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Eight post-pandemic technological trends that accelerated the digitization of society

We find that the pandemic has accelerated the digitalization of society, driving the application of IT technology in all areas of our lives. Businesses that were simply exploring the value of digitalization realized that it would be impossible to move forward ignoring the benefits of AI, XR, IoT, and other top technologies. Some trends that emerged during the pandemic will fade away, but many of them are already here to stay. So, what technological trends are becoming our new reality today?

The Chief Technology Officer of Sotengi, with 30 years of experience in digitalization, has formulated eight technological trends that have accelerated the industry and digital transformation in society. And this happened due to the global pandemic.

Trend 1: Communication tools will be further integrated into business applications. IT giants noticed this trend after the onset of the pandemic. Microsoft is integrating Teams into business applications, and Salesforce has acquired Slack.

Trend 2: E-commerce will become increasingly attractive. The number of users visiting e-commerce websites has increased significantly during the pandemic years. However, the tastes of buyers are also changing: before spending their money, they want to try out the goods and services they are considering purchasing. The trend of "try before you buy" is pervasive: hotel rooms, new shoes, and even cars (more specifically, their 3D models) can be tested and examined in detail using telepresence, augmented virtual reality. Retailers want to offer customers a real and captivating experience, after which they can make an informed choice based on applications that allow them to see and try goods in the virtual environment before purchasing them.

Trend 3: Artificial intelligence (AI) will support employees, not replace them. Integrating AI technology into daily business analysis operations will provide employees with valuable information without diminishing their role in the decision-making process. For example, financial institutions can use AI technology to detect anomalies in travel expenses or any other fraudulent activities. Employees will be more confident as their decisions will be validated by extensive research based on multiple and accurate data.

Trend 4: Device connectivity will increase. For example, monitoring the status of equipment on a construction site can be easier to accomplish due to remote accessibility through the Internet of Things (IoT). There is no need to be close to the monitored object to receive complete and accurate information.

Trend 5: Cloud services will continue to dominate the market. Flexibility is one of the most obvious reasons for their popularity. Small businesses as well as large companies have realized that cloud services are incredibly cost-effective compared to any local data storage approach.

Trend 6: Video analytics will become part of automated robotic processes. Using the power of computer vision and machine learning, businesses can automate thousands of inefficient and repetitive processes simply because they all have data from cameras. For example, using video analytics, employees can find an object in a product catalog containing thousands or millions of similar objects or detect counterfeit goods. Any task that requires concentration, expertise, and superhuman attention can now be accomplished with the help of video analysis. This is the real step towards large-scale Robotic Process Automation (RPA).

Trend 7: Data security will become an absolute priority. Protecting personal data will be of paramount importance as the amount of data accumulated by companies grows exponentially. The security perimeter of any business will be significantly expanded due to the increasing role of remote employees. Companies need to take care of data security far beyond the physical walls of offices. Additionally, data provided to AI algorithms will need to be secured at all stages of processing.

Trend 8: Major changes will occur in retail. Over the past two years, online shopping has become as natural as traditional ones, but this was just the first step in the great transformation. Traditional stores, with consultants and cashiers, will gradually be replaced by a new way of selling, contactless, and manufacturers will no longer need intermediaries - through direct consumer approach / direct-to-consumer (D2C). Subscriptions to certain goods will be as common as subscriptions to video streaming services due to the cloud.

Source: www.forbes.com