Five Tech Trends for 2016

Six Tech Trends for 2016 - Dynamic Quest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s that time of year again when we speculate about what’s in store for the coming year. Here are our top five tech trends for 2016.

The Device Mesh (IoT)

The device mesh will have a huge break out this year, if most experts are to b believed. The past few years have brought more and more electronics that allow users to access information, operate applications, or interact with other users across various devices. Aside from our mobile phones that are wired to the cloud and connected remotely to our PCs, we also have watches that can monitor various vital signs and alert human resource to move and be healthier pointing toward the potential for a workforce that may be calling in sick less as these smarter technologies become more integrated in their lives.

GPS-equipped accessories allow for remote sales teams, delivery, and operations hinging on transport to provide up-to-the-second tracking from home office to ensure delays are anticipated earlier, and teams get the work completed without gaps in location-feedback. On the flip-side location-cued notifications to clients enabled more targeted advertising messages that can be helpful as clients and end-consumers go about their day, from offering promotions-updates when consumers are in the vicinity, to helpful content in the context of the client location of activities. The litany of equipment within the IoT (Internet of Things) includes these and more.

Devices that used to operate separately will soon work together seamlessly, taking the device mesh to unexpected heights. You may very well be able to use your phone or watch to access information on all other devices the mesh can provide.

Advanced Machine Learning

Sentient machines like in movies like iRobot, Ex Machina, Her, The Matrix, and Terminator may still seem far off, but (believe or not) 2015 brought significant steps forward in the pursuit of artificial intelligence (AI). We have showcased several times our ability to create electronics with the capacity to learn on their own. Advanced machine learning has enabled programming to perceive and interpret available information and then identify which of the said information can be useful.

Advances with Apple’s Siri and even more notably – Windows 10’s Cortana have made some notable progress that have pulled AI into a closer reality. Cortana can remember the user’s habits such as regularly used sites, functions and apps, remaking the Windows 10 user experience to be personalized and customized to user habits. Facebook has even created a sub-unit exclusively dedicated to artificial intelligence – the Facebook AI Research team (FAIR). The social platform has proposed a roadmap towards machine intelligence for their platform, that would enable “natural-language-based-communication” for highly advanced human interaction. Though there’s a long way to go before sentient machines are part of our daily lives, 2016 is expected to bring some bigger steps forward in customization of experiences based on previous user behaviors and preferences.

Adaptive Security Architecture

Data breaches have been a major concern in 2015. Hacking has advanced to the point that even popular security systems are struggling to keep up. Traditional rule-based security has begun to lag and is now predicted to fall short of being able to guarantee the safety and integrity of an organization’s network. 2015 brought a renewed focus for IT Security industry leaders, who have redirected efforts from improving current security systems to developing an adaptive security architecture. In concept, adaptive security architecture leverages user and entity behavior analytics to identify if a separate entity is trying to gain access to the network. Though this is not yet mainstream, adaptive security architecture is predicted to become more formalized and available to a wider audience in 2016.

Advanced Customer Architecture

Social media continues to become more prevalent, with options customized to micro-segments of users popping up every day. Expect the bigger players to offer differentiating features to stay top-of-mind and retain their popularity and broad audience user base. Never-before seen features are anticipated to be released and catch-on for 2016. Facebook’s DeepFace self-learning facial recognition system is one example that’s ahead of the curve, allowing the platform to detect your face in any new photo with virtual certainty. The purported level of accuracy will allow the social networking giant to automatically tag every user in a newly uploaded photo, offering convenience as well as improved remedies to fake or poser accounts.

Other websites will undoubtedly follow suit and also use facial recognition technology to verify logins. Instead of a username and a password, you will only need to stare at your webcam for 5 secs and wait for the AI to recognize you. FB’s DeepFace was proposed initially in mid-2014 but was rumored to have been developed throughout 2015, it is expected to get its legs underneath in a more mainstream roll-out it in 2016.

Big Data

Big Data continues to wax hot and has proven it is less a trend and more of a confirmed reality and necessity for the current competitive climate. With an unprecedented amount of data and more sophisticated analytics, Big Data has been coming into its own over 2014 and 2015. This has largely been with top industry leaders and big corporations, however, 2016 points to big data becoming more and more accessible to smaller enterprises as management of the growing streams of data with reasonable speed and cost will become more common and recognition of the massive competitive advantage from Big Data will become more widespread.

It always pays to be prepared. Realize the coming tech trends for 2016 and stay ahead of the competition. If you need professional business advice to help prepare your organization for the coming year, Dynamic Quest is always willing to help. Our data analytics team is happy to provide consultation on how you can make best use of your data, and our teams of technology professionals stay at the forefront of technology trends to make sure you are able to take advantage of ever-changing tech environment. Reach out to us today to schedule a free discovery call and receive consultative insight into how your infrastructure, security, and competitiveness can be improved.

Curious to learn more? Contact your managed IT service provider today!

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