You’ve probably seen dozens of predictions about tech trends and which emerging technologies will move from “hype” status to viable solutions in 2019. But are you prepared to align your business with the changes you’ll encounter as technology continues to impact the way your clients do business? Watch these three business trends that could impact the types of applications your clients are looking for this year.
Business Continuity, IT Resilience are Paramount
As more businesses advance toward their digital transformation goals, more operations depend on IT. Rick Chapman, CTO at InterVision says, therefore, “Business continuity practice (BCP) will gain increased importance.”
He says BCP and its subsidiary strategy, IT resilience, are going to become more than an insurance policy. “Acting as a final defense line against disruptions and breaches, IT resilience will not only receive new focus in 2019, it will see the introduction of automation which will serve to streamline, speed up and measure aspects for effectiveness. Since many companies will realize that they are already under contractual obligations within client agreements to have an IT resilience plan, a top-down practice will be the only way to ensure success and maintain an ongoing relationship with those clients,” says Chapman.
Pat Bodin Founder and CEO of In The Boat, Bodin Consulting, also predicts greater demands for IT resilience. “Low IT resilience results in outages that produce a loss of customer loyalty and revenue, not to mention damage to the organizational culture and branding. The challenge for IT professionals is to connect their abilities to support the core functions and mission of the organization and communicate that value to leadership.”
Flaws in Cloud Strategies Become Apparent
Michael Bushong, VP of enterprise marketing at Juniper Networks, points out that as businesses advance their digital transformation objectives, they may also find that their cloud strategies are inadequate. “With much of the early move to cloud done with the somewhat misguided goal of reducing costs, the early returns will start to pour in, and some enterprises will start to see that their expenses are not dropping,” says Bushong. “This will accelerate the redistribution of workloads, which will fuel confusion in the industry about whether on-premises or public cloud is a better option.”
He comments, however, companies that have made agility, rather than cost reduction, the goal of their cloud strategies, will be better positioned for success.
“The future is multi-cloud, and multi-cloud is decidedly multivendor,” Bushong points out. “The stranglehold that certifications have had on workforce advancement will loosen significantly in 2019 as open source tools and infrastructure abstraction become increasingly important.”
More Companies Outsource IT
Vic Tingler, VP of digital transformation at InterVision, says outsourcing IT will continue to be a business trend to watch in 2019. “Even with more companies embracing digital and cloud-based models for increased efficiency, there’s still a struggle to move the needle with people as part of the equation. Existing IT staff might not have the skillsets or bandwidth needed to transition to the cloud,” Tingler says. “With people as a barrier to business growth, organizations will need to make the decision whether to hire additional staff or outsource the complex aspects of IT. The more popular option will be the latter since it will free up the IT department’s attention to do more innovative activities. Companies that plan ahead for challenges with IT talent will remain ahead of the competitive curve.”
Business Trends Continue to Evolve, Fueled by Market Demand and Tech
Your customers are deploying IT solutions to operate more efficiently – and more competitively. Businesses that can deliver the highest quality of goods and services, the most convenient and positive customer experiences and the quickest fulfillment will lead their markets. Their digital transformation is resulting in these new capabilities, but it is also requiring new IT strategies. Stay aware of business trends and deliver the applications your clients need to operate more competitively. 
