As we approach the end of 2021, it is best to look at what the new year may have in store. To help you prepare for and thrive in 2022, our IT experts at Healthy IT have provided their top five IT predictions.
Creating new hybrid work tools, services, and functionalities
With the rollout of vaccinations in 2021, many companies shifted from fully remote to hybrid work arrangements, giving employees the option to work remotely part of the time. For example, Apple let their staff report to the office only three days a week. Google also adopted a similar three-day office work setup for most of its employees, but permitted the rest to continue working remotely.
To support this shift in work setups, new hybrid work products, services, and features will emerge in 2022. For example, artificial intelligence will be used to remove background noises, such as dog barks, from video calls. Companies will leverage augmented reality to develop more immersive online workplaces. We will also see new collaboration and security monitoring technologies for the hybrid workforce, as well as new remote IT support offerings.
Rising adoption of hybrid cloud
With a hybrid cloud, businesses can easily scale up their IT resources without having to spend time and money on purchasing, installing, and maintaining the necessary additional hardware and software.
Given the move to hybrid work arrangements, more and more companies will invest in hybrid cloud environments. In a hybrid cloud environment, off-site cloud resources are combined with on-premises IT facilities, allowing data and applications to be shared between them. An example of a hybrid cloud environment is one where a company with on-site servers uses public cloud storage to store data backups.
With a hybrid cloud, businesses can easily scale up their IT resources without having to spend time and money on purchasing, installing, and maintaining the necessary additional hardware and software.
Read also: Top benefits of cloud computing in 2021 and beyond
Accelerating development of cloud-related skill sets
The current cloud skills shortage is hindering businesses from using cloud-based technologies, such as big data analytics and machine learning, for strategic purposes. Given this, an increasing number of companies will invest more heavily in cloud certification training to ensure that their employees have the necessary skill sets to meet the growth in cloud adoption.
Enhancing online and in-person customer experiences
According to a Forrester survey, 44% of US consumers have upgraded their in-home technology since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Given their “digital readiness” and pandemic experience that “everything can be done online,” consumers now want brands to deliver more and better online experiences. These online experiences should be seamless and highly tailored to their unique needs, as 60% of American consumers say such experiences are going to be more significant than in-person ones. In fact, 65% of them said they would rather have more of their brand experiences online.
Since many consumers are still concerned about their safety, they expect in-person experiences to be more “hybrid.” This means physical locations are powered by touchless technologies, such as tap-and-go payments and devices with sensor and gesture recognition.
Increasing use and improving telehealth services
According to a McKinsey survey, the use of telehealth services during the pandemic skyrocketed 38 times from the pre-COVID-19 baseline. Going forward, around 40% of surveyed people said they will continue to utilize telehealth services — a huge jump from the 11% who used telehealth before the pandemic. By 2022, telehealth services will go mainstream as good broadband connectivity becomes the norm, even in underserved communities.
What’s more, healthcare providers will increase their IT spending to improve online patient experiences. They will tap more channels, such as websites, smartphones, and wearable devices, where they can communicate with their patients digitally. Additional investments in telehealth IT will also enable patients to easily set appointments and make payments online on provider websites. And when they arrive at a healthcare facility, they will be able to check in online without the assistance of a receptionist.
It’s difficult to keep up with the rapidly evolving technological landscape. Fortunately, the IT experts at Healthy IT can guide you so you can predict and leverage key tech trends. Schedule your FREE consultation with us today.