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What will be the winning technologies of the coming year? Sit back, relax and read all about the main 2019 trends in Digital Innovation.
There is still plenty of room for technology to improve business. Numerous solutions are designed to optimise business processes, but few companies promptly rise and embrace the future.
In Italy, the compulsory move to e-Invoicing introduced on 1 January 2019 was experienced by many as a burden. Instead, it should be regarded as an opportunity to acquire digital solutions that facilitate our work and improve the efficiency, not just of large businesses, but also of SMEs.
The 2019 trends in Digital Innovation include:
- Cloud-based platforms
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning
- Blockchain
- Internet of Things (IoT)
- Conversational Uls
What are the major areas for investment in technology?
In 2018, the greatest corporate investments in technology, worldwide, involved Cloud-based operating models.
Next came technologies that change the way in which people and things interact, i.e. the world of smart objects, also known as the Internet of Things.
Third place went to innovations that better exploit the information at our disposal. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning have quickly become keywords, in replacement of the now obsolete “Big Data”.
Digitalisation in Italian businesses.
In Italy, ISTAT data shows that there is a large gap in the approach to digitisation of major enterprises and SMEs. Almost 50% of major enterprises register a high rate of digitalisation, while in as many as 90% of SMEs, this rate is very low.
We can safely say, therefore, that there is plenty of room for improvement in terms of Digital Transformation, and the compulsory move to e-Invoicing introduced on 1 January 2019 has certainly shaken things up a little.
Rather than speak only of the instruments of digital transformation, it is important to focus on the main objectives linked with this thrust toward innovation, in particular:
- Improving operational efficiency, workflows and decision making.
- Improving the Customer Experience.
- Integration of the various technologies used.
“The cloud is a platform that enables digital transformation.”
This is the belief of Alessandro Piva, Director of the Cloud Transformation Observatory of the Politecnico di Milano. Expenditure on PAAS (Platform as a Service) and SAAS (Software as a Service) increased respectively by 45% and 23% between 2016 and 2017. This market reaches EUR 2 billion in value.
Putting the spotlight on data. Making it available, always and everywhere. These are the main reasons why the cloud has become the pivot around which all the other digital transformation trends – from Artificial Intelligence to the Internet of Things – revolve.
And yet, how to ensure business security and compliance in the cloud remains a concern. Moreover, when talking about data in Europe, one cannot fail to mention the “GDPR” word.
Internet of Things: the promise of a growing market
The IoT is constantly growing, and – according to the Politecnico di Milano Observatory – in Italy has reached a value of almost EUR 4 billion, covered primarily by Smart Retailing, Smart Building and Smart Agrifood.
These sectors are responsible for developing digital payments, surveillance systems, home automation technology, robotics, and even wearable devices for monitoring not just athletes, but also animals and objects.
Here too, the cloud reigns supreme, centralising the operational flows of the various markets, as well as Data Management and Data Analytics for the entire 4.0 Industry.
Artificial Intelligence: the engine driving Big Data
Digital Innovation should be regarded as synonymous with Artificial Intelligence. After all, what would we do with loads of petrol (the data) if we didn’t have an engine capable of exploiting it?
From Big Data, therefore, the debate has moved onto Artificial Intelligence and, especially, on Machine Learning, i.e. technology’s ability to learn and develop responses automatically.
These, therefore, are the main 2019 trends in Digital Innovation. Did you like this article? Continue following our blog!