The innovations & updates to expect from the world of technology in 2019

While we made predictions about the latest electronics in preparation for CES 2019, our team started discussing the most important technology trends to expect in 2019.

In the last few years, innovation happened often and at a fast pace. In 2019, we anticipate an equally impactful year in the world of tech.

As an IT company, amshot is always looking to stay up-to-date on the latest and greatest technology. So, we have picked out a few tech trends that we predict will take center stage in the year to come.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) & MACHINE LEARNING

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and computer automation are constantly becoming more deeply ingrained in day-to-day business operations.

Machine learning is saving hours of human time spent programming information as computer systems are taught to interpret data and make decisions based on past successes and failures in a process quite similar to human learning.

In recent years, machine learning has been able to mimic the human brain through artificial neural networks which can be woven together in complex layers. This allows for “deep learning” to occur, meaning that computers can process information and self-improve far more quickly and efficiently.

This year, AI will become more tightly interwoven into our daily lives as the capabilities of AI assistants become increasingly more sophisticated, efficient, and accessible.

MULTI-CLOUD & HYBRID CLOUD 

Cloud services have come a long way since they first debuted about a decade ago. Used by both individuals and a wide range of organizations, cloud technologies are used for storing data, hostings websites and blogs, downloading software, audio and video streaming, and more.

For a crash course on cloud technology, read our blog, but here’s what you can expect from the cloud this year.

Multi-cloud strategy is the use of multiple cloud computing services from any number of vendors. A multi-cloud environment could be all-private, all-public, or a hybrid. A hybrid cloud combines elements of both private and public clouds.

The tech community expects hybrid clouds to become the model of choice for businesses in 2019.

While a public cloud is available to the general public, a private cloud can exist either on the internet or on a private internal network and is only available to select users. Hybrid cloud computing service allows files to transfer between private and public clouds.

Plus, hybrid cloud services also include a feature known as “cloud bursting”. An application or resource can run within the private cloud and “burst” into the public cloud when there is a spike in demand.

BLOCKCHAIN

In 2019, we expect the use of blockchain to grow in behind-the-scenes development and in publicized applications. IBM has already developed its own blockchain platform that lets developers build decentralized apps.

Also, there is a lot of chatter about gaming platforms set to release within the next year that will reward players in cryptocurrency and allow them to use those crypto tokens to purchase new games and merchandise.

The popularity of Bitcoin (blockchain’s most forward-facing application) first brought attention to the technology that was developed as a ledger for the cryptocurrency. The transaction information could be distributed, but not copied.

While blockchain was a super hot topic in 2018, some members of the tech community became skeptical of the technology when Bitcoin prices fell.

However, there is still a huge amount of potential value to discover for a distributed ledger that’s protected by encryption and provides an indelible record of transactional activity.

INTERNET OF THINGS (IoT)

As “smart” products grow in popularity, we find ourselves in an increasingly connected environment with millions of devices. 2019 will likely see a rapid increase in IoT platforms, with vendors narrowing focus onto specific use cases.

Quick recap: the Internet of Things (IoT) is the concept of connecting any and all devices to the internet so that they can communicate with each other.

In our previous blog about the IoT, we looked at how the expansion of these connected devices also presents a new cybersecurity threat.

In 2018, cyber attacks targeted home devices such as burglar alarms, security cameras, and door locks. In 2019, as traffic lights and public transportation systems join the IoT, we expect cybercrime to target smart city implementations.

Plus, there will likely be an increase in the practice of bundling service offerings by businesses as well as the emergence of a market for IoT managed services.

WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY (5G & BEYOND)

2019 will see the launch of 5G, which will be very different from previous generations of wireless technology.

The applications for 5G are broader than prior generations as it includes several wireless technologies such as sub-6GHz, mmWave, and NB-IoT. Cell towers equipped with 5G will have a much greater capacity, allowing more devices to communicate at a given time.

Due to its greater number of connectivity options, higher bandwidth, lower latency, and other improvements, 5G will provide newer and better ways to connect as well as new applications. It will make way for improvements in hybrid cloud technology and allow for greater developments in the IoT.

APPLICATION ARCHITECTURE IS CHANGING

From increased network speed and reliability to the development of cloud technologies that have revolutionized the way we store data, the last few years have seen dramatic innovations in the world of technology.

As our technologies continue to grow and evolve, the architectural designs of our applications must change to meet new demands.

Based on our research, there are four main principles that architectures must meet to stay relevant in modern technology:

1. Direct focus toward increasing the speed at which data is delivered to applications.

To avoid slowing down the system, the architecture must be memory- and network-centric to keep the data closest to where the computing is occurring.

2. There will likely be a rise in computing architectures offering workload isolation.

This allows different types of workloads to run on the same deployment and the same set of servers without competition. Plus, it keeps applications operating at optimal levels and makes it easy for developers to independently scale parts of the system.

3. Data should be available at the point of interaction.

Not all data can be on the device and must be properly protected, but for the most part, data needs to be on the device as much as possible. The next generation of applications requires dynamic flexibility, and the key to that is data on the edge.

4. We need deployment-unaware computing architectures to take full advantage of the flexibility offered by the cloud.

Deployment-unaware means that applications can run in any environment (cloud, multi-cloud, on premise, bare metal, and virtualized containers), removing the limitations traditional databases experienced on the cloud due to vertical scaling.