Top Technology Trends to Look Out for in 2022

February 22, 2022 – Technology is part of our everyday lives and has become more ingrained in how businesses operate. A new Harvey Nash report says that we will continue to see existing technologies adoption rates increase and new technologies emerge to re-shape business day-to-day. The search firm lays out the top five technology trends that have the biggest impact on businesses:

1. Blockchain 

Blockchain was one of the hottest tech trends in 2021, and public interest will continue to rise in 2022 and beyond, according to the Harvey Nash report. However, while most people are familiar with blockchain as the technology that supports cryptocurrencies, it has far more potential than that. Blockchain is so versatile that it can encompass many tasks outside of recording financial transactions, such as storing medical records, enabling the control and distribution of vaccines, tracking the flow of goods, keeping personal credit records, and more.

2. Cybersecurity 

Everyone knows that the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated technology progression, both for the better and worse. As a result, cyberattacks are becoming more and more commonplace and have successfully targeted big-name corporations like Facebook, Microsoft, and CNA. So now it’s more important than ever to have cybersecurity strategies in place.

Harvey Nash said that “there are many cybersecurity trends to watch for in 2022, like targeted phishing attacks, cybersecurity threats in higher education, security issues in IoT devices, and more. Thankfully, artificial intelligence technology has made its rounds in the cybersecurity sector, making security protocols easier and less expensive. Last year, we saw a significant investment in cybersecurity as it is a top priority for digital leaders. This investment seems to be paying off; our research shows that cybersecurity defenses remain tight.” For example, only 24 percent of the study’s respondents reported suffering a major attack in the last two years vs. 27 percent in 2020 and 32 percent in 2019.

3. Edge Computing

The aggressive growth of smart devices has put massive stress on internet infrastructure, requiring cloud-based businesses to seek new methods to serve their clients. With this explosive growth, the demand for edge computing is at an all-time high.

According to Gartner, 10 percent of enterprise data is created and processed outside of centralized data centers, and by 2025, that figure is predicted to skyrocket up to 75 percent. “For companies, edge computing can help reduce overall network traffic to improve its applications and software,” the Harvey Nash report said. “Additionally, it offers greater security for a business’s networks and enhances data privacy. Edge computing is a reliable, efficient and scalable solution to take a workplace to a whole new level.”

4. AI Technology

AI is continuing to grow in popularity with companies in all industries. In almost every occupation, AI technology is helping workers do their jobs more efficiently. Fifty-four percent of executives say that implementing AI in their workplace has increased productivity. For example, AI is an absolute game-changer for healthcare, improving almost every facet of the industry, from virtual assistants that save nurses valuable time to workflow AI technology that helps doctors free up 17 percent of their schedules. While AI has been around for a while, it’s continually adapting and improving to help make people’s and businesses’ day-to-day easier.

5. Everything-as-a-Service (XaaS)

XaaS gained its foothold a few years ago due to the wide assortment of services and applications that people can access on-demand over the internet. Furthermore, big companies such as Amazon, Google and Microsoft have begun to use cloud computing to acquire services on-demand because of their agility and flexibility. Thanks to XaaS, companies can now get technology much faster and less costly. Before cloud services, businesses had to buy individual products like software, security, infrastructure, etc., install them onsite, and connect them to create a network. Now, the only thing businesses need to do is buy what they need and pay as they go.

Cybersecurity Most In-Demand

Cybersecurity ranked as the most in-demand skill in the U.S. followed by DevOps and big data/analytics, according to the “Digital Leadership Report” released by Harvey Nash Group and CIO network CIONET. In the report’s survey of technology leaders, cybersecurity received the most mentions as the top in-demand skill in the last 12 months, with 43 percent of respondents indicating this was the case. It was followed by DevOps, cited by 39 percent of respondents, and big data/analytics, noted by 38 percent. Globally, the top three skills in demand were cybersecurity, big data/analytics, and technical architecture.

Related: The Hunt for Cyber Technology Leaders Heats Up as Risks Multiply

Harvey Nash’s report also looked at the shortage of IT talent. It found 69 percent of U.S. tech leaders say they are unable to keep pace with change because of lack of talent. Harvey Nash Group CEO Bev White said businesses are moving from being just “tech-centric” to having technology dispersed throughout. Lack of talent with the right skills is the stumbling block. “In fact, businesses face a triple whammy,” she said. “They lack the supply of skilled resources they need; they have not yet evolved a new and effective employee value proposition for the hybrid working world; and the needed skills themselves are changing as technology develops at an accelerated pace.”

Still 30 percent of digital leaders in the U.S. plan to boost investment in technology and 36 percent plan to add headcount. In addition, to help bridge the skills gap, 51 percent of digital leaders, not just in the US but globally, planned to increase cross training while 45 percent planned to increase use of niche consultancies and 44 percent planned to increase permanent hires. The report also found that 35 percent of digital leaders globally planned to increase use of contractors and 30 percent planned to increase use of statement-of-work contracts.

Related: Demand for Cybersecurity Talent Sets Salaries Soaring

Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media