Getting Our Bearings: The State of Business Technology in 2018

At every turn, it seems as though there’s another best practice or upcoming trend to learn and implement in the realm of business technology. Are you doing all you can to keep your company up to date, relevant, and competitive? Below, we review some of 2018’s biggest IT revolutions so far.

Security Worries
By now, it has been made abundantly clear that cybersecurity is nothing to shake a stick at. Compounding the security issues inherent in the rising number of devices, devices that fall under the umbrella of the Internet of Things are still notoriously insecure. However, through improved methodologies in machine learning, these threats may soon be a lot less effective than they are now. Thanks to predictive technologies powered by machine learning and adaptive analysis, there is a greater capability for us to fight threats much more dynamically. Paired with other security reinforcements, like the use of blockchain and the upcoming zero-knowledge proofs that are associated with it, machine learning may be the next truly big shift in security.

Big Data
In order to effectively make the decisions that will have resonating impact across the business as a whole, there needs to be data that informs the decision makers. Today, there are effectively limitless sources of this invaluable data. By leveraging solutions that allow them to collect and organize this data into a usable format, businesses will be able to make inferences and draw conclusions that ultimately lead to improved processes, security, and efficiency.

Artificial Intelligence
As we referenced above, A.I. will soon be a key component to many businesses and their strategies. By leveraging the data that it has collected, a company will be able to greatly improve its operations and outcomes - and do so while optimizing how an employee’s time is spent. Every industry will have the ability to utilize artificially intelligent solutions before very long, and this will likely bring great changes and advancement with it.

Accountability
As the technology improves, there will also be questions that we have not yet had to practically address before coming into play. For instance, with such increases in A.I.-driven automated solutions, who does the blame fall upon if it just so happens to do something illegal? This ethical quandary (and many, many others) will need to be addressed before action can be taken.

What shifts in technology have you the most excited for the future? Tell us in the comments!