We’re already well into January, so now seems the ideal time to look ahead at the top technology trends you can expect to see this year. 2023 is set to be a MASSIVE year for technology, with tons of exciting changes and innovations happening right now.
We’ve put together this article to help you get prepared for these changes. The businesses that embrace all the progress going on will be the ones that flourish. Those that are slow to react are at risk of getting left behind.
So grab yourself a coffee, pull up a chair, and spend a few minutes learning about the technology that’s going to make a key difference in your business and our lives this year.
1. AI (Artificial Intelligence)
AI (Artificial Intelligence) isn’t at the top of this list by accident. It’s set to not only be the biggest news in technology this year but in several years. You can expect 2023 to be the year where AI takes a BIG leap forward.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few months, chances are you’ve heard of Chat GPT. It’s a language model that can create any content you want, like writing an article, email or letter. It’s incredibly smart and can understand and respond to your input, offering improved answers each time.
We’ve had a play with Chat GPT and trust us, the hype is real. The content it produces has perfect grammar and it’s almost impossible to tell that it’s computer generated. And it’s only going to get better.
How would you like a highly intelligent (and completely free) assistant? This is one of the best ways of thinking of AI tools like Chat GPT. Once you’ve given it some direction, it has the potential to dramatically reduce the time it takes to complete many types of tasks.
It has a huge potential range of uses for business. It can not only produce content as mentioned above, but also answer questions in great detail.
There are already questions it can answer far better than Google can, which poses an interesting question to the future of the search engine. Could AI spell the end of Google as we know it? That’s a long way off but one thing’s for sure, businesses that ignore this fast-growing trend do so at their peril.
Keep an eye out on our blog – we’ll have a full article on AI for businesses coming up soon.
2. Automation
While AI is getting all the headlines, don’t forget about automation. Automation is like the sister of AI, it helps you get tasks done with little or no input. It has the potential to supercharge your productivity and make your day-to-day work much easier.
It’s not a new concept, but automation will continue to improve and become even more popular this year. Plus, with AI and automation together, the possibilities are mind-boggling.
One of the most commonly used tools for automation that most people are aware of is Zapier. It’s a tool that allows you to automate common tasks and link different systems using “zaps.” It makes it easy for you to automate your workflows and save a considerable amount of time.
Integration is another related topic. Only a few years ago, it would cost thousands or tens of thousands of pounds to get different systems to talk to each other. Now, there are many “off the shelf” options that are either free or very cost-effective.
Simply put, in 2023, you shouldn’t still be doing many manual or repetitive tasks when there’s so many options for automation.
3. Cyber Security
Cybersecurity remains a hot topic in the tech world, and for good reason. With uncertainty in the economy and companies looking to reduce their costs, we predict there’ll be some high-profile casualties when it comes to cyber-attacks. It’s important to remember that while cutting costs is important, you shouldn’t sacrifice the security of your business in the process.
One thing to watch out for is a gradual move away from passwords. Passwords have been around for a long time, but alternatives like apps and biometrics (fingerprint scanning or facial recognition) are becoming more popular.
Last year, Microsoft, Google, and Apple announced they’re working together on a solution that would make passwords a thing of the past. Could 2023 be the year we finally see the end of passwords?
4. Collaboration
We’re now in the post-lockdown era, and remote and hybrid working have become commonplace. Even though we’re seeing more people returning to the office, this trend is expected to remain.
By now, most businesses now have the technology in place for remote working. This year, the focus will be on getting the right systems in place to help people to work together more efficiently, regardless of where they are.
Just one example is document sharing and management. Platforms like SharePoint allow everyone to access files from anywhere, which is essential for remote and hybrid working. Your team can work on a document simultaneously and see annotations of who’s making edits and why. This allows for better collaboration and better tracking of changes in real-time. That’s just one example of how technology can make remote and hybrid working more efficient and productive.
If you’d like to know more about how to put the right systems in place to make your team more productive, get in touch with us for a chat.
5. Connectivity and Wifi 6
Connectivity will also continue to be a big topic this year.
We’ve all seen a huge increase in wireless devices over the past few years. Just look at the average “smart” home and count how many devices are connected to the internet compared to 5 years ago.
Wireless speeds are now matching structured cabling and are extremely fast and secure.
WiFi 6 is the wireless latest standard and WiFi6 access points are now commonly available at a reasonable price. It offers faster speeds, more connections and improved security over its predecessor.
Over the year, you can expect to see more devices come WiFi 6-enabled as standard, to take advantage of these benefits. If you’re interested in finding out more about WiFi 6, contact our infrastructure team, who can answer any of your questions.
6. Cost-Saving Measures
Finally, if we’re talking about topical trends this year, we can’t ignore cost-saving measures.
There’s been a lot of talk of economic uncertainty in the news lately, and businesses are looking for ways to get the best value from their technology. One way to do this is by using AI and automation to do more with less as we’ve already covered above. By using these tools, businesses can save time and money, which is especially important in uncertain economic times.
This year, it’s likely that businesses will continue to be as energy-efficient as possible. Many businesses have already implemented energy-efficient solutions, such as using cloud technology and sourcing more energy-efficient devices. For those that haven’t, this is definitely the time to consider it.
Conclusion
So, those are the key technology trends that you can expect to see in 2023. From the rise of AI and automation, the increasing importance of cybersecurity, the continuing trend of remote and hybrid working, to the increase in connectivity through WiFi6.
When looking to implement any technology solution, it helps to have a trusted partner by your side to give you the best advice. We’ve been helping businesses improve their IT for over 23 years so if you have any questions or need help with anything raised in this article, please get in touch.