Data driven technology trends to see the most value in 2019

“With data at the forefront of most business strategies driving digital, technology trends that truly harness the power of data should top corporate agendas in 2019,” says Kevin Kemp, an executive at PBT Group.

A growing focus on edge computing

“While much attention in the technology trends space has been driven towards Artificial Intelligence (AI) over the last few years, AI is just one piece of the technology puzzle, which, of course, is ignited by data. And concepts that can make AI viable or support AI functions to mature in the local market, will likely see more attention, including edge computing.”

In fact, the ability to analyse data, as close to the source as possible, via Edge Computing, provides business with ample benefits. Not only does the requirement to move data around to various sources (for the purpose of analysis) decrease, but it also results in a reduction in the costs associated with working with the data, and reduced latency, all of which improves accuracy and ensures less data duplication.

“The impact of this will see a combination of edge computing and AI, where AI will serve as an analytics support function for strategic business outputs. As this matures, the Internet of Things (IoT) suddenly becomes more practical and feasible for business - and this year should see companies looking more closely at IoT usage cases, to leverage their data more effectively,” adds Kemp.

Data security to remain a key priority

The ability to hone in on almost ‘raw’ data, however, does not come without challenges and considerations.

“Cybersecurity is a constant and growing threat for data and businesses simply should not invest in edge computing without some form of data security strategy in mind,” continues Kemp.

Data security, governance and regulatory matters are very relevant to the industry and must get increased focus in 2019.

“Initiatives tackling cybersecurity and data protection strategies are crucial and therefore cannot be seen as compliance tick box items. Rather, they are essential for protecting a business’s unique value proposition which today is mostly found in data.” adds Kemp.

Clouds on local shores

As security concerns intensify, the cloud will start to become a more attractive solution for those businesses yet to invest in cloud technologies.

“With plans for locally based data centres on the horizon, larger adoption of cloud-based managed services, through fixed data centres, is expected, as more companies will be open to hosting their data within local shores, for more controlled security management. Furthermore, those who look to benefit from the edge computing trend will also want to work more closely with the cloud to offer more flexible and agile data storage solutions.”

“With data driving business investment and playing a pivotal role in sustainability strategies, any technology that makes use of data to achieve valuable outcomes will gain attention - not just in 2019 - but in the years to come. Those businesses who continue to invest in their data management strategies will capitalise on the most relevant trends, to achieve real business growth.” concludes Kemp