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It’s that time of year when everyone feels a little bit … futuristic. The closing of the year often brings with it the question of what the next year will bring. So, we asked technologists and IT people what trends they see coming down the pike.
"The recent deliveries from Apple (the iPhone 5s and iOS 7) have fallen short of expectations for personal use and business alike, and the backlash from customers and the industry clearly shows that the technology isn’t leading the pack as it once was. Microsoft and Samsung will continue to develop and improve their competing products, but with innovation lacking, what will be Apple’s next big product? Will they even have one? Microsoft will fill the gap left by Blackberry in enterprise mobility, and they will increasingly compete in the mobile market alongside Samsung and Apple."
-Bob Janssen, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of RES Software
Enterprise Systems Will Become More Integrated and Aligned
"Over time, organizations have compiled a cacophony of point solutions that provide them with the necessary individual capabilities, but with a weak ability to interpret information as a whole save for intensive manual labor. In 2014, organizations will prioritize data integration solutions, bringing together information from disparate sources to form a ‘single version of the truth’accurately in real-time. From there, data becomes decision-making intelligence used to better predict outcomes and improve performance."
-Javier Sloninsky, managing director and CEO of EcoSys
Enterprise Printing Will Evolve
"In 2014, due to the rise in BYOD, organizations will be compelled to manage their enterprise print environments from a single printer driver rather than multiple drivers to manage their fleets of printers within large organizations. This type of printer driver management will be particularly beneficial within the healthcare sector."
-Arron Fu, vice president of software development at UniPrint
Bitcoin Will Go Mainstream
"Bitcoin will meet sales tax requirements in 2014. As things stand today, the sales tax laws loosely say that bitcoin transactions are subject to sales taxes. As bitcoin popularity grows, states will get more explicit that bitcoin transactions follow the same laws as other currency like $USD and the rules will become clearer for compliance."
-Mark Faggiano, CEO and founder of TaxJar.
Hybrid Clouds Will Move In
"As a B2B company, the biggest trend we saw in 2013 was the increased adoption of cloud computing among enterprise companies. Enterprises are recognizing the benefits of reduced hardware costs and increased workforce efficiency and collaboration in the cloud, but are unwilling to compromise the security of a private server, thus adopting hybrid cloud architecture to test the waters."
-Herb Mitschele, CEO and co-founder of Shodogg
Open Platforms Will Reign
"Open platforms will reign. As consumer attention fragments through an ever-increasing number of media channels and devices, the number of niche technologies focused on solving features will continue to increase. Targeting across screens is the new black."
-Andrew Bloom, senior vice president of strategic business development at DG
Data Will Self-Destruct
"Collaboration tools likeDropbox and Box are widely used but sorely lacking in adequate content protection. If Millennials are using tools like O.T.R. and Snapchat to destroy evidence of a scandalous selfie or potentially embarrassing conversation, it’s only natural that the enterprise follow suit to ensure sensitive information remain protected – without stymying collaboration. Self-destruction is hugely critical for applications like these, which is why more and more companies are searching for trusted viewing tools that integrate into applications such as Microsoft Office, Sharepoint, PowerPoint, Dropbox and more."
-Jeff Lavery, SVM Public Relations & Marketing Communications
Management Will Go to Real Time
"Real-time talent management will finally become a reality with the combination of social, mobile and cloud technologies as well as new SaaS applications that make it easy to share, manage and collaborate around tasks, goals and priorities … We will begin to see the emergence of ‘smart knowledge management’ technology, where employees don’t have to hunt and peck through information, but instead, technology within workforce operations management tools will deliver relevant information proactively to help workers accomplish their goals."
-Tony Lopresti, CEO of Intellinote
The Internet of Things Will Connect More … Things
"The Internet of Things (IoT). Everyone’s rushing in to get their piece of a very big pie. The IoT’s promise is compelling, everything’s connected, and that connection makes magic happen. Sensors are everywhere, actuators can be anywhere. It’s a huge, wide open opportunity to create new businesses and applications taking advantage of the newly connected world.
-Mark Wialbut, Fides Sales
Desktops Will Get More Virtual
"[Desktops are] going to pop is [because] the user interfaces have become better. So there will be better user acceptance of an approach that makes sense technically and economically. Also, one can use the browser on a smartphone or tablet to work."
-Victor von Schlegell, president of Appia Communications
UAV Platforms Will Bring Data to Everyone, Everywhere
"Marketing teams for every stadium, zoo, museum and conference, to name a few, will be able to create a digital experience for visitors using mobile touchpoints. (Currently we’re hearing about iBeacon and NFC, but those are subject to change as these platforms evolve.) This technology will provide unlimited opportunities to engage with consumers in a more personal and targeted way than ever before.
"It has already begun, but 2014 will mark the year of unmanned systems. Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platforms are popping up to bring big data to everyone from hobbyists to big business corporations. Think Amazon and their ‘delivery drone’ announcement."
-Lia Reich, communications director at PrecisionHawk
Biohacking – It Will Happen
"The latest wave of body modification, known as biohacking or grinding, seeks to extend the human senses or blend man and machine for reasons beyond medical necessity. Either at home or in piercing shops, DIY grinders are implanting RFID chips (enabling them to open RFID-enabled doors, authenticate phones and even turn on vehicles) and magnets (sensitizing them to electromagnetic waves) under the skin. As more people embrace wearable technology, watch for more leading-edge adopters to take this concept to the next level."
-Ann Mack, director of trendspotting for JWT New York
Smartphones Will Go Ultra HD
"4K (ultra-high definition) technology will begin to emerge in cellphones. You will be able to take pictures and videos on your phone in Ultra HD quality, which has really only been available for high-end professional cameras at this point. The cheapest 4K cameras on the market right now are around $4,000, so making this technology available on phones will significantly reduce the cost and allow the average consumer to have that ultra-high-definition quality picture. It will also allow individuals to hook their phones directly up to their Ultra HD televisions."
-Phil Foley, senior vice president of the Communications Division for NanoTech Entertainment
Companies Will Adopt More Self-Service Technology
"Business users demand fast, accurate information with constant availability. Tech support is under increasing strain to control costs and do more with less. The answer to both challenges lies in self-service options supported by consistent, accurate and automated processes. Companies are demanding a more reliable and self-sufficient infrastructure. Many have already discovered how the cloud and self-service technology gives them a more agile IT operation. Now organizations are automating back-office business processes for better controlled, engineered activities every day."
-Tijl Vuyk, CEO of Redwood Software
Drone Delivery Isn’t Going to Happen (Sorry, Amazon)
"As a pilot and an e-commerce CEO, I love it, I want [a delivery drone], and think it’s great. Unfortunately, for delivery, it is completely impractical at any level of scale even compared to the example of the humble motorbike. Most drones only fly at 5 to 10 knots; this is about the same as an average wind speed. Even if the drone has twice as much power, as soon as there was any notable wind, the practical delivery zone disappears. The drone needs a landing area in a garden or clear area to land. Drones and the cost of drone delivery means that it would only work for expensive but lightweight goods, like small electrical devices."
-Phil Rooke, CEO of Spreadshirt
