The Future Trends of IT in 2016

The tech industry changes with every passing week, let alone a single year. We saw huge innovation and changes happening within IT in 2015 and 2016 promises to do the same.

In this ‘blink and you miss it’ industry, trying to keep afloat of new changes can be extremely difficult. Ideally, you should try to get ahead of emerging trends so that you can prepare your systems for when they are in full effect.

To make things easier for you, here’s what we predict will happen in 2016:

Bots

While software application ‘bots’ aren’t a new concept, they’re going to be much more widely used in a range of creative, everyday applications. Instead of being something that just ticks away in the background, you’re likely to be able to programme these bots yourself to help supercharge productivity and track what others are doing.

There are lots of potential uses for bots – they will almost definitely come in this year, but there’s no idea about their full abilities or limitations as yet.

Wearables

Apple Watch and other wearable technology may have come in last year, but the real impact will hit this year. There’s huge business to be made on these devices and they’re likely to become much more popular in 2016. Unfortunately, this may bring on compatibility issues with your existing programmes so it’s a good idea to check out your systems early on this year in preparation.

Quantum Computing

Some things are too complicated for a normal computer and that’s where quantum computers come in. These machines are able to operate in the quantum universe, seeing those 1 and 0 bytes in two states at once – i.e. 00, 01, 10, 11. This means that they are far more powerful than any system currently being used, but they can also use special algorithms capable of doing things never previously considered.

Quantum computing may have been talked about over 10 years ago, but 2016 may well be the year that everything springs to life. Last year, D-Wave Systems claimed that it broke the 1,000 qubit barrier and now IBM, Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard and Google are all trying to find ways to make this technology commercially available.

Cloud Adoption

If you haven’t already set your cloud computing up and have it running full steam ahead, then 2016 is the year that this is all going to happen. With so many different types of cloud software out there, choosing the right one for your needs could be a little bit tricky. However, the cloud is a movement that’s happening whether you like it or not so it really is time to get on board.

Organise your business’s data and make sure that everything is safely backed up to a secure cloud system as soon as possible. Not only is this the future, but there are a huge amount of benefits to your company through using the cloud – including increased productivity and better remote working abilities.

Even Easier Payments

Contactless payment have become the norm in 2015 and payments are set to be made even easier this year. This is going to mean that it’s easier than ever for customers to transfer money, which is great for them but it does mean that you need to ensure that you have good security in place.

[Wikipedia under CC 3.0]

Expect to see Apple Pay, Google Pay and myriad of other mobile payments flooding the markets this year and becoming one of the most popular methods of customer payment. Make sure that you have the systems in place to deal with this type of payment on a regular basis in 2016.

Security is Policed

You wouldn’t leave the front door to your business open when you’re shut, but thousands of businesses neglect security when it comes to customer data. All this is bound to change in 2016, with much greater control on the use of secure file transfer, cloud service providers and storage of customer data. While there are already plenty of governance around these issues, expect to see this being clamped down on much more in 2016.

Security concerns are one of the biggest technology trends to have been emerging over the last few years and they’ve now reached a critical mass. That means that you can expect lots of closed loopholes, crack downs on companies neglecting proper security and enhanced forms of encryption being used to send and store data.

If you’re worried about your current secure file transfer solution then talk to Maytech today. As an industry leader, we stay ahead of the trends to ensure that our products are not just fit for purpose, but are futureproof with security that goes above and beyond regulations. Why not try it for yourself with our free trial?

[su_box title=”About John Lynch” style=”noise” box_color=”#336588″]John Lynch is the CEO of Maytech, a global platform for secure data transfer, and has taken the company from strength to strength in recent years. Finance Monthly named John as the winner of the 2014 CEO Awards for his hard work and dedication at Maytech. An expert in strategy and execution, John Lynch knows what it takes to grow and launch brands and businesses to help them reach their full potential.  [/su_box]