Major ICT industry trends in 2022

Organisations are asking their technology suppliers for speed, innovation, sustainability and new models of interaction. These demands represent a challenge for the sector, especially in the context of talent shortages and cost reductions. Technology continues to move fast, which opens up a world of opportunity, but can cause complications for innovation management. Technology companies are immersed in a real battle for talent, and only companies capable of deploying agile development models and continuous professional training will emerge as winners.

We have witnessed an explosion of digital collaboration since the outbreak of COVID-19. In 2020 and 2021, companies had to deal with compulsory remote working, and many were successful thanks to the great efforts of their ICT departments. In 2022, companies have had to decide which operational model they wish to follow. Some have gone for the flexibility and agility that remote working provides, while others have decided to return to the pre-pandemic way of doing things by requesting a return to the office. Others have chosen to empower their employees, allowing the employees themselves to choose when to go to the office and opting for a hybrid working model. We can see that a majority of companies are opting for a "flexible attendance", with hybrid working environments where non-face-to-face digital collaboration is prioritised.

Looking at technological trends, we are witnessing the age of IoT (Internet of Things) technologies and the gradual expansion of 5G. Artificial intelligence (AI) is also increasingly present, although it is yet to reach its full potential. We have seen that the robotisation of administration, logistics, accounting and human resources processes has begun to be seen as something of a commodity, but the specific applications of Artificial Intelligence in the productive sectors are far from fully extended.

One of the most important trends is the democratisation of technology through "Everything-as-a-Service" and the "No-code" revolution. Both trends allow for the democratisation of access to technology, which allows small and medium-sized enterprises to acquire technology at a lower cost. "No-code" interfaces (those without a need for code) will become increasingly popular, as the lack of knowledge regarding programming, detailed statistical understanding or data structures will no longer be a barrier to access.

Finally, we are witnessing the virtualisation and hybridisation of technology-based reality. While many are still sceptical about the scope and immediate return of initiatives such as the metaverse, this persistent virtual space replicates reality in some way, eliminating physical barriers between people. It is true that augmented and hybrid reality applications are already displaying real results in sectors as varied as manufacturing or healthcare services. It is clear that the metaverse is far from becoming a reality, but we must still observe this phenomenon with interest, and begin to invest in extended reality.

With a view to 2023, our market view is that companies will continue to rely on technology as a lever of growth even in an uncertain technological context. Coming up, this year we can expect to see more of the democratisation of access to technology, as even SMEs will invest in digital technologies. However, due to the economic context, investments will increasingly be heavily targeted towards boosting growth and profitability. More than ever, companies will focus their efforts on growth in a hostile climate. Technologies such as artificial intelligence, the metaverse, blockchain and quantum computing will continue to develop, but we will see the most added value in the fields of digitisation of operations and the marketing of customer relations in medium-sized companies, due to the aforementioned democratisation of technology. Finally, we must consider business sustainability at all times. We predict that 2023 will be a difficult year. Tensions will hinder growth, but there will be some extraordinary opportunities to be had.