Technology is changing the world for better. Watch out the 10 hottest digital transformation trends for 2018.

Technology is shaping up the way we live our lives and the way businesses operate. Over the decades, we’ve seen some breakthrough technologies making remarkable contributions in the tech world. 2017 was another year of significant technology advancements.

We saw some promising technology innovations that started out small, but are driving a digital revolution now. In this article, let’s look at the top 10 digital transformation trends that are all set to disrupt the business landscape in 2018.

1. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Artificial Intelligence is not a newbie in the digital world. We’ve all used some sort of AI based product or service at some point in time. But today, Siri, Alexa, chatbots and virtual assistants are becoming more popular than ever before, and consumers are widely accepting AI-powered services. This has stirred a revolution in businesses worldwide to deploy AI and improve the end-user experiences.

2. Internet of Things (IoT)
The past few years have seen a gradual but increasing trend in what we call Internet of Things (IoT). IoT is the concept of integrating everyday physical objects with internet. The era of intelligent things is certainly here. Predictions reveal that in the next five years, $6 trillion will be spent on IoT solutions globally, and about 24 billion IoT devices will be installed by 2020.

3. Edge Computing
Edge computing is growing rapidly with an increase in AI and IoT. It is an innovative concept that enables smooth processing of massive data produced by IoT powered devices. This Edge-IoT partnership is proving to be revolutionary, and sooner or later, all businesses and all industries will adopt edge based computing solutions to deliver best-in-class services.

4. Cloud Adoption
Cloud based storage solutions are trending for a while now. As long as there’s big data, cloud is here to stay. Companies across the globe are adopting cloud platforms to store massive business data, improve efficiencies and attain maximum data security. Today, a movement to cloud is a strategic investment, and 73% companies are planning to move to a cloud based data center within the next two years.

5. Advanced Analytics
Big data has taken the world by storm, and most companies have already reached a stage of data saturation. With growing volumes of data, there’s a growing need for smart, advanced analytics. Analytics is what gives meaning to big data and enables informed decision making in digital enterprises. The coming years will see a massive rise in data analytics as a service and an increase in data engineering and data science careers.

6. Mobile Enablement
The world’s connected to mobile devices, and entrepreneurs are realizing the fact that an effective mobile enablement strategy can impact their businesses in a positive way. Mobility enables businesses to reach out to massive target markets and brings productivity in the way employees perform. Studies predict that IT enterprises will spend about 25% of their software budgets towards mobile application development.

7. 5G Technology
We’ve seen generations of mobile networks pass by and soon enough the breakthrough 5G technology will take over. 5G will certainly be faster than 4G and is expected to deliver greater productivity with multi-gigabits per second. Though it is still in the development phase, it is all set to bring a revolutionary ‘Gigabit Smartphone’ era.

8. Blockchain
The world’s talking about Bitcoin and cryptocurrency. While it can still be a foreign term to many, the cryptocurrency or virtual currency market is on an all-time high, and is expected to grow enormously in the near future. Blockchain is the technology designed for accounting and verification of digital currencies and is certainly going to be a growing trend in 2018.

9. Augmented Reality (AR)
Digital transformation has also impacted the gaming industry in an impressive way. “Pokemon Go” was a game that used a digital interface by placing virtual objects in the real world. And ever since, Augmented Reality has been a hot trend in the gaming world. Apart from gaming, AR is being actively used in 3D viewers, reality browsers and to deliver a wide range of experiences.

10. Remote Workspaces
Telecommuting or remote workspaces is not a new advancement. It’s been trending for a long time now, and in the coming years, there will be a widespread acceptance to remote work from both employer and employee perspectives. Advancements in technology are enabling entrepreneurs to hire talent beyond boundaries and cultures and remote workspaces are the future of digital enterprises.

Digital transformation is touching all spaces of human life and all industries and businesses in multiple ways. It has already deeply impacted manufacturing, retail, healthcare, finance and banking industries. And with time, all enterprises are realizing the growing need to digitize. How long until you adopt these trending digital transformation technologies and match up with the changing times?

