Emerging Trends in Information Technology
Introduction
The 21st century has been defined by the application of and advancement in information technology. Information technology has become an integral part of our daily life. According to the Information Technology Association of America, information technology is defined as “the study, design, development, application, implementation, support or management of computer-based information systems.”
Information technology has served as a big change agent in different aspects of business and society. It has proven a game-changer in resolving economic and social issues.
The advancement and application of information technology are ever-changing. Some of the trends in information technology are as follows:
1. Cloud Computing
One of the most talked-about concepts in information technology is cloud computing. Clouding computing is defined as the utilization of computing services, i.e. software as well as hardware as a service over a network. Typically, this network is the internet.
Cloud computing offers 3 types of broad services mainly Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS).
Some of the benefits of cloud computing are as follows:
- Cloud computing reduces the IT infrastructure cost of the company.
- Cloud computing promotes the concept of virtualization, which enables servers and storage devices to be utilized across organizations.
- Cloud computing makes maintenance of software and hardware easier as the installation is not required on each end user’s computer.
Some issues concerning cloud computing are privacy, compliance, security, legal, abuse, IT governance, etc.
2. Mobile Application
Another emerging trend within information technology is mobile applications (software applications on smartphones, tablets, etc.)
Mobile application or mobile app has become a success since its introduction. They are designed to run on smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices. They are available as a download from various mobile operating systems like Apple, Blackberry, Nokia, etc. Some of the mobile apps are available free whereas some involve download costs. The revenue collected is shared between app distributors and app developers.
3. User Interfaces
The user interface has undergone a revolution since the introduction of the touch screen. The touch screen capability has revolutionized the way end-users interact with applications. A touch screen enables the user to directly interact with what is displayed and also removes any intermediate hand-held device like the mouse.
Touch screen capability is utilized in smartphones, tablets, information kiosks, and other information appliances.
4. Analytics
The field of analytics has grown many folds in recent years. Analytics is a process that helps in discovering the informational patterns with data. The field of analytics is a combination of statistics, computer programming, and operations research.
The field of analytics has shown growth in the field of data analytics, predictive analytics, and social analytics.
Data analytics is a tool used to support the decision-making process. It converts raw data into meaningful information.
Predictive analytics is a tool used to predict future events based on current and historical information.
Social media analytics is a tool used by companies to understand and accommodate customer needs.
The every changing field of information technology has seen great advancement and changes in the last decade. And from the emerging trend, it can be concluded that its influence on business is ever-growing, and it will help companies to serve customers better.
