‘Tis the season for expert predictions for the year ahead. If you’re like me, you enjoy playing Nostradamus now and then. This time, it’s about what tech trends will emerge in 2023. Like Nostradamus, these predictions are not set in stone, nor are they a perfect science. Instead, they are a look at the trends in various industries and best guesses based on that.
The annual practice of compiling trends is essential since, to innovate, we need to keep a close eye on the technology landscape. With this in mind, in this post, we’ll go over a few trends and some notable predictions.
A boom in mobile gaming in Southern Africa
According to PwC Africa Entertainment & Media Outlook 2022–2026, an astounding 40% of South Africans play mobile games. In fact, there are 2.69 billion mobile phone gamers globally–these numbers are expected to grow in the future. With that being said, with the arrival of the Equiano cable, the internet in Sub-Saharan Africa is set to be faster and cheaper, making mobile gaming even more accessible to Africans.
Work from anywhere
During the first couple of years of the pandemic, anywhere in work from anywhere was emphasised. In 2023, according to Dell, the emphasis will be on work. We need the right collaboration tools and devices to get our work done and better connect with our colleagues. Devices like Chromebooks or Google Meet hardware and collaboration tools like Google Workspace give companies affordable and sustainable options to keep everyone connected.
We’ve helped several companies re-imagine how they work. Most recently, we aided Netstock’s migration from Microsoft to Google Workspace with no disruptions to their operations.
Interestingly, Forrester predicts that 40% of hybrid-working companies will try to undo so-called anywhere work and fail. Their survey found that 68% of remote workers hope to work remotely more than they did pre-pandemic. However, they predict that leaders will not listen to or collaborate with workers and try to force office working with dire consequences.
Alongside this, Forrester also predicts that workplace surveillance methods like keystroke recorders and desktop snapshots will garner lawmaker attention and there will be vocal employee backlash against the practice. Interestingly, they predict a C-level employee will be fired for using employee monitoring systems.
To the Cloud and beyond!
Every year Gartner forecasts an increase in public cloud spend. It’s no different this year, with spending said to increase by 20.7% to a total spend of $591.8 billion in 2023, up from $490.3 billion in 2022. This comes as no surprise, as cloud computing has completely changed how many companies operate and the world as we know it.
Along with the increased spend in cloud, Forrester predicts that there will be an increased investment in Kubernetes as a distributed compute backbone for companies’ current and future workloads helping them run more efficiently. According to Forrester, the workloads will span a range of technology domains, including AI/ML, data management, IoT, 5G, edge computing, and blockchain. Kubernetes will also accelerate application modernisation with DevOps automation, low-code capabilities, and site reliability engineering (p.s. Keep an eye out for our upcoming posts about application modernisation!).
Sustainable future
Sustainability is one of the most commonly cited trends for 2023. According to Gartner, the top 3 priorities for investors are profit, revenue, and sustainability. “...in 2023, delivering technology will not be enough… Every technology investment will need to be set off against its impact on the environment, keeping future generations in mind. ‘Sustainable by default’ as an objective requires sustainable technology,” said David Groombridge, Distinguished VP Analyst at Gartner. Gartner suggests there will be a surge of investment in smart energy in the coming months.
However, with this move towards being sustainable comes the unfortunate so-called greenwashing practices. Greenwashing is a form of false advertising where a company claims to be environmentally conscious or sustainable when, in reality, they are not. Forrester suggests greenwashing will become a serious risk to businesses, with at least ten companies expected to incur $5 million or more in greenwashing fines.
Skills shortage
Forrester predicts that one in three tech execs will tackle talent struggles in 2023. In a recent survey, they found that 31% of decision-makers expect to use more freelance talent marketplaces to support business operations. Another finding was that companies will do deals with computer science schools to facilitate the pipeline of new talent. Finally, they’ll use resources like Salesforce Trailhead to upskill teams (you can read about Trailhead here). Forrester explains that execs will find value in a mix of these, while collaborating closely with hiring managers.
Final thoughts
As we mentioned, these predictions are just that–predictions and not a science. Whether it’s the skills shortage, investing in Kubernetes or moving to the cloud, CloudSmiths has you covered. Contact us today to find out how we can optimise your business.
