Trends in digital innovation

Almost all companies are now developing their digital skills. Knowing very well that this success depends on their ability to design new technologies. That offers personalized experiences and innovative services to employees, customers, and ecosystem partners.

Sector specialists are trying to accelerate the development of customers’ digital experience. Information technology must drive cultural change. By enabling businesses to become self-service and deliver solutions faster.

Regardless of technological progress, the most important thing I want you to take away. Is that culture and customer experience (CX) will be critical to the success of any business in 2021.

So here are the trends in digital innovation.

1. 5G innovation

The pandemic

We’ve been hearing about the benefits of 5G for years now, but it wasn’t until work-from-home, videoconferencing and digital collaboration became essential parts of our lives this year that we heard about it. That the need for reliable connectivity and greater bandwidth became a real and tangible benefit that we could all understand. Our reliance on phones, tablets, and other devices. Including an ever-increasing number of IoD sensors. Highlights the need for a multi-lane highway that telecommunications companies already knew we would need.

Today’s businesses can’t afford to be disconnected. And 5G deployments have become an essential part of the solution. As we collectively continue to work and manage schools from our homes, the value of 5G will be increasingly common in 2021. But what is 5G?

Definition

5G is the 5th generation of mobile networks after 2G, 3G, and 4G. And is expected to be much faster and more reliable. It is often referred to as a « network of networks ». Because it is not defined by a single standard or technology. And is expected to open up a whole new range of usage possibilities.

Although the pandemic initially halted work on deploying new 5G networks earlier this year. These efforts have resumed and large markets such as China are already on track to meet their deployment targets for 2020. In the meantime, every major handset manufacturer in the world. From Samsung and Apple to Xiaomi and Motorola, is already (or soon will be) launching 5G phones. In virtually every price segment. And Qualcomm – arguably the leader in 5G technology, will help make 5G affordable. For as many smartphone users as possible next year.

Implications

Innovators should note that the emergence of 5G also has major implications. For the improvement of production processes. For example, in an experiment conducted by Ericsson. A major global supplier of 5G equipment. It was found that 5G sensors could reduce the error rate in the production of jet engine disc blades to just 15%. Reducing the cost of producing a single blade by around €3,600!

This will work exponentially in favor of things like the development of the intelligent cars. And other situations where real-time data sensors and IoT connections are essential. So the big news is not just for 5G. It’s for the development of other industries that are eagerly awaiting it.

2. Customer Experience

Increasing competitive pressures and changing customer behavior are driving rapid change in all sectors. As each company applies new technologies to existing business models. To provide innovative solutions.

Customers have the power and want exceptional experiences with the brands they trust. This will undoubtedly shape the world of customer experience in 2021 and beyond. That is why it is on this list of trends in digital innovation.

Improving the customer experience is the primary goal of digital innovation. And innovation in general. Today’s business landscape is uncertain. And changing customer requirements and expectations are creating challenges. As well as opportunities for businesses.

In 2021, it will be a matter of getting to know target customers better. And offering them experiences. Thanks to the evolution and emergence of technologies. Business leaders understand that it is extremely important to ride this wave of customer change. That’s why they plan to accelerate their spending on CX-related technology in the coming year.

It is high time for all companies to redefine, review and reprioritize their current business model. Based on the expectations of their target customers.

Organizations that proactively embrace digital innovation will lead the way. Engaging modern, highly mobile, and informed customers. The rest will only run out of steam.

3. Towards an evolution of the Cloud as we know it

We have known for some time that companies are increasingly moving towards hybrid cloud infrastructure. From SaaS applications and on-prem solutions to a mix of public and private clouds. Hybrid cloud strategies help companies find the right balance for their unique cloud infrastructure needs. Over the past year, we have seen major investments in a hybrid infrastructure. From leading public cloud providers such as AWS, Azure, Google, IBM, and Oracle. We are also seeing OEMs such as HPE, Dell (VMware), and Cisco increasingly investing in the creation of tools. To enable simpler connectivity between on-premise data centers. And the cloud. These investments are aimed at meeting the needs of customers where they are currently located.

Meet the challenges

Meet the challenges of exponential data growth. While being proactive on issues such as privacy, security, and compliance. The modernized approach of the hybrid cloud extends from traditional IT to support. For industrial applications as well.

Coronavirus

The sudden and widespread disruptions caused by the coronavirus have highlighted the value of having a cloud infrastructure. That is as agile and adaptable as possible. Especially as we see companies around the world accelerating their investments in the cloud. To enable faster change in times of uncertainty and disruption. Such as those we have experienced in 2020.

Rather than a technological trend of digital transformation. It should be seen as a continuous evolution in the field of cloud adoption. Organizations are now realizing that simply adopting all public clouds, private clouds, or just data centers. Is not the best option. Their needs vary, and a single choice becomes increasingly restrictive over time.

Connected cloud

Thus, connected clouds come into play with the intention of meeting the evolving needs of businesses. Whether they need storage, networking, or digital security in the cloud.

The objective is clear: the experience of IT specialists and those who use the applications. Must be transparent, secure, and streamlined. Making the cloud one of the most important trends in the digital transformation in 2020-21.

4. AI and Machine Learning Powering

The coronavirus pandemic has triggered an acceleration of the democratization of AI and data. Almost overnight, businesses, governments, and other agencies found themselves compelled to collaborate. To create a faster solution to stop the spread of the virus. Data, AI, and machine learning were the tools they naturally turned to. The work that started in 2020 will continue in 2021. And will probably extend to a wide range of urgent opportunities.

Not so future

Many believe that AI is a « Future » trend. Yet it is an integral part of our daily lives. It has an impact on what we see on social media, on what films are recommended on Netflix. Or on the products suggested when we shop on Amazon. As computing power continues to become more affordable and the cloud provides access to that computing power. As well as software and frameworks, more and more companies will be able to benefit from AI. With major chip manufacturers such as NVIDIA, Arm, Intel, Qualcomm, and AMD continuing to innovate on the semiconductors that power AI. And who then deploy their CPUs, GPUs, FPGAs, and ASICs (Forms of chips) in the cloud. Companies can access this hardware and software either directly or through third-party applications. This further simplifies and democratizes AI.

Impact our lives

The proliferation of AI will impact our lives, from how we shop, to what we eat, what we rent, and what we do for entertainment. It will be fuelled by masses of data using powerful computing capabilities. AI will continue to require monitoring to ensure that we are using it for positive purposes. And this will be a joint effort of government and industry. But there is no doubt that its use continues to grow rapidly. And we will see this growth even more rapidly now that resources are becoming cheaper and more available to businesses around the world.

Recall prick

Furthermore, it seems important to remember that. Just as 5G has no value in itself, the data have no value either without AI. Thats’ why if you want to invest in analysis. You need to invest in artificial intelligence and machine learning. To be able to process complex and sophisticated amounts of information. And the data you collect. There’s no point investing in data if you don’t invest in AI and machine learning to make sense of it simultaneously.

To Conclude

You are now aware of the four trends in digital innovation. What is important to remember and what has been highlighted is of course. That the foundations of the digital transformation remain innovation and technology. Because they allow companies to be competitive, to differentiate themselves, and to surpass themselves.

If you are interested in innovation, take a look at the articles in this category. We publish regularly and other topics may be of interest to you.

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