In recent times, it has become increasingly apparent that organizations that embraced digital working and technology-driven processes in their organizations have an upper hand in the industry. Moving forward, experts believe that advancements in multiple emerging technologies will converge to create unprecedented value. 

So, the pertinent question for businesses is which technologies should one be tracking and investing in?

There are, in fact, five core technologies that retailers can invest in 2022 to stay ahead in the game: Zero Trust architecture, Cloud maturity, Hyperautomation, Conversational AI, IoT everywhere, Intelligence at the edge, 5G connectivity, Data, according to a report by CMS It services. 

"The next frontier in IT services will evolve beyond the discrete consumption of service models and technologies, and instead will be driven by the nexus of cloud, edge, 5G, AI, IoT, and data and analytics," says Sid Nag, VP Analyst, Gartner. 

Zero Trust Architecture

India is the third-most cyber-attacked country in the world. Distributed workloads, remote working, and connected devices make networks, services, apps, and data more vulnerable than ever before. Fortification of endpoints and a zero-trust posture is imperative, experts say. 

Cloud Maturity

Again, in order to store and process a heap-load of information, the way forward is for businesses to upgrade intelligent workload management and operational stability through custom cloud configurations.

According to Gartner, “The rapid pace of innovation in cloud infrastructure and platform services (CIPS) makes cloud the de-facto platform for new digital services and existing traditional workloads alike, which is why 40 percent of all enterprise workloads will be deployed in CIPS by 2023, up from only 20 percent in 2020.”

Hyperautomation

Another major trend is that by 2024, organizations will lower operational costs by 30 percent by combining hyperautomation technologies with redesigned operational processes. 
This can reduce/replace manual resource allocation, system tuning and configurations, data management and mining, service management, and systems provisioning, experts argue. 

Conversational AI

Just like the cloud brought to scale and speed within reach of small companies with small budgets, chatbots empower small teams with small budgets to deliver the 24/7 customer-first experience typically associated with enterprises.

IoT Everywhere

By the end of 2022, there will be 29 million connected devices on the internet and 50 percent will be IoT devices 
Consequently, smart homes, wearables, smart cities, smart grids, and the industrial internet will be the most popular applications.

Intelligence at the Edge

Gartner predicts that by 2025, 75 percent of business-generated data will be generated and processed at the edge.  AI at the edge allows mission-critical and time-sensitive decisions to be made faster, more reliably, and with greater security.

Data

The importance of Data for businesses has long been understood.  Going forward, by 2024, we will have generated 149 zettabytes of data globally. 
The fact is velocity and quality of data enable businesses to think less sequentially and more disruptively.

5G connectivity

5G ushers in an era of unprecedented connectivity - superfast, ultra-reliable, low latency networks that seamlessly support up to 1 million devices per square kilometer. This 1,000x increase in computes capacity (compared to 4G) is the foundation on which IoT, big data, AR/VR, etc deliver immersive experiences.

Now that the pandemic has changed how we do business forever, it’s time for businesses to find pathways to a responsive and resilient future. Experts believe it’s time to enable agility with scalable digital systems purpose-built for distributed workforces. And, it’s time to embrace hybrid-computing and multi-cloud models as pivotal components of business infrastructure.