Top 7 Business Trends for 2022: What Should You Expect?

In terms of business trends, 2022 is going to be a year of advanced technologies. The social and economic changes caused by the pandemic have accelerated their development to the extent that it almost looks like science fiction. But, as the latest business tech trends prove, the future is already here. While you are reading this, thousands of companies are benefiting from industry-specific IT solutionsbased on artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and intelligent automation.

However, 2022 business trends for rapid technological advancement are also a source of new challenges. What used to be an option for gaining a competitive advantage is now a must-have for survival. Today, organizations must constantly look for technologies that could be vital for their continuing growth and development. So, are you keeping up?

Business tech trends to revolutionize industries in the nearest future

It looks like in 2022 market trends will be hinged on two major areas:

• Digital transformation driven by business process automation, AI, and cloud computing
• Changes in the ways customers and employees interact with companies

Some of these processes have been going on for a while now and will only deepen next year. Others are new and require organizations to adapt fast. Let’s look at some of the business trends 2022 closer.

1. Hyperautomation

Robotic process automation (RPA) has been around long enough for businesses to recognize and evaluate its potential. But it looks like automating rule-based, repetitive tasks will no longer be enough. So, welcome hyperautomation —advanced and massive automation of long, complex business and IT processes with the help of bots, low-code application platforms (LCAP), AI, ML, and virtual assistants.

Gartner believes that this tendency has already shifted from being an option to a requisite for survival. Expecting the market for technologies that enable hyperautomation to reach $596 billion by the following year, the company names it among the top strategic business tech trends for 2022.

2. Ethical AI

For 86 percent of CEOs, artificial intelligence has become a mainstream technology. The growing market for AI solutions is expected to hit an astonishing $126 million by 2025. However, even today, the share of industries left unaffected by this technology is miniscule. Healthcare, financial services, oil and gas, manufacturing, logistics and transportation, entertainment—enterprises in these and many other fields use artificial intelligence to boost their business processes every day. The most popular AI use cases in 2020:

But, as technology gains ground, new problems arise. Will the existing security policies be enough to protect user data? What regulations could guarantee that such fundamental values as privacy or non-manipulation are observed? How can AI misuse be prevented? Seeking answers to these questions and building ethical AI solutions will become one of the significant business tech trends in 2022.

3. The boom of cloud-native applications

Before 2021, cloud computing was mainly associated with the lift-and-shift approach. Companies massively started to move their applications and associated data from on-premises to public or private clouds. Although such an approach was business-critical, it often turned out to be costly, confusing, and demanding in terms of implementation and further management.

We expect 2022 to become a year of cloud-native solutions with companies already opting to build applications that fully embrace the power of cloud technologies. The use of containers and microservices offers great flexibility, portability, and scalability compared to traditional approaches. Moreover, it allows companies to speed up software development and testing, thereby accelerating IT product delivery.

Keeping this in mind, it’s hardly surprising that cloud-native computing is quickly becoming one of the top tech trends for business. Moreover, Forrester expects that in 2022, companies will rework their existing cloud strategies to be based on a cloud-native approach.

4. Cybersecurity mesh

Traditionally, companies would rely on a single enterprise-wide perimeter to protect their IT environment. But in 2021, two factors made the very definition of a network perimeter obsolete:

• Businesses allocating their data, digital assets, and operations across multiple data centers worldwide
• People being able to work from anywhere, using any internet connection available

Under such circumstances, standard security measures can no longer protect you as effectively as they once did.

Cybersecurity mesh is the manifestation of the identity-centered approach, and it might be one of the most crucial business trends 2022 will see. Unlike the outdated “walled city” strategy, cybersecurity mesh implies creating smaller, individual perimeters around each point of access to the infrastructure. In brief, it means that only authenticated users and machines will access certain enterprise data via verified connections and with limited privileges.

