Technology is rapidly developing in this modern world. Several aspects of business infrastructure and operations are adopting various technologies to enable more business strategies. Besides delivering operations and engineering, there is a shift in focus where this area aids in providing products and services that can help achieve business needs. In this article are five tech trends that impact infrastructure and operations.
1. Green Technology
As more evidence of a damaged ecosystem surface, many industries have put in efforts to utilize green technology. Green technology, or environmental technology, focuses on various techniques and materials to reduce the impact that humans have on the planet. From recycling to energy systems, eco-friendly technologies are on the rise. The number of businesses being more environmentally conscious, especially with manufacturing and production, are increasing, too. A few examples of sustainable technology are:
- Self-driving cars that use planetary gearset (see this source)
- Bladeless wind turbines
- Industrialized construction
- Solar power use in factories and offices
2. Artificial intelligence (AI)
The world has finally reached a point where artificial intelligence isn’t just confined to the imagination. In fact, the last two years have seen huge progress in this field. There is a continuous controversy regarding the future of the workforce in relation to artificial intelligence, but many companies who are already using this in one way or another has seen the advantages of this tech trend. Here are some examples of AI:
- Product recommendations: Your search for particular items also gives you related items you might be looking for.
- Chatbots: You no longer have to wait for customer support for simple and common questions you have about a product or on a website since chatbots can give you the answers you need.
- Network recommendations on social media sites: Social media sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram can show a list of people you may know based on the information that you have provided.
- Smart replies in Gmail: Gmail now includes quick reply phrases that allow you to make a one-click response instead of typing manually. The suggestions vary according to the content of the email.
- Music and video recommendations: Streaming sites like Spotify and YouTube analyze the kind of media that you listen to or watch, and give suggestions according to those patterns.
3. Cloud or software-defined storage
Cloud storage is no longer just something for personal use. Businesses are starting to shift from physical data centers to software-defined storage, too, and experts suggest that by 2025, 80% of organizations would have done so already. Software-defined storage is becoming popular because of its scalability and high performance. Here are some ideas on how businesses use software-defined storage:
- Tying up workload to storage more effectively across teams
- Real-time data approach to enhance customer experience
- Automating essential business processes
- Lessening overall costs for infrastructures
4. Virtual and Augmented Reality
Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) have had significant advances in recent years. More companies are experimenting with this technology and how they can apply it, as studies have shown that this has a high probability of increasing business growth in the near future. Industries seeing the impact for VR/AR are automotive, engineering, design, and manufacturing. However, these tech trends may influence the infrastructure and operations of other fields, too. Some applications anticipated are:
- The use of VR as a crucial training tool to make these sessions more interactive.
- VR as a better product prototyping tool as the visualization and designs are more precise and can easily be analyzed.
- Utilizing a mobile device or tablet to create an AR shopping environment for customers in retail.
- AR repair manuals for different products from appliances to cars help owners like never before.
- VR conferences, meetings, and even interviews will be more common, reducing business travel expenses in the case of a global workforce.
5. Cybersecurity
With several data breaches in the last few years, cybersecurity is one of the focuses on infrastructure and operations in many companies globally. As technology is becoming more advanced, implementing security measures is also becoming more complex. This task is no longer just for the IT team, but an overall business risk that all leaders must take heed of. There should be trusted vendors and partners to provide customers with the confidence to choose your business. A few ways to improve security in your business operations are:
- Have a comprehensive backup and recovery solution.
- Limit access to employees or unauthorized personnel. Certain staff members should only have access to what is necessary for their role.
- Regularly update operation systems, applications, security systems, and so on.
- Train employees on how to detect attacks and fight it off.
Final thoughts
The tech industry is advancing so swiftly, that business owners may find it difficult to keep up. It’s vital that you are aware of the trends that will influence your infrastructure and operations because your customers will adapt to them, too. The tech trends above should get you started on what you can plan and implement this 2019.