Business has changed significantly since the start of 2020. The biggest change for the UK workforce was working from home en masse – the first time many people had done so consistently in their careers. And the uncertainty businesses have faced in the last couple of years has led to caution, and many businesses have put higher cost projects on hold – until they get a bit more clarity.
Many businesses are hoping that 2022 will mark a bit more of a return to ‘normal’, which we’re seeing in the technology industry. Here are some IT predictions for 2022.
Hybrid Work
The shift from traditional office-based work to full-time at-home work has exposed upsides and downsides that companies will need to balance in the year ahead. Businesses and their staff will need to consider a range of topics from the psychological to the technological. In the case of the former, workplace studies over the last 18 months have shown that employees today, many having now worked remotely for an extended period, are demanding different requirements from their employers in how they approach post-pandemic working.
We suspect that most businesses will opt for something in between office and remote working, where staff split their time between the two.
Increased Technology Budgets
From a financial standpoint, companies have wanted to either maintain their existing IT capabilities with lower budgets or improve their capabilities while keeping the budget flat. This tactical approach put constant pressure on the IT budget, but businesses today must also think about technology strategically, which changes the thinking around technology investment.
With reduced restrictions in 2022, businesses can hope to return to pre-pandemic IT spend, and resume any projects they’ve put on hold.
Focus on Security
Cybersecurity is one of the hottest topics in the tech industry at the moment. It feels as though there’s a weekly cybersecurity incident reported in the news. Whether it’s a ransomware attack or the discovery of new malware. And for good reason too. Cybercrime is on the rise, globally. In the UK, we’ve seen a 14% increase in total crime, driven by a 47% increase in fraud and computer misuse. Crime excluding fraud and computer misuse decreased by 14%, largely driven by an 18% decrease in theft offences.
Cybersecurity should be high on the priority list for all businesses in 2022.
Business Travel Changes
Travel to events has been a huge part of business. Whether its conferences, coast-to-coast sales meetings, overseas trips, routine visits to headquarters and more, much of this went on hold as organisers opted for video-based events instead. Some people discovered they could be as effective at their day-to-day jobs seated at home, and many also found that business travel might not be as essential either – at least not in its historic form and frequency. That’s not to say that the desire to get back on the road for many isn’t there; it is. Nor that there aren’t distinct business benefits that come from in-person meetings and conferences; there are.
Technology is a huge part of business. And it’s only going to get more important over the coming years. If you’re looking to make any changes to your tech, get in touch with ACUTEC and see how we can help you today.
