The IT trends 2018

The year 2017 is coming to an end - once again an eventful one from the perspective of IT security. Various IT system providers are thinking about digital trends in the IT industry: A study by Adobe, for example, shows that customer requirements are more important to today's IT managers than the functionality of their systems. And IT service providers such as F5 Networks are also venturing an initial outlook for the coming year.

IT trends 2018

• applications as a safety hazard: Organizations continue to spend most of their security budgets on protecting the network - and forget about securing user identities and critical applications. But this is precisely where cybercriminals are now targeting. The security concept should therefore focus on the areas that really matter and effectively combat dangerous behavior and incidents. Then companies can focus on the threats that pose the greatest risk to their operations.
• Protect data comprehensively: It is no longer enough to protect the network perimeter. Data confidentiality must be ensured during capture, transmission and at the storage location - whether in the cloud or in the data center. If data is modified by unauthorized persons or automated bots, there must be backups or redundant data storage. Cybersecurity tools should provide complete visibility to all threats in the process. Protecting any infrastructure means secure data access at any time, from any device, in any environment.
• Securing critical infrastructure: Water, electricity and fuel supply infrastructures are becoming increasingly digital - and thus attractive targets for cyberattacks. Hackers' motives range from stealing data, damaging reputations and disrupting business operations to threatening citizens. In addition to complying with IT security law, critical infrastructure operators should work with vendors and penetration testers to look for open vulnerabilities and define risk mitigation measures.
• EU-DSGVO is just around the corner: As of May 25, 2018, the EU General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR) will apply. Then, affected organizations will have to describe the exact nature of each security incident, specify the number of compromised data sets, provide contact details of the responsible executives and list the countermeasures taken. Potential fines can be as high as 4 percent of global revenue or 20 million euros. But companies that handle it correctly can gain major competitive advantages.
• Artificial intelligence: more benefits and risks: Optimized AI solutions will form the basis for a new generation of cognitive applications. These will not only provide users with highly personalized services in real time, but also become predictive and preventive. With the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT), these applications will increasingly form the core of large-scale systems, combining numerous sensors with real-time analytics to optimize decision-making. Advances in wearable and embeddable devices (wearables and embeddables, respectively) will thereby lead to high user-friendliness, but also to novel risks for security and privacy.
• Skills shortage worsens: The shortage of cybersecurity professionals will continue to worsen. This requires combined measures including investment, political will and a change in culture. Cybersecurity is not an obscure science, but part of our daily lives. Career opportunities are endless in a fast-paced, dynamic marketplace driven by the latest technology. So organizations need to be more aggressive in seeking suitable talent for tomorrow's teams.
• 5G is on the way: Companies should start planning for a 5G implementation now. They need to consider how they plan to support the technology, how it will affect customer usage, and how it will change the way they work with partners. Fundamentally, companies need scalable networks that can handle the massive traffic increases. In addition, security threats need to be addressed from the outset without compromising accessibility.

Further Digital Trends

According to a study by Adobe, IT managers are increasingly required to react flexibly to customer trends and to provide the corresponding infrastructure for personalized real-time services. Keeping up to date with changes in customer expectations and behavior is therefore currently the biggest challenge in their job for 40 percent of IT decision-makers. This aspect is now even more important to them than concerns about the functionality of their IT systems (31 percent). Only the threat of security breaches and cyber attacks (41 percent) has a similarly high priority. These are the findings of the aforementioned study entitled "Digital Trends 2017 in the IT Industry". This was conducted by the market research institute Econsultancy on behalf of Adobe. More than 14,000 marketing managers and over 500 IT executives were surveyed as part of this global study. According to the study, the consolidation of data for a uniform view of the customer enjoys the highest priority in larger companies (57 percent). In smaller companies, the problem of isolated data stocks in different departments and systems is not quite as pressing (35 percent). In addition to data protection (55 percent, large companies: 54 percent), support for all end devices for mobile working is increasingly in focus in medium-sized companies (41 percent, large companies: 32 percent).

At the top of the agenda: the further development of digital workflows

Aside from all the IT trends in 2018, the impact of digital technologies on internal company processes is clearly noticeable for IT decision-makers of all company sizes, according to the Adobe study. For almost half of them (49 percent), optimizing digital processes is one of the top priorities. Among the most common projects is the switch to paperless, end-to-end digital workflows. One in two companies has already actively tackled this challenge (large companies: 47 percent, small companies: 53 percent). Other important measures currently cited include shifting more technology to integrated cloud solutions (42 and 31 percent respectively), integrating electronic signatures (41 and 26 percent respectively) and linking automated workflows with backend systems with the aim of reducing processing times (40 and 44 percent respectively). Overall, IT executives feel more challenged than ever to keep pace with key innovation technologies. In this context, IT executives in large companies are under significantly more pressure to keep up with new technologies and innovation trends than their colleagues in smaller companies (46 percent vs. 36 percent).

Sources: F5 Networks, Adobe