Top 10 Technology Trends to look for in 2020:-
What comes first to your mind, when you first think of “Technology?” From wired landlines to satellite phones, from toy cars to self-driving cars, from baking a cake in your home to find signs of life on Mars, whether you’re swiping your credit card at the shopping mall or unlocking your smartphone with fingerprint or face unlock, it is everywhere. Technology has become so important part of our lives that we can’t imagine ourselves without it. Technology is shaping the world we live in, how we communicate with each other, or how we develop new products to ease our life.
Even though these technological advancements are taking place rapidly, professionals working in an IT industry are still slow when it comes to adapting to these future technologies. So what this means for us? That we simply need to stay up-to-date with these technologies. Learning and adapting to these future trends might land you the job you always dreamt of. Let’s have a look at 10 technology trends that will change our future for sure:-
1. Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence or AI is everywhere. It has attracted the attention of a lot of people in the industry and it will continue to trend as it is affecting our lives. AI lets the machine to act intelligently and mimic human behavior. AI makes it possible for machines to learn from a large amount of data, past experiences, and teach them how to perform human-like tasks. By learning AI, you can make your career as a,
- Machine Learning Engineer
- Data Scientist
- Business Analyst
- Data Engineer
- Computer Vision Engineer
2. Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality
Augmented reality(AR) is used to enhance natural environments or situations and offer perceptually enriched experiences. Virtual Reality(VR) can be completely similar or different from the real world. In AR, the user is generally provided with the computer-generated information that enhances the user’s perception of reality. In VR, the user’s perception depends on the virtual environment. The popular game “Pokémon Go” is a perfect example of AR, while VR is primarily used to enhance the gaming experience of a gamer. You don’t have to have a special knowledge if you want to get started in VR, basic programming and a strong problem-solving mindset can help you achieve your goals. Google, Samsung & Facebook(Oculus) are three main players in the field.
3. Blockchain
Blockchain is the technology that relates to the bitcoins and cryptocurrencies. A blockchain is a decentralized, distributed, and oftentimes public, digital ledger consisting of records called blocks that are used to record transactions across many computers so that any involved block cannot be altered retroactively, without the alteration of all subsequent blocks. Blockchain was invented by Satoshi Nakamoto in 2008.
4. Cloud Computing and Edge Computing
Cloud computing is a technology that is getting famous day by day. It enables on-demand delivery of various computing resources such as software, databases, storage, and so on over the internet. We can store photos, videos, documents, etc. and access them easily whenever we want. Any electronic device that has an active internet connection would work. The cloud services are run on a vast network of secure and efficient data centers, which are regularly upgraded to the latest generation of software and hardware. Companies are now using the cloud to build, test, train, and deploy applications. There are four types of cloud services-
- Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
- Platform as a Service (PaaS)
- Software as a Service (SaaS)
- Server less Computing
Types of cloud computing technology are –
- Public Cloud
- Hybrid Cloud
- Private Cloud
Benefits of cloud computing are:-
- Reduces cost
- Can be accessed in minutes
- Improves productivity
- Can be operated on a global scale
- Offers unmatchable performance
- Provides security
Amazon Web Services(AWS), Google Cloud Platform(GCP), and Microsoft Azure are currently dominating the cloud market.
5. Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity has become a primary concern for everyone around the world. Every person who has an online presence wants to keep their digital identity safe & secure. Cyber-attacks are done by hackers to hack into people’s systems to steal their valuable information. Attackers use various methods such as phishing, Dos, DDoS, Keyloggers, trojans, malware, viruses, etc. to hack into the devices. Also, all the countries around the world are scared of “Cyberwarfare” which is simply a technology used to attack the nation, to cripple their communication gear, and to cause chaos. Many countries have active cyber capabilities for offensive and defensive cyber operations. Cybersecurity provides protections against these attacks and ensures that your identity is safe online. If you want to get started in cybersecurity, you can enroll in IBM’s professional course in cybersecurity offered through Coursera.
6. Data Science
Do we need to have any special introduction to this trend? It has already been named as the “Sexiest Job of the 21st Century” by Harvard Business Review. It is the most sought-after, high demanding role & high paying job. Data Science is an interdisciplinary field that uses math, statistics, machine learning to extract useful patterns from the data, and provide meaningful insights.
7. Internet of Things (IoT)
The Internet of Things, or IoT, refers to the millions of electronic devices around the world that are connected to the internet. They help to collect and to share data over the internet, making communication seamless. These devices are based on fast semiconductor chips which have tremendous computing power. Any physical device can be reconstructed into IoT devices, with the help of these super-chips. IoT technology is generally used in home security systems, cameras, or lighting bulbs to build a “smart home.” These devices can be then controlled with smartphones or smart speakers. Have a look at this definition from Wikipedia-
“The Internet of things (IoT) is a system of interrelated computing devices, mechanical and digital machines provided with unique identifiers (UIDs) and the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction.”
8. Machine Learning
Machine Learning or ML is another important and most popular technology trend of 2020. It has created a lot of buzz in the technology market. Machine Learning is a subset of AI. It has been around for decades. From email spam filtering to movie recommendation on Netflix, ML is everywhere. Every organization around the world are using ML to improve their customer experience and gain a competitive advantage over others in the competition. Supervised Learning, Unsupervised Learning, and Reinforcement Learning are the most important types of ML.
“Machine Learning is the field of study that gives computers the ability to learn without being explicitly programmed.” — Arthur Samuel, 1959.
9. Quantum Computing
Quantum Computing is another trending topic of 2020. It is still under development and could take another 10 years or so to fully develop. Computers that performs quantum computing operations are known as Quantum Computers. Rather than performing operations using 0s and 1s, quantum computers perform their tasks using quantum bits, popularly known as “Qubits”, which are then used to encode or decode information as 0s and 1s, or they can be superimposed as 0s and 1s. Qubit is an undefined state on any physical object before it has been discovered, such as a photon or an electron. The first mechanical model of the Turing Machine was proposed by the famous physicist Paul Benioff in 1980 for quantum computing operations. Any computational problem that can be solved with the help of traditional computers, can also be solved by quantum computers.
10. Robotic Process Automation
Robotic Process Automation, or simply RPA, is a form of automation technology based on computer software bots that can automate any business process. RPA software enables you to create your software robots. These bots further can be trained with ML and AI algorithms to make them even more faster and efficient. They have the same skillset as humans and can be considered as a digital workforce. You can deploy thousands of bots to automate tedious business processes. Using RPA software, you can create a computer bot to find you a movie, or to reply to an email, which is sometimes time-consuming tasks. The typical benefits of RPA are-
- Reduced cost
- Increased speed
- Increased accuracy
- Consistency
- Improved quality of production
- Provides security for sensitive data.
So, What’s Next?
It is anticipated that 2020 and the coming decade will bring many great challenges as well as opportunities for the entire world. This will surely change the way live, learn, communicate, and work. So it becomes evident that we must welcome these changes. Learning and adopting these new technologies will make sure that you remain competitive throughout your career. These technologies offer a promising career and future growth. Rest assured, all these 10 are suffering from a shortage of skilled workforce, meaning now is the right time to learn one and train yourself accordingly for the next digital transformation. Always remember, the resisting change will leave you and probably your organization behind. Only those who focus on digital innovations will grow.
Thank you for reading!
