Exciting false predictions from the past, such as "The Internet will not become a mass medium" by futurologist Matthias Horx in 2001, or: "The Internet will have no more influence on the economy than the fax machine." (Nobel Prize winner Paul Krugman) make us smile again and again today.
But there is also the other side. Sometimes we read too much into new developments. Or do you have a nuclear-powered vacuum cleaner at home, as predicted by Alex Lewyt, the inventor of a vacuum cleaner? Today, however, we start our robot vacuum cleaners on the move.
It is and remains looking into a crystal ball - which is not a bad thing, by the way. It's not always easy to grasp the full complexity of digitalization. Who knows, maybe in a few months' time we'll be living with a groundbreaking innovation that hardly anyone had on their radar before.
All in all, we can of course identify trends. Based on user analyses, projections and IT expenditure, we can see which areas of digitalization are currently gaining in importance. We have summarized the biggest developments and key technologies for you in this article.
The megatrend of networking
One of the biggest trends of our time is networking. On these three major levels, ever larger amounts of data are shooting from A to B, sometimes on an unimaginable scale:
- Person to person
- Man to machine
- Machine to machine
Increasing human-to-human networking
In the business sector, "human-to-human networking" is making big waves, particularly in the area of collaboration. Various collaboration tools simplify our day-to-day work. We can exchange large amounts of data using clouds or work on the same documents in real time.
Especially now in times of corona, we are increasingly reliant on working remotely. Whether it's a team in Spain, a freelancer in a café or an employee working from home - a video call is all it takes to clarify the latest project issues - even across company boundaries.
Thanks to this "seamless communication and collaboration", companies can also integrate their customers and suppliers more and more effectively into value chains, promote the exchange of knowledge, remove organizational barriers and reduce costs.
Growth of digital interfaces - human-to-machine interaction
Whether we are using gesture control on our smartphone to enlarge a vacation photo or asking Alexa to switch on the light - the use of digital interfaces is increasing all the time.
M-commerce is also growing and growing. Opening hours are becoming increasingly irrelevant when we can store from anywhere and at any time with our smartphone anyway. While mobile commerce sales accounted for 52.4 % of global e-commerce sales in 2016, for example, this year it is already expected to be around 67 % (Statista / eMarketer).
What is particularly interesting in this context is the possibility of being able to collect more and more data that is also constantly self-optimizing. We are not necessarily referring to the use of secretly collected data for the next marketing campaign. The additional functionalities make it possible, for example, to communicate with an ERP or CRM system in a business context, search for data, have it read out to you or even enter new data records.
The little helpers - chat bots and process bots
Chat bots are a very typical example of communication between humans and machines. Whether it's the next travel plans or a pizza delivery - they answer questions and process orders in a matter of seconds. Using predefined decision trees and variable options, the conversational robots guide customers through a wide range of requests. The text-based dialog systems enable rapid responses in customer service and speed up the routing to the appropriate department. Thanks to 24/7 availability, companies can increase customer loyalty and significantly boost sales.
Or imagine you have your first day at work in a large corporation. You have a thousand questions, but don't want to immediately overwhelm your busy colleagues. How about a chatbot from the HR department that answers your important questions, such as: "Where can I get my IT equipment?" or "Where can I find the canteen?".
The second little helper is the process bot. As part of robotic process automation (RPA), it automates processes and increases the workflow. Software robots can step in whenever recurring work steps and rule-based decisions are required. They imitate human behavior and take over the processing of data. This can be very useful in accounting or operational procurement, for example, to check incoming invoices or create purchase orders.
When machines communicate with machines
Now we come to the supreme discipline. Increasingly powerful processors and intelligent sensors enable communication between machine and machine or from software to software. Modern IT departments are already exploiting the potential of every available system and combining them to create a powerful business service. Ideally, humans only come into play here when deviations occur.
