The Top 10 Information Technology Trends of 2016

The information technology industry is always changing. New technology languages, architectures and platforms are introduced on a regular basis, as our world becomes more and more digitally connected.

There is also a growing demand for experienced IT professionals, as more businesses become increasingly digitized. The IT industry is growing faster than nearly any other field.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of computer-related fields is projected to grow about 12 percent from 2014 to 2024, adding nearly half a million jobs in over a decade.

Whether you work in IT or simply want more data about what is currently happening in the IT industry, check out these top ten trends of 2016.

1. The Device Mesh

This refers to the growing web of wearable and mobile gadgets. People are no longer just using the traditional desktop computer or even their handy-dandy tablets and smartphones. Rather, the industry is constantly evolving to develop new wearable equipment, going as far as creating impressive and immersive virtual reality tools.

2. Ambient User Experience

The ambient user experience blends the user’s physical, virtual and electronic environments. It uses real-time data as the ambient environment changes or as a user moves from one physical space to another. Organizations now need to consider a user’s behavior and physical surroundings when using tools to promote products and services.

3. 3D Printing Materials

3D printing continues to advance with a wide range of materials from advanced nickel alloys and carbon fiber to conductive ink and even biological materials. 3D printing is used for a number of practical applications in the aerospace, medical, automotive and energy industries as well as the military.

4. Information of Everything

The digital mesh communicates with immeasurably large amounts of information in the physical world to allow organizations to produce new and compelling campaigns for their target audiences. Organizations need to learn how to identify which data brings the most value to their campaigns, as well as how to access data from different sources. This will allow them to explore how algorithms use such details to create new and lucrative business designs.

5. Advanced Machine Learning

Advanced machine learning allows smart machines to understand concepts in the environment and change its future behavior based on what it has gathered about the world around it. This field is constantly growing and may not stop anytime soon. Thus, organizations need to learn how to use such technology to gain an advantage over their competitors.

6. Autonomous Agents and Things

Advanced machine learning leads to a number of smart machine implementations—from robots to autonomous vehicles to virtual personal assistants (VPAs)—that act autonomously. These autonomous agents are the main user interface in ambient user experiences. Rather than interacting with menus or buttons, the user simply speaks to these intelligent agents.

7. Adaptive Security Architecture

The combination of the hacker industry with the complexities of the computer world leads to an increased threat to an organization’s properties. IT leaders are focused on detecting and responding to these threats. They also use traditional blocking and other methods to prevent attacks to security, according to Forbes.

8. Advanced System Architecture

The digital mesh and smart machines both require computing structural demands in order for organizations to use them effectively. Systems built on graphics processing units (GPUs) or field-programmable gate-arrays (FPGAs) function similarly to human brains, in that they are more suited for deep learning and pattern-matching algorithms. FPGA-based builds allow distribution with less power into the smallest Internet of Things (IoT) endpoints, like homes, cars, watches and individual human beings.

9. Mesh App and Service Architecture

This enables the delivery of apps and services to the mesh’s flexible and dynamic environment. It brings together useful sources, tools, apps, services and microservices into a flexible state. Apps then extend across multiple endpoint devices to produce a continuous experience.

10. Internet of Things Architecture and Platforms

The technologies and standards in Internet of Things platforms allow communication, control, management and security of endpoints in the IoT. These platforms aggregate data from endpoints behind the scenes in order to create the IoT.

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