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2018 is slowly coming to an end, with only a few weeks left to enter 2019 and prepare a whole new batch of IT industry trends to carry forward in the coming year. It makes sense to take a moment to reflect on the 2018 trends that introduced a major shift in the field, as well as the trends that failed to fire or that 2019's digital tech era will continue. I. Get a chance to finish the line.
Top IT Industry Trends in 2019
5G Network Rollouts
5G has been one of the most visible and often praised tech developments to watch in 2018, and certainly one of the top trends in the IT industry in the near future, yet the global roadmap for its deployment has taken some surprising turns. China has stepped in and monopolized everything except access to services where the US and European countries usually have a hand. The shift has introduced some surprising moves on the business side of the equation, with more than 58 countries signing up to test or directly use Huawei tech in their 5G networks.
Security Spending is Up
According to a study released by International Data Corporation, security spending will increase significantly during 2018 and 2019, reaching a forecast of $133.7 billion in 2022. Their $92.1 billion forecast for 2018 is part of a larger forecast that expects the 2017-2022 period to see slower growth than before, although compound annual growth is currently on track to reach 9.9 percent. . showing
As it stands, the countries expected to spend the most on security solutions are the US, followed by the UK, China, Japan and Germany. The U.S. itself is expected to spend $39.3 billion, compared to the U.K.'s $6.1 billion, making the U.S. market the financial leader by a wide margin.
The Internet of Things is Proliferating
For those looking forward to a future of interconnectivity, massive sensor data and smart homes, IoT has been growing in terms of device deployment and funding over the past few years. There are nearly 20 billion IoT devices in use, up from 8.4 billion in 2017. Funding levels have soared into the billions and IoT looks like it will be a question of when rather than next year.
Global adoption rates continue to increase as countries such as Australia work towards replacing old satellite connections with unlimited internet in Australia through the National Broadband Network. Likewise, the initial rollout of China's 5G technology has raised high hopes for wireless connectivity across the country and an almost inevitable rise in Chinese IoT technology.
2019’s Privacy Concerns Continue
On a less encouraging note, personal privacy has been hit harder than anyone saw coming. Facebook's Cambridge Analytica scandal ushered in a new era of privacy concerns as the personal data of 50 million users was lost, yet Facebook walked away with an unusually small fine relative to its overall revenue. The tech industry as a whole has lobbied for weaker federal regulations rather than expecting self-regulation. Apple has reached the point where CEO Tim Cook is calling for stronger digital privacy laws with the company's weight behind these requests.
It paints an interesting, if not a little worrying, picture for 2019 in terms of projected digital security spending as companies struggle to implement regulations. On the other hand, weak federal regulations can bring high costs to small businesses and stakeholders who feel that the greater lack of regulation should be handled by more private means. It is highly uncertain where the next few months will lead this debate.
Overall, 2018 saw a lot of news beats and wild speculation come true more or less. AI technology has advanced, blockchain implementation continues and security concerns continue to grow as digital information becomes one of the most valuable non-physical commodities to trade. 2019 may seem pretty similar, but don't be surprised if security is suddenly on every business's mind.