Gartner believes that by 2024, such cybersecurity mesh architecture will reduce the financial impact of individual security incidents by 90 percent.. The trend for applying security policies and restrictions at a personal level will stay, considering how many people worked remotely in 2021.

5. Remote work solutions and technologies

Among the many predicted 2022 business trends caused by the global pandemic, one is especially obvious: people don’t want to return to offices. Admittedly, remote work has its complications and companies regularly struggle with the factors that hinder job satisfaction and productivity. However, 38 percent of corporate executives still expect their employees to work remotely at least two days a week even after the pandemic ends. Considering this, the list of business trends 2022 would be incomplete without mentioning the need for tools providing enhanced remote work experience.

Manufacturers of video conferencing solutions will seek new ways to facilitate team coordination and supervision. Especially knowing that over 50 percent of business travel may disappear. Companies will continue using virtual offices to save on capital expenses while still providing everything necessary for work. AI-powered collaboration systems and virtual assistants will become even more sophisticated and widespread, improving work experience for millions of employees globally.

Some of the more controversial business trends 2022 are on the way, too. For example, the increasing popularity of behavioral analytics for organizations to gain insight into their remote employees’ productivity and time management habits. And, considering Marc Zuckerberg’s latest plans regarding the so-called Metaverse, it looks like virtual reality (VR) will become an integral part of business communication sooner than we might have expected.

6. Extended use of AR and VR technologies

The orchestration of day-to-day business operations is not the only way for companies to use advanced telecommuting technologies. COVID-19, with all its restrictions, has caused a surge in electronic retailing: the share of online sales worldwide will reach almost 22 percent in 2024. So, it looks like the migration of shopping online is one of the leading business trends 2022 will witness.

But merely scrolling through web catalogs is not enough anymore. Instead, AR and VR in retail are projected to hit $17.86 billion by 2028. The ways companies can use this trend to improve sales might sound like science fiction today, but they will likely become commonplace tomorrow:

• Virtual storefronts will help customers browse and try wares on without leaving their homes. This alone can improve customer confidence and decrease return rates dramatically
• Promo content designed specifically for virtual reality can significantly boost advertising campaigns by creating fully immersive experiences
• AR and VR close the gap between traditional brick-and-mortar and online retailing and recreate the social aspects of shopping, such as visiting virtual stores with friends

IKEA, eBay, Amazon, and other giants are already using VR solutions to enhance their retail, and it looks like this trend is going to evolve.

7. Technological convergence fueled by 5G and satellite internet

Virtual reality, AI, IoT and edge computing, advanced analytics, and cloud platforms—these are just some of the technologies shaping digital transformation worldwide. Innovations complement each other and interact with reality seamlessly, gradually erasing the barriers between the physical and digital worlds.

Technological convergence is not new, but its proliferation caused by the spreading of 5G technology will be among the most important business trends 2022 will see. Super-fast transmission of large data volumes backed by advanced edge-computing capabilities allows AI-powered devices to form vast ecosystems at all levels: from smart homes to completely reimagined urban environments of smart cities. SpaceX’s Starlink and other satellite internet companies will also contribute to the convergence by providing connectivity in places where 5G is unavailable.

So far, it is difficult to foresee the details of this process, but it is already clear that in 2022, digital convergence will continue to gain momentum.

Conclusion

It may be difficult to believe, but 2022 will be the year when technologies get even more advanced and interconnected. Hyperautomation and AI implementation are quickly becoming a necessity rather than an option, turning into one of the vital business tech trends. Remote and hybrid work models will stay, underpinning the market for enhanced telecommuting solutions. This and the extensive use of cloud solutions will contribute to the popularity of cybersecurity mesh, making it a prime choice for companies to protect their assets. And, given how much COVID-19 isolation has hindered regular communications and interactions between people, VR and AR will be the technologies both businesses and customers benefit from.

Want to know more about new business trends 2022 your company may benefit from? Then make sure to contact us for a free consultation today.