By Neil Cattermull, The Future as a Service

Throughout 2019 we have seen some amazing developments within the technical world and we, the public, can be a fickle bunch and when it comes down to this sector. There are many factors that can influence our appetite.

As I always quote when discussing future technologies, we must look at the external factors that influence future outcomes. In 2019, AI, 5G, Autonomous vehicles and Blockchain were at the top slots.   2019 saw the rise of automated processes, self-healing operating systems and databases along with a massive increase of personal data security. Data finally became a commodity that is on the radar for true value. The external influence of certain high-profile media coverage (social network monopolisation) influenced and changed the course of digital currency and data privacy respectively and placed more importance upon ethics of use.

So with this in mind what should we expect in 2020?

Data Privacy – Some big changes

I truly believe that there are big changes coming this year that are be based around our own personal data footprint. With Global Data Protection Regulation for the EU a key influencer, now we see more countries and states expanding their data privacy laws. We will see more leverage in favour of the individual to govern what, how and where their data will be utilized. This, coupled with data conservation, will be high on the agenda for 2020!

5G – super fast communications

5G was picked as a predominant technology for 2019 but 2020 will be the year of maturity. Infrastructure upgrades and green field installations are established to cater for the incredible boom of connective device initiatives (38 billion are suggested to be in place throughout 2020) and they will require fast and more reliable communications – which is probably why we are pushing the management of said devices to the edge of our networks!

SDG’s get noticed!

Sustainable development goals (SDGs) finally get the attention they deserve, and it’s about time! In 2019, we saw the rise of awareness for increasing climate changes, natural disasters (fires) as well as the pollution of our oceans. Global media coverage has been dramatic but effective in bringing awareness about these subjects. In 2020, we expect associated sustainable technology will be dominant (electric transport with SMART city approaches) and will lower our carbon footprints. The technology behind these worthy goals is tried, tested and vastly under-utilized!

Automation gets real

The rise of IPA (Intelligent Process Automation) will continue as complex automated tasks will build upon RPA (Robotic Process Automation) initiatives and get deeper and more lateral, not vertical. We will now start to utilize more reference points that will provide wider automation. Good examples of this will be healthtech, business automation (building upon digital twin analogies) and AI with a twist (finally solid use cases). We will also see the rise of the bot (again) that may challenge the role of certain technical functions. However, it’s not all doom and gloom and for certain technical functions and managerial functions because we expect to see the creation of new automated bot manager positions.

Blockchain – To be or not to be, that is the question!

So are we over Blockchain as a buzzword yet? Yes, 2020 will see the emergence of many use cases with real business value as we finally get over the crypto stigma. Throughout 2019 we saw many new and innovative uses emerge and most were custom tech projects. Applications that simply layer over this technology will emerge to demonstrate use cases that provide business value requiring less in-depth skill sets to implement. One example of this is Oracle Intelligent Track and Trace.

Expect more Partnerships

With the explosion of connected devices needed to report data usage and to manage diverse interconnectivity collaboration we MUST look at how these connect and where to! Expect more collaborative partnerships (e.g. Microsoft Azure and Oracle Cloud) that provide a simple approach and enable more seamless connections between services. Most of the global technology providers collaborate together now and this will only grow throughout 2020 so let’s be prepared for joint service delivery platforms, and that’s got to be good for the consumer, right?  

I am looking forward to this year’s technical evolution and so should you as in a month’s time you can see what’s in store from one of the largest tech giants (Oracle) at their London-based launch of Oracle OpenWorld which promises to demonstrate all of the above.

Oracle OpenWorld Europe: Next Major Event Coming Soon!

So pop along on the 12/13th of February as Oracle kickstart their vision at Oracle OpenWorld London, and if you see me, say hi! or tweet me @NeilCattermull.