What do we think 2015 will bring for the tech industry? Read what Heinan told Legal Management below:
What’s Next in Tech for 2015?
By Heinan Landa
This year was stagnant for IT; there were no significant hardware innovations and industry leaders were consumed with reactively responding to increasingly complex and widespread cyber-attacks. While improvements were made in software and security applications, 2014, from a technology innovation perspective, was pretty boring. With a new year around the corner, and the market eager for something fresh, here are the top five technology trends you can expect to see in 2015.
1. Wearing IT, Working IT:
2015 will be the year that wearable technology evolves. Unfortunately, the highly anticipated iWatch announced on September 9 was, overall, a disappointment. Although its look was sleeker, the watch still requires a phone for full functionality. Plus, it won’t be released until “early 2015.” This provides significant time for competitors to do what the marketplace has, thus far, failed to do: create wearable technology that is fully functional — and fashionable. I still believe that 2015 will be the year the phone comes out of the pocket or purse and onto the wrist; I just no longer believe that Apple will be the first company to make this happen.
2. Cloudy with a Chance of Clouds:
The stampede to the cloud will grow stronger in 2015. As information systems expire, an ever-increasing number of businesses will realize the cost effectiveness of putting their servers, workstations and entire IT networks into the cloud. 2015 will see the promise of comprehensive utility computing realized.
3. The Next Windows Upgrade:
At least, that’s the hope. 2015 will usher in the end of Windows 8; even those who tried to get on board with the latest operating system will abandon it when Microsoft releases the next generation of Windows software. The prevailing thought is that Microsoft has learned some hard lessons from the release of Windows 8 and that the next release of Windows will be more functional and user-friendly — and widely adopted for both personal and business use.
4. Security Surge:
More cyberattacks occurred in 2013 and 2014 than in any previous years. Unfortunately, this trend is going to continue in 2015. Hackers are becoming increasingly sophisticated; as such, security measures must advance. 2015 will see significant increases in IT security spending as businesses invest in higher-grade performance firewalls, extra levels of security, and periodic security audits to ensure protection. Additionally, C-level executives will become more invested in securing their organizations’ data and networks. Gone are the days when the chief executive officer (CEO) could delegate network security to the chief information officer; the CEO’s reputation is now directly tied to the security of the organization and business leaders must know enough to know that they are protected against the ongoing and progressively complex attacks.
5. Connectivity Rebellion
For years, companies were obsessed with making smarter devices that were portable so that we could connect to our work life from anywhere, at any time. We became technology addicts and busyness became our form of existential reassurance. With several surveys revealing that over 90 percent of Americans feel they have a work-life balance problem, we have finally decided that enough is enough. 2015 will see an increase in this rebellion against being always connected, always on. Businesses will put hard working hour stops in place and provide tips to improve work-life balance, effectiveness, productivity and more.
While wearable technology will become the norm in 2015, people will strive to redraw the line between work and home. Security, functionality and usability will be defining technology themes in the New Year as companies continue to battle cyber-threats and make their employees more productive, profitable and happy. Although we won’t see any groundbreaking hardware innovations in 2015, this year will advance IT and help to redefine computing as a utility that must be properly managed and maintained.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Heinan Landa is the Chief Executive Officer of Optimal Networks, Inc., a Rockville, Maryland-based IT company that works with CEOs to provide comprehensive and strategic IT support, management, and consulting services.