5 key trends for Digital Transformation in 2019

Here’s a look at top 5 digital transformation trends to watch for in 2019

Digital transformation is a term we’ve all heard for quite a while now. It is no longer a trend that would be good for businesses to consider adopting, but a must-have for organizations that want to stay on top of the game.

The key to digital transformation is driving change. And that is not just a technology challenge, but a leadership, management and people challenge. Now that most businesses understand what digitization is and why it’s needed, we’re stepping into a time when many are starting to innovate and drive change inside their organizations. It’s less about technology adoption as we move forward and more about strategic plans while incorporating forefront technologies to build a competitive advantage.

Here’s a look at the top 5 digital transformation trends to watch for in 2019:

1. Data, Analytics, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) platforms => Smart Integrated Processes

As technology continuously evolves, we are getting closer and closer to the amazing concept called singularity (the invention of artificial superintelligence (ASI) will abruptly trigger runaway technological growth, resulting in unfathomable changes to human civilization).

At the center of all technological innovations lays data: we can’t achieve anything without the use of Analytics. As research has shown we have created 90% of the world’s data in the past year, and at the same time we are only using 1% of the data effectively. There is still a lot to be done in terms of capturing data in a structured way and being able to extract the right conclusions from it.

With better processing power that can grow machine learning, all leaders need to become more efficient in the way they use data and this can only be done with machine learning and artificial intelligence. The aim is to see that current 1% of data usage going up 2-3 times, which may seem small but would be a massive growth in data utilization.

2. It’s all about Multi-Cloud: Public, Private and Hybrid

As organizations are recognizing that private cloud, public cloud or data centers aren’t the best options, they have been mixing them together. So here it is, connected clouds that are continuously evolving to meet businesses progressing needs. This encompasses anything from cloud-source storage to networking to security to app deployment.

The pledge to connecting clouds is best reflected by Microsoft with Azure, HPE with Cloud Technology Partners and VMWare’s acquisition of CloudHealth Technologies.

There’s a new kid in town, and its name is Multi-Cloud. Embrace it, as from now on businesses will have a mix of workloads running in different types of cloud environments, and these applications need to be smooth, extra-secured and up-to-date.

Originally, many organizations pursued a multi-cloud strategy because they were hesitant about cloud reliability. Multi-cloud was seen, then and now, as a way to prevent data loss or downtime due to a localized component failure in the cloud. Also, the ability to bypass vendor lock-in was an early driver of multi-cloud adoption.

3. 5G will be a commercial reality in 2019

It’s an electrifying time for 5G and mobile alike. While 2018 was the year that fixed 5G applications found their legs, this year we are going to see 5G finding its way into the upper corner of our mobile devices.

5G is a turning point for the technology industry as a whole. With more wireless connectivity options, higher bandwidth, lower latency, and other enhancements, 5G will enable not only new ways to connect but also new applications.

For businesses, the readiness of 5G means smaller delay in communications, faster download speeds and greater potential across borders.

4. ItaaS = IT as a Service

There’s an increasing interest in having bigger flexibility in terms of workloads, as well as the ability to scale up and down rapidly based on business needs. This translates in the ‘IT as-a-service’ market being bound for great things, with companies opting for the a-la-carte menu to fit business needs.

‘ITaaS’, the concept of having not one but all services allowing for scalability, the latest tech, shorter procurement cycles and increased agility is enabling companies to be as competitive as the market, but without the price tag.

It makes perfect sense that businesses will prefer this model to get the most for their money, while undergoing digital transformation in all parts of the company.

5. Blockchain: adopt it or…

Although still a relatively new technology, blockchain certainly is a hot topic. It began to rise as a real-world tech option in 2016 and it could change IT in a similar way open-source software did a quarter century ago.

What began as a technology designed to make financial transactions online more secure is slowly merging into several other potential possibilities for numerous industries. For example, in healthcare the blockchain concept is being studied to improve health management at patient level. The technology could provide governments with a way to track how their currency is being used. Ride-sharing companies can facilitate all transactions through a blockchain system. In the education sector, blockchain solutions can supervise verification processes, reducing fake claims of un-earned educational diplomas. Networking and IoT – Samsung and IBM are using blockchain technology to build a decentralized network of IoT devices.

Simply put, blockchain is enabling transactional transparency across a wide variety of business functions: almost any decentralized transactional process can take advantage from the use of blockchain ledgers.

Blockchain as a service offerings are multiplying, aiding companies to build exclusive blockchain applications. With a quick adoption for application development in a number of industries, blockchain is believed that will generate more than $10.6 billion in revenue by 2023, according to an ABI Research report. Most of that revenue is anticipated to come from software sales and services.

As we move through 2019 and beyond, it will become more clearly that those businesses who fail to transform will be left behind. The time is now to start harnessing the full power of your content for better decision making. We, at Star Storage, are ready to be your partner of choice on your digital transformation journey.