EDITOR ’ S QUESTION
WHAT EMERGING TRENDS DO YOU ANTICIPATE IN THE REGION FOR THE YEAR AHEAD ?
In the dynamic environment of technology , predicting future trends is a challenging yet essential endeavour . As we stand on the cusp of a new year , we engage with leading industry experts who delve into the movements poised to reshape the European landscape , paving the way for the next wave of technological evolution .
A new report by leading providers of IT infrastructure , Softcat , offers a look into the technologies that businesses are prioritising over the next 12 months . The findings are based on the views of more than 4,000 customers from 2,900 organisations in the UK and Ireland , across 27 industries in both the public and private sectors .
The annual report reveals organisations are , for the second year running , prioritising cybersecurity above all technology areas , with 56 % of respondents saying that it is their focus over the next 12 months .
Kieron Newsham , Softcat Chief Technologist for Cyber Security , said : “ It ’ s clear from the report ’ s findings that organisations are yet again recognising the importance of cybersecurity amid the relentless pace of technological advancement and evolving threats . To truly mitigate risk , organisations must be resilient . They can do this by being wary of how new technologies can increase threats while embracing and utilising them to recover and normalise operations after cyber incidents .”
After cybersecurity , organisations are prioritising digital workspace , with devices and end user computing the second most cited technology investment area for over a third ( 39 %) of organisations over the next year .
Organisations that recognise the importance of optimising their digital workspace to maximise efficiency in an age of flexible work environments and an ever-changing digital landscape , such as Generative AI , will reap benefits such as enhanced productivity , security and sustainability .
Data is the third most important technology area , with 28 % of customers citing it as a priority area over the next 12 months , followed by networking and connectivity ( 25 %) and data centre and private cloud ( 18 %). The report also highlights the importance of AI , its potential to reshape business and technology and how organisations should balance the scales of opportunity and challenges to harness the newfound intelligence responsibly .
Meanwhile , organisations were also able to share what they expected to be their biggest challenges over the next 12 months . People-related challenges were a concern for 48 % of respondents , followed by commercial risk ( 40 %), processes ( 31 %), technology experience ( 30 %) and procurement ( 26 %). For those working in the IT landscape , key themes mentioned for each challenge include inflation , technology advancements and skill gaps – which will likely see organisations and their employees increase resilience and continuously adapt to remain ahead of the competition .
Additionally , as organisations embrace the fifth industrial revolution , respondents were able to rank their key environmental , social and governance ( ESG ) focus areas for the year ahead . People and culture is a top priority for 70 % of respondents over the next year , closely followed by sustainability ( 68 %) and diversity and inclusion ( 55 %).
2023 marks the third year running that sustainability is high on the agenda for many businesses , with 3x more respondents citing it as a priority , up from 19 % in 2022 .
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