Technology is a huge part of our everyday lives, from our home lives to business and manufacturing, with new innovations constantly appearing which are designed to make our day-to-day lives easier and increase productivity, streamline processes and cut costs across industries. As with all technology, there will be positive and negative implications. Nevertheless, these technological innovations are set to continue to develop at an extremely rapid rate as they have over the last two years and are guaranteed to have a massive impact on the way we work and live.
AI and Machine Learning
Artificial Intelligence has been an area of technology which
has been in the spotlight for a while but this is set to continue in 2022 as, relatively
speaking, it is still in its infancy and developing at a rapid rate. It already
has a big influence on the way we live, work and play with smartphone personal
assistants, navigation apps, taxi apps and image and speech recognition to name
but a few.
Going forward, AI will be used more and more to analyse
interactions, determine connections and draw insights to help businesses make
better informed decisions. For public services like hospitals, this means that
authorities can make better decisions about resource utilization and in the
retail sector, businesses can detect changing patterns in consumer behaviour by
analysing data in near real-time, driving revenue and enhancing personalised
customer experiences.
According to research company Markets and Markets, the AI
market will grow to a $190 billion industry by 2025 with global spending on
cognitive and AI systems reaching over $57 billion in 2022.
Machine Learning is a form of AI which uses algorithms to
provide systems with the ability to automatically learn and improve from
experience without being specifically programmed to do so.
This allows large quantities of data to be analysed more
quickly and with more accurate results. It can be used to identify both
profitable opportunities and dangerous risks. However, it may initially require
additional time and resources to train it properly.
Robotic Process Automation
Robotic Process Automation (RPA), like AI and Machine learning, is another form of technology that is enabling certain jobs to be automated. It is the use of software to automate various repetitive or time-consuming tasks which used to be carried out by people such as data entry, processing transactions and interpreting applications.
Although there are concerns about the effect RPA automation could have on jobs, research by McKinsey estimates that although about 60 percent can be partially automated, less than 5 percent of occupations can be fully automated. RPA is also creating many new jobs as a technology developer, analyst and architect as well as streamlining workflows in many roles.
Domestic robots
In the world of consumer technology, robotic devices for the
home such as vacuum cleaners, window cleaners and lawn mowers have been around
for some time but newer innovations such as educational robots and pets mean
that they are still very much a trend for 2022.
Domestic robots are now being used for education, entertainment and therapy as well as household chores. Although many domestic robots are quite simple, some connect to home wi-fi networks or smart environments making them highly autonomous.
Who couldn’t do with a hand around the house or a homework helper?!
Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality
Virtual reality and augmented reality both feature heavily in
the gaming world with 14 million AR and VR devices being sold in 2019 according
to Techjury, as well as being used in simulation software such as training
software for the US Army, Navy and Coastguard, but these technologies are set
to become further integrated into our lives over the next twelve months.
They have huge potential to be used across many sectors, including education, healthcare, training and marketing, for example offering exhibition visitors an immersive experience, enhancing theme parks, even training doctors to perform surgery. Techjury predict that the global AR and VR market will grow to $209.2 billion by 2022, thanks to more affordable hardware and faster internet speeds.
Metaverse
Fancy entering a whole new world?! The metaverse is a network
of 3D virtual worlds where people can live in a digital universe of virtual and
augmented reality. The concept is focused around
social connection and offers us the opportunity to play, work or buy, either virtually or in
reality.
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta (formerly
Facebook), predicts that it will take five to ten years for the key aspects of
the metaverse to become mainstream. Various elements of it already exist
though, such as ultra -fast broadband, virtual reality headsets although these
are not yet accessible to everyone.
Internet of Things and smart homes
The term Internet of Things refers to devices which are
internet-enabled and therefore can connect to and interact with other similar devices.
By adding sensors to normal objects, they can be turned into smart devices
which collect and share real-time data without the need for human involvement.
Due to the availability of extremely cheap computer chips
and the abundance of wireless networks, there are billions of these devices
around the world which are now connected to the internet collecting and sharing
all different types of data, merging the digital and physical universes and
making everything around us smarter and more responsive.
