As 2016 draws to a close, it is time to climb the mountain and consult the oracle and see which the tech trends for are going to be hot in 2017. Every year brings with it new trends and innovations and 2017 will be no different. Whether you’re a manager or an entrepreneur, you should know upcoming tech trends and the impact they would have on your business.

In this article, we take a look at some of the biggest tech trends that will create huge waves in the digital landscape in 2017.

• Artificial Intelligence Will Take Over

Gartner ranks Artificial intelligence(AI) and machine learning at the top of its list of technology trends for 2017 and rightly so. AI has come a long way from being algorithms to automate tasks to the broader framework that could replicate human thinking capabilities. The fact that Amazon and Google have already introduced voice AIs for our home.

Mark Zuckerberg recently announcing his personal AI assistant that plays a couple of pretty neat tricks speaks volumes about the potential of employing AI out of your homes and into the way we do business: letting the AI schedule production, inventory management, etc. Despite all the negativity surrounding AI, it could prove to be a game-changer come 2017. 

David Cearley, Vice President, and Fellow in Gartner research sums it brilliantly, “Applied AI and advanced machine learning give rise to a spectrum of intelligent implementations, including physical devices (robots, autonomous vehicles, consumer electronics) as well as apps and services (virtual personal assistants, smart advisors).”

• Welcome to Internet of Things

The year 2017 will be the year when internet of things will take off, especially in the developed world. The concept of smart homes will see the light of the day. The glimpses of that are visible especially with Amazon Echo and Google Home already competing to make our homes smarter than before the future looks brighter for smart homes and many daily-use objects becoming part of the IoT universe.

• Big Data Humanization

The concept of big data has been around for quite a while now. In 2017, we will see big data come into its own and reshape technology. The year 2017 could prove to be a turning point for big data. As the humanization factor adds to it, it will go through the transformation.  Therefore, more emphasis would be laid on empathetic and qualitative bits of information instead of quantitative ones. Refined visualization and easy accessibility will be added to projections made through big data.

• Smart Apps Will Make Your Life Easy

Smart apps will replace personal assistants, both physical and virtual. With intelligent apps at your disposal, you do not have to worry about scheduling meetings, managing emails, and other similar tasks. David Cearley thinks that closer integration of AI into every app, service or architecture will make the smart app a reality. Cearley said, “Over the next 10 years, virtually every app, application, and service will incorporate some level of AI.” He thinks that this technology trend will continue for years to come.

• Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Goes Beyond Entertainment

In 2016, most of us have witnessed virtual and augmented reality being used for entertainment purposes. In 2017, its application will go far beyond that. Closer integration of VR and AR with wearable technology will give rise to more immersive and engaging content. There would be better apps and services, taking you away from isolated experiences to collective interactions.

• Personalized Mobile Experiences

Mobile technology will continue to dominate in 2017. With mobile internet users overtaking desktop internet users, 80% users accessing the web through their mobile devices. It is imperative that the focus will now be on delivering personalized mobile experiences. Businesses will look beyond mobile apps and mobile sites. They will have to focus on mobile search, mobile payments, and social apps to deliver a tailored user experience.

• Mesh Service Architecture

Mesh app and service architecture is a unified single platform that covers all web, mobile, desktop or IoT apps. The biggest advantage of MASA is that it facilitates agility by letting you reuse and offers scalability. With a unified user experience across all the platforms, you can easily reap the benefits of increased engagement.

• Blockchain Will Lead To Financial Automation

Economist defines Blockchain as a “Distributed database that contains records called blocks. Each block is linked to the previous block. It is safe from the risk of tampering and redundancy.” The financial sector has gained the first mover advantage but other industries are also jumping on the blockchain bandwagon.

Don Tapscott, best selling author on digital trends, suggests that Blockchain and financial automation will be the next big thing. He also emphasized on this point in his latest book, “Blockchain Revolution: How the Technology behind Bitcoin Is Changing Money, Business, and the World.” More importantly, he gives practical advice on how businesses can use Blockchain to their advantage and what are its benefits in his new book.

• Rise of On Demand Services

One technology trend that is making waves in 2017 is on demand services. From ordering food to booking a ride, we use numerous on demand services and apps daily. In 2017, we will see on demand services rise in popularity and make an impact on our daily lives. Uber has kick started this trend and many new businesses are embracing this trend.

• Adaptive Security Architecture

As our dependence on technology increases so does the number of cyber attacks. This trend will continue in 2017 as well. Cyber security expert, Ron Ross presented five things to focus on when dealing with cyber security issues. He describes it as TACIT model (Threats, Assets, Complexity, Integration and Trustworthiness).

More and more businesses would implement adaptive security architecture that could save them from threats. This will help them secure their assets, reduces complexity and offer integration and trustworthiness.

Conclusion

When it comes to technology, predicting the future is a tough ask even if it is for the next year. The pace at which technology keeps evolving means there will be many surprises coming our way in 2017. If that does not happen, then we might see these technologies splashing their way into the digital landscape. Artificial intelligence, internet of thing, Blockchain, virtual reality and smart apps will take the digital world by storm.