 90%. This is because the mesh consists of several small perimeters instead of one entire perimeter, so it is easier to pinpoint and repair the specific target of a breach.
In 2021 we saw the continued growth of edge computing, and it is only expected to accelerate in 2022. It is projected that a growing number of businesses will utilize the power of edge computing to speed up the rate of user connections. Through edge computing, users receive the benefits of cloud computing with the enhanced power provided by the edge.
This technology is particularly lucrative for organizations utilizing IoT devices or local edge services. With increased proximity to servers, companies receive faster insights, expedited response times, and better bandwidth availability - all of which are essential for agile operations.
Automation has drastically grown in popularity over the past few years, and 2022 will be taking it one step further through hyperautomation. Hyperautomation is the application of technologies such as AI and ML, used to automate processes and augment humans.
In contrast to ‘regular’ automation, hyperautomation enables accelerated growth and business resilience at an even faster automation rate. This is done through rapidly identifying, vetting, and automating as many processes as possible, entirely optimizing a business’ operations. In the upcoming year, hyperautomation will not replace automation but serve as an extension of it, thus expanding its capabilities.
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have been highly prevalent in 2021 but have been most commonly used for ownership over items such as art and entertainment. While they will continue to be used for this purpose, it is projected that in 2022 companies may begin creating NFTs for a fee.
This is due to the widespread popularity of NFTs in the past year, which has created a need for companies with an understanding of the tokenization process and requirements. As NFTs become more of a corporate entity, it is also expected that more tokenization marketplaces will emerge.
Another trend that will follow into the new year is that of low-code and no-code solutions. The no-code approach of development requires no coding at all and is geared toward companies hoping to develop a product without a developer. In contrast, the low-code approach is intended for developers, helping them work faster while still controlling the code.
As companies continue to digitize their work, there is a growing need for software development. With no-code, companies can avoid acquiring a developer yet will have to deal with more restrictions. With low code, companies must obtain a developer but have the freedom and flexibility to make changes. As such, these solutions offer companies with greater options in development, which will grow in popularity in 2022.
As is evident from previously listed trends, cybersecurity is not going anywhere in 2022 or beyond. For this reason, privacy-enhancing computation techniques will be a significant trend in the next year.
PECs protect personal and private information at a data, software, or hardware level, enabling users to share, pool, and analyze data without compromising security. As cyber hacks continue to become more intelligent and prevalent, it is crucial that companies stay up-to-date on cybersecurity measures such as these.
In 2020 remote and hybrid work saw a major increase in adoption as a result of the pandemic. Nearly two years later and the demand for remote work has only increased and will continue to. Once professionals experienced the benefits of working remotely, such as flexibility and increased productivity, they realized that remote work is the future of the office, and it is here to stay.
Fortunately, the growing demand for remote work has prompted significant development in software development and remote technologies. As a result, remote work is a feasible and advantageous option for any company. If your company has not already offered such an option in 2021, 2022 is the time.