With 2016 upon us and companies expecting more and more from enterprise IT, executives are looking to industry experts for trends and analysis of what the new year could hold.
Two major trends in 2015 were the increasing adoption of cloud technology and the increasing frequency of costly data breaches. As a result, it’s safe to say that most companies consider improving security and efficiency to be their biggest concerns for 2016. The rapidly changing technology landscape makes it more important than ever for companies and their employees to be aware of what 2016 holds.
In this slideshow, Accellion shares thoughts on technology trends expected to be seen in the enterprise and the changes that can be expected in different facets of an enterprise organization.
Trends Changing the Enterprise
Click through for enterprise tech trends expected in 2016, as identified by Accellion.
Cloud Security and ROI
Cloud security will balance cloud ROI in decision making.
Businesses are finally recognizing how to balance the ROI gains of using a public cloud for non-critical content storage and the security / compliance benefits offered by on-premise and private cloud solutions. By using both private and public cloud offerings, businesses can ensure that less sensitive data is stored in the most cost-effective way, while also locking down business critical assets on company-owned infrastructure.
With security being top of mind for all businesses, it’s essential for IT decision makers and C-level executives alike to agree on the hybrid environment that not only maximizes ROI, but maximizes security. Data breaches are a common occurrence in today’s world and serve as a proof-point for why security should be top of mind.
Enterprise File Sync and Share (EFSS)
Enterprise file sync and share (EFSS) technology will be become an integral part of business workflow.
The process of syncing and sharing files in a corporate setting isn’t something employees want an independent process for; they’d rather have it be an integral part of their workflows. With that being said, file sharing and collaboration will become an integral part of all of our workflows. With employees wanting to streamline their work, it only makes sense for EFSS technology to be integrated to cut down on unnecessary applications.
With the limited amount of time employees have on a daily basis to complete their work, a streamlined file sharing and collaboration solution is an essential part of employee productivity — ensuring employees are efficient and productive. Integrating file sync and sharing capabilities into commonly used applications, such as email and instant messenger, will allow for employees and their workflows to become more efficient. By having all (or most) of their essential applications stored in one place, employees are presented with a “single pane of glass” experience that maximizes productivity.
Email will (finally) be disrupted in the enterprise.
Enterprise messaging services have already begun displacing the need for email communication within the enterprise, and this trend is only going to continue. Real-time communication tools are naturally more collaborative than email, as they allow for back-and-forth communications that previously were only possible via voice communication. With efficient content sharing features being added to these real-time collaboration tools, they will effectively overtake email for convenience for internal communication.
The disruption that will occur in the enterprise will essentially cause a restructuring of how work is done. Employees will be able to collaborate in ways that maximize their time, cut down on back-and-forth emails and allow for more time to be spent where it is most needed, on the work, not the communication.
Workforce Empowerment
Empowerment of the non-knowledge worker
Advancements in mobile technology have reinvented the knowledge-based workforce and unleashed it from the keyboard. However, many industries such as field services and construction have remained very traditional, often with employees still wielding clipboards rather than electronic devices. Software has finally reached a point where mobile workflow customization for these highly specialized fields is possible.
For example, construction workers can access and edit an architectural schematic and then push the altered version out to every mobile device on the yard, instead of printing physical copies. Allowing for all workers to have access to their work information wherever shows just how the workforce is expected to change in the next year.
Analytics and Automation
Analytics and automation everywhere!
The industrial sector is the poster child for effectively leveraging Big Data through analytics and automation, and in 2016 this trend is finally going to hit the enterprise. Already Big Data is used for things such as anomaly detection and network monitoring, but we are on the cusp of day-to-day decision-making driven by analytics. For example, human involvement in data management and storage will decline.
Things that previously required IT, such as access privilege settings and rules governing data sharing, will be automatically applied to content based on contextual clues present in the file content. While automation and analytics won’t be taking your job anytime soon, in 2016 average workers stand to see a lot more of these technologies incorporated in their daily decision making process.
