By K.S. Parag, Managing Director, FVC

 

With the new year, it’s time for everyone to start making big bets on game-changing innovation. For the IT channel, it is all about betting on technologies that will propel channel sales growth in various markets from multi-cloud data management, artificial intelligence, and automation, to quantum computing and cybersecurity. Here then are some of the technology and market trends to look out for in 2019:

 

Modest Approach Towards Digital Transformation

Investments into digital transformation started off in a big way in 2018 and that is expected to continue this year, too. However, what will be different this year is that enterprises’ approach to digital transformation will become much more pragmatic going forward. According to market research firm Forrester, In 2019, digital transformation this year will move from super-wide enterprise efforts to a pragmatic, surgical portfolio view of digital investments with the goal of making incremental and necessary changes to operations. As part of digital transformation strategies, unified communications is morphing into a more personalised experience for everyone and this will be clearly evident in 2019.

 

Increased Focus on Cybersecurity

2018 was characterized by increased cyberattacks and cyber breaches in major industry verticals. This trend will further escalate in 2019. Industry experts suggest that 2019 will be a year of unprecedented cyberthreats to companies and individuals. It is anticipated that these attacks will drive organizations to adopt Zero Trust security strategies.

 

Artificial Intelligence Will Grow Through Machine Learning

Artificial Intelligence was already a pretty big bet in 2018 and it worked in many areas including self driving cars, industrial automation and government initiatives. This year, though, machine learning and artificial intelligence will get embedded into core business platforms, thus creating and enabling smart business operations. In addition, advances in machine learning and algorithm training will result in new and more advanced AI. Artificial Intelligence will also transform Unified Communications in 2019.

 

Quantum Computing Will Be Bigger

Quantum computing will take shape in 2019. According to Gartner, CIOs and IT leaders should start planning for quantum computing by increasing understanding and how it can apply to real-world business problems. CIOs and IT leaders should also learn while the technology is still in the emerging state and identify real-world problems where quantum computing has potential and consider the possible impact on security.

 

Many are calling 2019 to be a year of innovation and investment. That holds true for the channel, because they need to double down with partners on innovation that allows customers to securely run, deliver and manage any app, to any device on any cloud. The overall theme for 2019 is new opportunities for growth. Hence, FVC is the right partner that offers the tools, analytics and automation to help reduce the complexity in deployment and simplify systems and processes.