And communication between machines can run smoothly:
In industry today, for example, a production machine can use predictive maintenance to predict that the gear wheel at the top left will be defective in around 2.6 weeks. Thanks to an excellent WLAN connection, the machine orders a replacement part directly from the manufacturer. The manufacturer receives a production order in its ERP system and starts production, possibly even with the help of a 3D printer. The service technician receives an automatic push notification on their smartphone that they should come by next week to replace the part.
At the same time, the machine manufacturer can continuously collect data on the use and utilization of the production machine and thus optimize product development.
These enormous possibilities for data collection bring us directly to the next huge trend.
Big, bigger, biggest - important decisions with big data
Consider the following: According to Statista (forecast on the volume of data generated worldwide, 2020), the volume of data will increase to 175 zettabytes in 2025. This corresponds to one billion terabytes. If you were to listen to just one terabyte of MP3 songs, you would have to take two years to do so.
Nothing works without data anymore. Malte Spitz describes the extent to which "data is the oil of the 21st century" in his book of the same name. So anyone who doesn't currently turn their data into gold no longer has a chance on the market - isn't that right?
We advise you to proceed prudently here! Hectic data collection and possibly even violating the GDPR is rather counterproductive. Are you also familiar with the 15-cent rule, which states that a gigabyte of data is not worth much more than 15 cents?
Our advice: only collect data that you really need and correlate it with your decisions. For example, a restaurant chain with a large outdoor area that wants to plan its staff deployment for the autumn could analyze the table reservations and sales of recent years. Now correlated with the upcoming weather forecast, the company can better estimate how many waiters it should deploy in the beer garden. You are sure to find the right analysis scenarios for your business!
High time for green IT
Did you know that Google alone consumes as much electricity in one day as the whole of Bochum? Half of the energy here is used just for data collection. So make your decisions in a resource-saving way! Whether data reduction, environmentally friendly hardware, reduction of energy consumption, proper hardware disposal or the use of IT to reduce emissions - companies have many levers to contribute to sustainability.
Artificial intelligence as a key technology
Artificial intelligence simulates human decisions with the help of big data. Machine learning provides the necessary technology for this. Based on huge amounts of data and algorithms, it is able to identify patterns and learn independently. The product recommendations on Amazon or movie recommendations on Netflix, for example, work according to this principle.
Moreover, not a day goes by without some global company enhancing its IT services with artificial intelligence. Whether it's predicting the flow of goods or system failures, capturing sentiment in social media or identifying cross-selling and upselling potential - AI is a key technology that is currently paving the way for other groundbreaking technologies.
How mixed reality is taking the industry to new dimensions
The combination of an artificially generated reality with the user's mental perception opens up enormous possibilities.
Imagine, for example, a large machine in the industrial sector that has a complicated defect. In the past, a special technician had to travel to the site, but now the technician could guide the customer through the repair from a distance using VR glasses and a headset. The technician sees everything the customer sees on site and can display specific instructions in the field of vision of the VR glasses. The possible scenarios are no longer science fiction. Mixed reality is an important driving force that will continue to push the industry into new dimensions.
Entrepreneurial opportunities in the future
Of course, it is no secret that all signs point to an enormous expansion of digitalization. But what are the consequences?
Areas that cannot be digitized will probably gain in value. Think of the interaction between man and machine. Strong usability and unparalleled customer experience will offer even greater potential for competitive advantage. Happy and satisfied customers will be crucial, especially with negative criticism spreading even faster around the globe via social media.
With regard to the technical possibilities, we appeal to you to take a focused and relaxed approach! Please do not fall into blind actionism. Take a look at your company first and ask yourself whether you have the right people on board who have or can develop the right digital mindset. If not, then invest in your HR department, establish smart recruiting services and talent management. Make sure you find the right people, inspire them and retain them in the long term!
Ultimately, we have the future in our own hands: it is important that companies consistently keep an eye on new trends, get rid of legacy issues and align themselves for the future. Or as our famous genius used to say: "I am more interested in the future than the past, because I intend to live in it." - Albert Einstein
