Next year, the three key areas of IT will be: supporting hybrid collaboration, determining how to combine old and new technologies, and finally, leveraging AI and automation to improve productivity. . And of course, all of this comes against the backdrop of the economic downturn and tighter budgets.
Economic climate
Across the industry, we have seen the impact of the economic downturn, with our own commissioned research into the realities and struggles of 350 IT managers across the UK and US, highlighting the challenges facing they are faced.
We have seen that companies have to forego new investments or face reduced budgets for the following year.
In fact, a third of UK IT managers have been forced to deprioritize or cancel technology projects, while 65% said they are planning or have already reduced their IT budget due to the economic downturn.
The question is: what does this mean? How can businesses do more with what they already have?
Many are considering consolidating the tools they already have, while others are turning to automation and AI to increase the efficiency and agility of their organization.
AI goes from novelty to reality in the workplace
We recently took the pulse of middle managers at large companies to find out what they really think about AI in the workplace. We found that nearly two-thirds of UK respondents (61%) wanted to use AI at work because they recognized its many benefits, and more than half (53%) said AI would save them time.
However, 41% felt their company lacked the skills to implement and use AI today. As we head into 2023, these skills shortages must be overcome in order to adopt AI solutions that can bring real benefits to business users.
Likewise, AI-related issues such as bias also need to be addressed. While AI bias will remain an issue, many are working to remove it from training sets. As biases can create a negative social impact, it is essential to trace the data to know what biases are unintentionally created and how to eliminate them.
Hybrid working and the future of collaboration
Looking ahead to Office 2023, it’s clear the hybrid model is here to stay. Companies and employees are moving towards a federated structure that no longer has a central place where employees can meet their colleagues and customers.
For example, even if you are visiting a client at their office, there should still be a video call option for clients who are not onsite. It fundamentally changes the way we engage with each other.
As a result of this digital migration, there is an increasing emphasis on remote collaboration as part of all enterprise technologies – with companies demanding that their engineering tools include or fully support the work collaborative, whether on-site or remotely.
It’s not going to go away as a need. Tools that don’t address this will become redundant.
From collaborative document editing to collaborative design and collaborative coding, the focus is increasingly on technology that supports collaboration – and employee user experience.
The Evolution of the Definition of Hybrid IT
From hybrid working to hybrid IT – a trend we’ve seen across businesses is a difference in how hybrid IT models are defined and implemented.
Companies don’t just want to “destroy and replace”, but rather use existing long-term investments alongside new investments and new technologies. Therefore, “hybrid” no longer only means between on-premises and the cloud, but also between legacy technology and modern technology.
2023 is a more pragmatic approach – working with what you already have and getting more value out of it. It is in this shift in attitude from “throwing away the old junk” to how legacy technology can continue to deliver value that APIs can play a vital role in, ensuring that legacy assets can continue to deliver value. value, on a grand scale, in modern architecture. Only then can replacements and updates be made more cheaply and with less risk.
Think of it like home renovation, in the sense that for the most part changes and upgrades here and there can be enough to make things better without having to replace everything. It is an ongoing effort over time where items are upgraded as they are needed.
In the same way, the “renovation” of the computer park never stops, but the priorities and the size of the projects fluctuate. The key is to develop the necessary skills and a mindset of refactoring and continuous improvement to harmonize the old and the new.
This more pragmatic and cost-effective approach will only gain in importance over the coming year.
Innovate despite uncertainty
Improving efficiency and productivity will be the twin goals of IT next year. The economy may be creating a lot of uncertainty in the business world, but it won’t silence the march of innovation, with AI and collaborative technology set to make further strides in 2023.
This post was sponsored by SnapLogic