Gartner has released a tech trends report for 2025, and automation (especially through artificial intelligence) is a keystone. While technology has great potential for companies, depending on goals, it also carries challenges. Such challenges include costs in time, money and effort; legal and ethical considerations and guardrails for use; and adaptation of the workforce to changes. Read on to learn more about upcoming trends and why they matter for your business.

The Role of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence has been enabling automation and enhancing creativity for several years, and is a powerful tool. It has potential for numerous industries and every sort of business within those industries. One trend, agentic AI, can help you with automation of processes, which may save costs and time, augmenting or even taking over human tasks when appropriate. Nevertheless, guardrails are needed to ensure that the virtual agents operate according to parameters set up by humans. Not only that, you will need to assess how to harness AI to help meet your business goals, and make sure that its use is in accordance with your goals.

Platforms for AI governance will be another trend in technology. These platforms can help companies create and enforce policies for responsible use as well as show users how the AI systems work. For example, how do the systems remain free from harmful bias? And how to avoid disinformation? And what about those “deep fakes” we keep hearing about? You can bet that if you are using AI, so are malicious actors. They can combine pictures and audio to make it seem as though a customer is saying something negative about your brand. Disinformation security is another emerging technology trend that will help assess risk and prevent harmful narratives about your company.

Other Trends Making Using of Artificial Intelligence

A few other trends make use of artificial intelligence. Ambient invisible intelligence can provide a subtle and seamless customer experience, by the integration of technology into the environment. A business benefit is knowing more about the customer’s purchasing journey and user experience, yet customers might feel surveilled. Consent policies need to be created, so that users can choose what they share, and transparency will be needed.

Hybrid computing is set to become more popular, and will provide different mechanisms for computing, storage and networking. While hybrid computing can help artificial intelligence perform beyond present boundaries, it poses challenges. Security risks are created by autonomous models, and the cost of such experimental technology is high. Once again, it is up to you to determine whether this and other trends will align with your business goals and benefit your company and its stakeholders. Setting up guardrails for use of these technologies will require thought, time and effort.

While technology moves forward, you will need to evaluate the trends coming up in the next few years, and how you will harness technological innovation while navigating its challenges. For further guidance, contact your trusted technology advisor today.

A number of trends are expected to continue, as well as new ones to develop, in the coming year. These trends will introduce opportunities along with challenges in the IT industry. Read on to learn about how these movements in the industry affect its four pillars of operations, infrastructure, cybersecurity, and data.

Focus on Strategy and Transformation

Let’s face it, the last year and a half has been challenging. The work-at-the-office paradigm that many were used to has likely changed permanently. Remote workers, as well as creating more “nodes on the network,” have changed expectations; will some ever want to come back to the office, or stay remote? Managed services may be counting on remote work to stay popular, and to provide companies with network assistance, shown by a CAGR prediction of 7.9% ($355 billion) by 2026, according to IDC.In 2022, companies are expecting to move out of the tactical approach of just staying in business, and to start dusting off digital transformation projects that they couldn’t think of before, considering innovation and collaboration.  The technology industry is expected to increase to $5.3 trillion in 2022, with a year-over-year growth increase of 5-6%, according to IDC. CompTIA’s trends outlook article points to a growing optimism about opportunities in the tech industry, coupled with challenges to manage. 

Opportunities in Information Technology

The United States has long been a key player in the technology industry, accounting for 33% ($1.8 trillion) in expected spending for 2022. With its robust infrastructure and many connected users, as well as its abundant bandwidth, it has the opportunity to consider software development and tech services (including cloud services) built upon this foundation. Cloud-first will continue to be prevalent, with both existing systems and new components residing in the cloud. In fact, according to IDC, the compounded annual growth rate (CAGR)for cloud is expected to be 16.3%, with spending reaching $974 billion by 2026.  In terms of software development, user experience will be an important consideration, with many firms thinking of it as a critical concern. Channel firms will have the opportunity to help their customers choose what’s best for their business, with technological tools always being subject to business objectives like automation and product development. Cybersecurity, while an ever-present challenge, also can be lucrative for channel firms; they can become even more profitable and help nervous customers feel more confident about cybersecurity. The CAGR for security is expected to be 9.7%, reaching $345 billion by 2026. 

Meeting Challenges in the Future

With the growth of digital transformation comes an increased quantity of data that needs to be stored, managed and secured. How will companies keep customer data safe while complying 

with industry regulations? And how will they keep cyber attacks and data breaches from doing damage? It is now assumed that cyber attacks happen frequently, and not all come from outside the company. Keeping networks safe will continue to be challenging for organizations, and both offensive (such as penetration testing) and defensive (like antivirus protection) practices are needed. Cybersecurity metrics can connect cybersecurity practices to business health. 

With the rapid shift to at-home work and its expansion of the security perimeter, opportunities and challenges abound. For guidance in navigating the tech landscape, contact us today.