01732 759725 38 PREDICTIONS 2022 Predictions Part 2 What’s on the cards for technology providers in 2022? Over the next four pages, we share predictions from across the IT spectrum, starting with Ultima CEO Scott Dodds’ pick of this year’s top technology trends t Cloud native app development. Consumers are demanding digital first experiences and connected experiences. We are moving away from ‘lift and shift to the cloud’ to redesigning for the cloud in a no-code, low-code way. y Security. As we come out of the pandemic, businesses are focusing once again on security, and especially how it relates to flexible working. Hackers have become more subtle in their approach, hiding in corporate networks for longer, waiting for the right time to attack. Using the latest security tools and ensuring that the right backups and disaster recovery plans are in place (and tested) are critical to business survival. We are still seeing too many businesses with simple gaps in their security, for example out of date patching, so automation of security will be key. Businesses will need to back up their use of the latest security tools with employee training to ensure all staff know how to keep their tech and business secure. Without a two-pronged approach businesses will remain vulnerable. u Rise of the business technologist. Organisations need people who know how their business works – the processes involved right through the business – allied to a deep knowledge of technology and an understanding of how it can transform those processes. Their role is to translate those processes to the technical team. i Rise of xOps. We’re seeing the rise of xOps with specific skill sets to manage different aspects of technology. For example. the DevOps team for managing development cycles and IT operations for development teams; SecOps for managing security tool sets and keeping governance around security tight; DataOps for data management; and ModelOps for machine learning. These xOps roles will become increasingly important. o Next generation managed services. For fast tech support, businesses require partners who can provide automation skills as well as end-to-end capability for onprem and cloud. Mid-market enterprises won’t want to hand off between different partners but instead will want to work with managed services partners that have the knowledge and expertise to migrate them to the cloud, provide on-prem support and do everything in between. 1) Sustainability. Corporate social responsibility is now a business imperative and should be leading the business agenda. Companies are rightly being judged on their environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) activity, including charitable endeavours and how they give back to the local community. In the future, companies won’t be on a supplier list unless they can demonstrate their commitment to the environment. Cloud specialist and automation ser vice provider Ultima aims to become a long-term, trusted, intelligent transformation partner to its clients by delivering high value business outcomes through technical innovation and ser vice excellence. With over 25 years of implementation experience, it has a turnover of £123m, more than 200 technical staff and 75 senior consultants experienced in end user computing, automation, mobility, cloud, datacentre, networking & security and messaging & collaboration. www.ultima.com Technology trends to watch out for in 2022 q Hybrid workplace. Most companies recognise the benefits of a more flexible working model, which is all tied in with the need to look after the environment better by keeping travel to a minimum, while giving staff the flexibility to work from home (or wherever else they wish), balanced with the mental health benefits that come from social interaction. To meet these complex needs, businesses need to be able to provide flexible ways of working, with secure, remote access from anywhere. Investing in suitable virtual desktop and workplace technology is key to making this new way of working viable. w Follow the sun. Consumers are more demanding, and we need to be able to support their desire to be online 24/7. Most mid-market enterprises don’t have the in-house resources to provide the level of cloud and tech support to service these needs, so we will see the rise of a new generation of managed service partners that can ‘follow the sun’ and provide 24/7 support globally. Automation will play a huge role in achieving this, but you will still need people around the world who can respond to support needs in minutes, not hours or days. e Hyperautomation. As part of the digitalisation of the workplace, RPA and automation technology will continue to unlock productivity and improve digital experiences. It’s all about speed and time to value for improved business outcomes. r Cloud acceleration. To meet the demands of the decentralised workplace there will need to be more investment in cloud-centric infrastructure, hybrid datacentres and applications for the cloud. The current shortage of skills in these areas is holding businesses back, so investment in training will be key to successful cloud acceleration. Scott Dodds
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