The 4 Fastest Growing Technology Trends for 2014
The immense expansion of technology is not just limited to its own industry anymore. Technology has become an integral part to how every organization operates and its individual departments are dependent upon it. For example, marketing relies heavily on consumer and client data and the ability to capture and analyze information in order to communicate and target effectively. Human Resources relies on the ability to recruit online, store resumes in a company database and house valuable personnel information securely.
With technology taking such a significant role in our day-to-day business needs, what do organizations need to plan for in the upcoming year to stay up to date with bleeding edge technology and supplying the right technical needs to clients and employees alike? Additionally, as technology evolves, so do the roles in IT. How have certain technical jobs shifted and what skills should employers be looking for when hiring now? Here are Resource 1’s thoughts on the top 4 fastest growing tech trends this year to help your IT business needs.
Mobile User Experience: In recent years, UX professionals have been in high demand. However, as consumers and business alike are using smartphones, mobile apps are the new way people get and receive information. In 2013 alone, Apple saw a 115% increase in overall mobile-app usage. The need to have an enjoyable mobile app experience is as important as ever. Steve Porter, Technical Director of Wintellect says “This year will be more important for the UX engineer than ever before. More and more applications, especially mobile are going to require sophisticated and extremely useable interfaces.” Companies are starting to look for more than what a traditional User Interface designer can offer. They look to a UX developer who can understand what the customer needs and how to get it to them there quickly, with the least amount of clicks.
Data: Unless you’ve been working under a rock, it’s likely you’re aware of the “Big Data” phenomenon. This topic seemed to inundate our mailboxes and industry publications in 2013. However, it’s not going anywhere and is still an important aspect to business and technology this year. Kenton Scearce, Regional Director of Career Services for ECPI University says, “From what I have seen, as well as read, is that 2014 will have a huge focus on data. Social media is exploding, cloud computing is a bigger focus for organizations of all sizes and mobile technology has become a necessity.” Jobs we will see popping up as a result will be data programming, mobile development and security.
Information Security: The Big Data explosion has resulted in a much needed effort to keep information safe and secure. In 2014 alone there’s been a slew of data breaches: Target, American Express, and Sears just to name a few. And currently, the threat of the “Heartbleed” bug has website and server admins spending considerable time to mitigate potential security risks. Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) is also proving to be a security risk to organizations as well. Even if it’s internally managed, employees are still accessing information over unsecured networks, resulting in a potential security violation for your company. Preventing these risks for organizations is crucial. So much, that the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts the job of Information Security Analyst growing 37% over the next 10 years.
Cloud Computing: According to Forbes, 69% of enterprises who have separate budgets for cloud computing are predicting spending increases in 2014 and that businesses in the United States will spend more than $13 billion on cloud computing. Before the cloud, the massive amounts of data corporations now house would require lots of storage with in-house servers. However, the cloud makes it not only easier to access your data but also is a more cost-effective approach (see more reasons to use the cloud on IBM’s infographic).
Between accessing information and storing and securing data, the technology industry is in the midst of a huge growth spurt. It’s important to make sure that not only your IT Department is ready but also your organization as a whole. Doing so will not only put you ahead of the competition but will also keep your data and organization safe and secure.
If you’re looking for an IT consultant with any of these skills or experience, click here to learn more about Resource 1 and our services.