Global technology integrator and service provider Dimension Data has released a new report on the top 2019 tech trends to watch, with tech such as automation and data omnipresent throughout

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Robotics will transform the customer experience as data’s value in the increasingly digital age will continue to grow, according to a new report on the most likely 2019 tech trends.

Global technology integrator and managed services provider Dimension Data’s study identifies the industry trends that will define the tech business landscape next year, with a focus on cyber security, digital infrastructure, workplace and technology.

It predicts the much-talked about technology such as AI and automation will begin to come of age, ushering in a host of implications for multiple industries as the tech behind them grows more and more sophisticated.

CTO Ettienne Reinecke said: “Until now, our industry has spoken about innovative technologies somewhat theoretically, without providing a clear picture of how these powerful new innovations will be used.

“Think analytics, machine learning, artificial intelligence, blockchain, and containers, just to name a few.

“That’s starting to change – the application of disruptive technologies is becoming more pervasive and their adoption is growing steadily.

“We’ll see the most innovative companies showing off truly impactful examples of digital transformation in action in 2019 with many more coming to the market over the next three years.

“They will then become so firmly embedded in the core processes and technologies we use that we’ll consider them commonplace.

“2019 is the year that trailblazers will pull-away from fast-followers and we start to see significant power shifts across industries.”

2019 tech trends
Dimension Data sees artificial intelligence growing in sophistication in 2019

Explaining the 2019 tech trends report

Developed by technology experts at Dimension Data, the 2019 tech trends reports highlights five key industry shifts set to dominate next year.

The first concerns how robotic process automation will reshape the customer experience, with tools such as machine learning and AI set to give companies the ability to make real-time predictive decisions about their customers’ needs and behaviours.

The next defines an increase in the value of data, driven by increasing corporate digital transformation, which will create new revenue streams and change the existing architecture informing how companies use customer information.

Third on its list of 2019 tech trends is the changing role of cyber security, which Dimension Data predicts will involve the increasing prevalence of cloud-based platforms.

The South Africa-based company argues the cyber breaches in 2018 will prompt new and improved security measures, which involve cloud-based open APIs that allow security teams to integrate new tech to keep up with the evolution of new threats.

In addition, on Dimension Data’s 2019 tech trends is a rise in the use of software-as-a-service (Saas), where companies subscribe to multiple cloud platforms to enable them to adapt to changing business landscapes and get more from their applications and data.

Lastly, it predicts a rise in the intelligence of applications, as they collate more input from users and make changes to their own functionality in order to improve it – something in which AI and machine learning will play a pivotal role.