Thanks to a study carried out with the collaboration of a number of CIOs, CTOs and Information Technology (IT) Directors, CIONET has identified the main technology trends for 2017. Next year will be the year of automation, IoT (Internet of Things) and mobility, including in the workplace.

1. Greater business agility and adaptability: Digital transformation is not just about integrating new technologies; it is also about a modern company culture, which has to be ready for change and for greater flexibility in responding to market needs. In particular, CIOs are expected to make a general effort to increase company agility.
2. Greater importance of user experience: User experience is one of the main focuses of digital transformation. When users have a top-quality experience, they quickly become engaged with and loyal to a brand or company. It is important for companies to understand that every touch point with the brand must be consistent and positive, whether the channel is physical or online.
3. Innovation must happen quickly: Innovation is mostly about the speed at which it emerges, and this is the differentiating factor for any company in the digital age. New technologies have to be evaluated, tested, analysed and integrated faster than ever.
4. Remote workforce: Thanks to the growing adoption of technologies such as Cloud Computing, company information becomes available anywhere, as long as there is an internet connection. Physical limits on the workplace therefore disappear, and a new workforce is emerging, made up mainly of Millennials who, used to being always connected, want to work from anywhere, and companies should adopt policies that allow this.
5. Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality: These technologies are about to stop being confined to the world of gaming. During 2017, we should see a wide range of industries using Augmented and Virtual Reality to stand out from their competitors and offer a richer customer experience.
6. Application Programming Interfaces (API): Although they are often unaware of it, users of services and apps already use APIs every day. APIs are a set of routines, protocols and tools that determine how applications interact with one another and allow several platforms to coexist in the same ecosystem. APIs are revolutionising the world by allowing developers to create new applications that interact directly with major digital services such as Facebook, Google or Dropbox. As a result, building applications has become much faster and more agile. Users also benefit from APIs, as they streamline many everyday processes (it is much quicker to sign up to a website or app with a simple Facebook login than to fill in a form with all your details).
7. Big Data and Analytics: The importance of this trend is already being felt and will be even stronger next year. Analytics drives business by showing how customers think, what they want and how the market perceives the company. In the digital age, almost everything can be measured. In 2017, every important decision should be backed by Big Data and Analytics.
8. IoT-driven digital transformation: IoT (Internet of Things) allows all devices to be connected to one another. As well as providing valuable insights into consumer habits, it enables the creation of more efficient cities. Gartner estimates that there will be more than 20.8 million IoT sensors by 2020 and, according to Cisco, more than 500 million devices and objects will be connected to the internet by 2030.
9. Smart machines and artificial intelligence: 2017 should be a landmark year for artificial intelligence. In industry, for example, it will be a trend that increases the efficiency and productivity of the entire production line, as machines will be able to adapt automatically and intelligently to different situations as different variables change.

Written by:
Openlimits

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