5 Trends that will advance technology in 2022

To kick off the new year, here are 5 trends that will advance technology in 2022. These are just brief overviews, so we highly recommend that you do further reading on each topic. You can be sure that we’ll cover them in depth later this year too.

1. Hybrid Work Optimization & Privacy Enhancing Computation:

Their names may sound complicated, but they are just two sides of the same coin; namely, data integrity and security, especially when it concerns the Cloud.  
Hybrid Work affords employees the autonomy to choose to work wherever they are most productive by blending in-office and remote work options. Unsurprisingly this model has substantiated itself as the standard over the past 2 years. An increase in privacy enhancing computation (PEC) technologies which provide the highest level of private data protection and enable the secure sharing of information will facilitate the shift from implementation of hybrid work solutions to optimisation – without compromising corporate or private information. 

As businesses look to optimize hybrid work situations, it is necessary for both corporate entities and individuals to take IT security to a new frontline, ‘magical’ a place where data is accessible but secure and in compliance; where collaboration is convenient but closed to outside interference. The Cloud. Technology is making this new frontier possible, but security and compliance are still the primary concerns as businesses and individuals alike figure out the best ways to manage their data from anywhere in the world yet still protect it from cyber-attacks.

2. Password-less Authentication

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) continues to develop toward the balance of user-convenience security against cyber criminals. It is long recognized that the human firewall tends to be the weak point. With compromised passwords being the largest threat, it would be simpler and more secure to remove that threat completely. Password-less authentication uses biometrics as well as 3rd party applications to identify and authenticate user credentials. As a budding technology, there are still many unknowns to be determined, but one thing is proving true — password-based security is weaker than this alternative and should be abandoned in the near future.

3. Increased Workplace Automation (IOT)

Advancements in AI-based technologies are enabling businesses to consider using computers/robots for automated services, thereby giving businesses the freedom to optimize their staff. In the past, the focus was specifically on Robotic Process Automation, which was concerned with software learning and automation. But improvements in machine-learning is allowing businesses to expand their use of IOT in 2022 and to think outside the box of just software automation. This, in turn, should result in improved production efficiency and increased staff morale in the years to come.

4. Data Fabric

The term “Data Fabric” represents the IT environments created as well as methods used to increase the efficient management of data across platforms and between online users. The goal is to significantly reduce the amount of time and resources a business typically uses to give appropriate access of data to its staff and users, as well as integrate the various sources of that data into a cohesive, fabric-like whole in order to make data access more intuitive. This is done through powerful analytics that “learn” where data should be used within the company, how it should be stored or converted into more convenient formats, and who should (or should not) have access to it.

5. Cybersecurity Mesh

Similar to the development of Data Fabric technology, Cybersecurity Mesh technology thinks of Cloud security as a whole rather than as separate parts that are managed and protected by separate security systems. In other words, the Mesh is similar to the all-encompassing security “umbrella” businesses once enjoyed back in the day when they only had a single network to protect. But now, instead of a single network, the Mesh covers all online activity by the company and considers each of the separate parts as smaller components of a single online ecosystem. It’s yet another step toward conquering the wilds of the Cloud. The Mesh along with the other trends on this list are making the future of online security look very promising for businesses everywhere.