Quiss: Will IT be more of the same in 2017?
Although 2016 had its moments, a few trends are likely to create sleepless nights in 2017, some from excitement and some from dread.
Security threats remain
Linked to the growth of mobility and cloud computing, keeping data not only safe from theft, but safe from being held to ransom or blackmail (doxing) will become an increasing problem.
We will see a rise in ransomware attacks as criminals become more sophisticated and recognise the money to be made simply by leaving data where it is, but denying the owner access to it.
Problems will extend beyond the workplace, hoping to target remote workers with Internet of Things (IoT) enabled attacks, using internetworked devices that collect and exchange data, as a route into secure systems.
Organisations will seek the assurance of governance technology, which dictates where and for how long data is kept and who can access it. The ability to encrypt data when it is stored and when it is moved, whilst imposing multi-factor identification will also be crucial in the fight to keep information secure.
Everyone is going mobile and the new mantra finding traction is, ‘work is something we do, not somewhere we go’.
We already use apps every day for social networking, banking, traveling, etc., but the focus has now shifted to the ability to access your data everywhere. And apps are being designed that not just allow access to your data, but offer virtual personal assistants, which will make mundane repetitive work tasks easier.
The new breed of intelligent apps will cover everything from security to enterprise applications, with artificial intelligence-enabled capabilities at their core. App production will concentrate on advanced data analytics, autonomous business processes and more engaging and conversational interfaces, all of which will heavily feature artificial intelligence.
Head in the Cloud
There is no doubt cloud technology is causing significant change to almost all organisations, with increasing migration as the benefits of service elasticity become more apparent.
There is now no need to ensure your IT infrastructure is scaled to meet maximum demand, which you rarely reach. Migration to cloud services like Microsoft Azure allow organisations to use what they need and only pay for what they use – saving resources and money.
The introduction of Microsoft data centres here in the UK will help allay the fears of those who worry about where data is stored. Keeping data within the jurisdiction of England and Wales, will undoubtedly give cloud services a boost in the legal sector in 2017.
Again, the working environment continues to change, with more people operating outside normal office hours and indeed the office, as they work from home, out on the road, or just remotely from anywhere. It is this approach that will ensure even greater acceptance of cloud services in 2017.
A brief look at areas worth paying attention to this year and we haven’t even talked about blockchain, machine learning, web-scale IT and a host of other topics that will cause a stir this year.
Quiss Technology deliver high quality managed IT services, but we love to talk technology and the shape of things to come, so if you want informed advice and help moving your business forward, please get in touch.