Internet of Senses
The Internet of Senses, a term coined by the Ericsson
Research team, is used to describe a fully sensory immersive digital experience.
This is an exciting technology development pushes the idea of a metaverse to a
new level, incorporating mind, smell, sight, sound, touch and taste. It
augments our senses beyond the boundaries of our bodies giving us an enhanced
sense of vision, touch, hearing and smell.
Always dreamt of lying on a white sandy beach in the Caribbean, with the sun on your skin sipping on a piña colada…? This dream could become a “virtual” reality sooner than you think!
5G and ultrafast networks
5G and ultrafast networks are a technology which underpins a
lot of the other developing technologies discussed in this article. The emergence
of 5G and ultrafast connections provides the potential to expand these other
concepts exponentially.
5G wireless technology is supposed to deliver higher multi-Gbps peak data speeds, better reliability, ultra low latency, huge network capacity, increased availability and a more consistent user experience to more users. With this level of internet performance, the possibilities become endless!
Edge computing
As cloud computing starts to become more mainstream, the new
technology trend that is emerging is edge computing. It is a form of computing which
is carried out on site or near a particular data source, decreasing the need
for data to be processed in a remote data centre.
This provides organisations with a faster, more efficient
way of handling data using business class applications. They can access
comprehensive data analysis without the IT infrastructure that would previously
have been required for this and gain near real-time insights with less latency
and lower cloud server bandwidth demands—all while adding an additional layer
of security for sensitive data.
Blockchain and Non-fungible Tokens
Blockchain is a database which stores information electronically
in digital format that is shared amongst a computer network.
The purpose of blockchain is to allow digital information to be recorded and distributed but not edited. For this reason, blockchain is the foundation for immutable ledgers, or records of transactions that cannot be altered, deleted, or destroyed. This is why blockchains are also known as a distributed ledger technology (DLT). They are best known for their crucial role in cryptocurrency systems, such as Bitcoin, for maintaining a secure and decentralized record of transactions.
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are a one-of-a-kind crypto token
which track the provenance and authenticity of rare virtual collectible items
such as art and sports memorabilia.
The popularity of NFTs exploded in 2021 with more than $20
billion worth of the tokens changing hands, according to some estimates. One
transaction that caught everyone’s attention was a collage by digital artist
Beeple which was sold for a record $69 million.
Cyber Security
Despite all of these amazing developments, there is an important word of caution to heed regarding cyber security. Cyber attacks are becoming more and more prevalent in line with technological advances. From malware to phishing to ransomware attacks, hackers are constantly developing new ways to enter and exploit IT systems.
The growth of Ransomware as a Service (RaaS) in 2021 has enabled
criminal gangs to recruit affiliates to use their pre-developed ransomware tools
to carry out attacks. With RaaS hackers no longer needing a high level of technical
skill, even inexperienced hackers will be able to launch sophisticated attacks.
Ransomware hackers are becoming more aggressive in their
demands and negotiations, leaving organisations without protection completely at
their mercy. Once they have successfully launched a cyber attack, hackers are also
increasingly extorting the organisation’s business partners whose data they
have gained access to as well. Ensure your business has all of the necessary cyber
security measures in place to avoid cyber attack.
Keep your eye on these emerging technologies over the coming year- we are sure they will continue to bring us exciting new products and experiences and let’s see what other technological delights the rest of the year brings!
At EBC Group, we partner with the biggest names in cyber security to supply businesses with the very latest in security solutions to help counter the risk of cyber attack which can be financially and reputationally devastating. Our security solutions add vital layers of protection to businesses’ IT systems without compromising their IT performance. We provide the full range of cyber security services, including real-time intrusion prevention technology, comprehensive testing packages and robust training programmes for your employees, as well as full disaster recovery solutions.
For more information about how we can help you secure your network, contact us, call us on 0121 3680119 or email us at hello@ebcgroup.co.uk.
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