Introduction

The COVID-19 crisis has drastically changed the way we work today, affecting the top technology trends seen in the region. Organizations have developed technology-driven models to retool their businesses and support their remote teams.

The Middle East and African markets have seen their share of digital transformation, which has only accelerated in the pandemic.

The most successful businesses in MEA are employing technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, IoT and supercharged talent to create entirely new ways of working – and they already see the benefits.

As 2021 draws on, here are some technology trends that are expected to drive these three major technologies –

1. Cloud Computing –

Cloud computing adoption is one of the major technology trends seen today. Given the growing uncertainty, this will only rise. Businesses have seen the value of having an agile and adaptable infrastructure in place, without worrying about manual updates, or hardware replacement.

“Over 75% of mid-size and large organizations will have adopted multi-cloud or a hybrid strategy by 2021.” – Gartner

• Multi-tenant Cloud –

  Going forward, multi-tenant cloud computing architecture will become critical, differentiating businesses in the market, while helping them to remain agile and innovative.

“By 2022, over 90% of enterprises will rely on a hybrid-cloud solutions model, including on-premise, multiple public cloud and legacy platforms.” – IDC

• Hybrid Cloud –

  Hybrid cloud strategies help organizations strike the right balance for their unique cloud infrastructure needs, from SaaS applications and on-premise solutions to public or private clouds. 2020 saw major investments from leading cloud providers such as AWS, Oracle, Azure and Google in hybrid.

2. AI and Machine learning  –

As per Microsoft, one of the growing technology trends in the MEA markets is machine learning. This is due to its wide range of applications, making it suitable for multiple use cases, such as:

• HR –

  Technologies like AI, Machine learning and Robotic Process Automation (RPA) are increasingly used in employee onboarding processes. Once the hiring is complete, ML and RPA tools automatically update applicant tracking systems, gathering the required documents and creating/maintaining records for the company.

• Finance –

  Using complex supervised and unsupervised algorithms, executives analyze diverse data sets to create high margin services. For example –

  

These are the major AI applications in the year 2021 and after –

1. 1. 1. Augmented Analytics – Augmented Analytics form the basis of many business intelligence solutions today, using AI and ML to prepare, analyze and discern patterns in an organization’s data pool. Companies will be employing more and more of BI to optimize their workflows.
      2. No code AI platforms – The demand is to equip management, operations and line of business teams with powerful analytical capabilities without the specialized data science skills. This is has led to rise of no-code platforms in the region.

3. Cybersecurity –

Working from home in 2020 brought to the forefront a host of cyber-attacks, primarily due to the gap between office and home security measures. In fact, attacks on banks and cloud servers rose by 238% and 600% respectively, in Q1 2020 alone.

Organizations need to improve their security posture, by training employees, using stronger password policies, deploying timely software security updates and patches. Despite the surge of attacks, only 1 in 4 organizations actually meets the standards, as per a Bain study conducted in 2020.

These are the major areas set to grow in 2021-22:

• Next-generation Identity and access management –

  Organizations are prioritizing multi-factor authentication tools to manage identity governance and privileged access management. By giving the right people the right access at the right time, entities can significantly reduce security risk.

• Network Security –

  Companies working with third-party service providers in particular need to increase monitoring for potential attacks, locking down vulnerabilities in the systems before they expand into full-scale attacks.

Related reading : How to improve your cloud security

• Endpoint Security –

  Endpoints such as mobile devices, laptops, servers and kiosks make for soft targets by today’s cybercriminals, who perform network scans to infiltrate poorly protected devices to reach highly valuable assets like servers or third-party partners. Over the next few years, experts believe AI will be used to track malicious behaviour patterns, particularly for zero-day threats. In addition, the demand for cloud-based endpoint security will also see a surge, due to the exponential rise in cloud-based infrastructures by businesses.

Conclusion:

The uncertainty of the markets today is seeing businesses gravitate towards an increasingly digital strategy. Keeping an eye on technology trends that seem poised to grow in 2021-22 and beyond can help organizations stay ahead of the curve and survive.

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