Technology is dynamically changing the way the healthcare industry works. Watch out the top five digital transformation trends in healthcare.

Technology pretty much touches all facets of mankind. But the most positive impacts of technology are evidently visible in the healthcare industry.

Over the decades, technology has seeped into every aspect of healthcare, literally transforming the industry digitally.

From patient registration to smart diagnosis and self-care tools, the healthcare sector has transformed magically; and with time, it’s only getting a notch higher.

Here are the top five trends in healthcare that are leading to a massive digital transformation.

Personalized Treatments
We’ve come a long way from providing standard, generic medicine to now offering personalized medicine. The development of personalized medical treatments lies on the fact that each individual carries unique genes and therefore our diseases may have varied characteristics. This revolution in life sciences has been possible because of genomics and advanced analytics, creating a strong way to fight rare diseases.

Telemedicine
The advancements in telecommunication have led to the breakthrough concept of telemedicine. Telemedicine is the remote delivery of healthcare services like assessment or consulting without meeting the patient in person. It’s a convenient and quick way to avail healthcare at home through telecommunication channels. By 2021, the global telemedicine market is expected to grow significantly.

Mobility and Cloud Access
The increasing use of mobile applications and cloud technology in delivering healthcare services is enhancing accessibility for patients and medical professionals. Mobile applications allow patients to access reports, monitor health and communicate with professionals at any given hour. Hospitals are moving to cloud storage solutions to store patient records, medical reports and other critical information. Mobility and cloud are reducing significant operational costs for healthcare enterprises.

Wearable devices
Wearable technology is taking over the healthcare industry in multiple ways. From fitness bands to smart watches and headbands, people are widely using wearable devices to effectively track and maintain their fitness. Also, medical professionals, especially surgeons, are adopting wearable devices like surgery goggles to help them clearly understand CT or X-Ray images. Wearables are the new face of modern healthcare and are expected to spread out even farther in the near future.

Artificial Intelligence
Healthcare enterprises are making use of  artificial intelligence  to catch up with the growing trends of the 21^st century. AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants enable round the clock communication with patients and ensure improved customer interaction. Additionally, artificial intelligence also plays a major role in accurate diagnosis of diseases and better clinical documentation.

We’ve reached an era where technology is the power. Sooner or later, all businesses and all industries will transform digitally. Healthcare is one of the major industries to have undergone a sea change with technology advancements. These five digital transformation trends are ruling the healthcare industry today and are completely reinventing the way healthcare is provided globally.

SMACT technologies are the key catalysts for a digital transformation. Have you acted SMACT yet?

The IT landscape is constantly evolving. Over the years, technology has changed businesses for good. So much so, that consciously or not, we’ve entered the era of digital transformation. Digital transformation is a gradual, yet imperative move for all businesses.

While it may mean different things to different industries, in general terms, it is the process of applying digital technology to all areas of a business that eventually transform the organization digitally.

Smart enterprises are embracing SMACT technologies to up their game in the IT world. SMACT, which stands for Social Media, Mobile technology, Advanced Analytics, Cloud and Internet of Things (IoT) is driving a digital revolution in modern enterprises. In this article, let’s dig deeper into each component of SMACT and understand how it is enabling a digital transformation.

Social Media
The modern customer is aggressively social. With over 1.8 billion Facebook accounts, 330 million Twitter accounts and 600 million Instagram accounts, social media is more powerful than ever before. It opens up a world of opportunities to explore untapped markets and expand businesses. A social media strategy helps organizations strengthen their network, build a strong brand and enhance business prospects digitally.

Mobile
Mobile technology is at the core of digital transformation. Mobile devices have the potential to connect businesses to customers anytime and anywhere. Today, enterprises are adopting “mobile-first” strategy, considering mobile users as their primary target market. Leveraging mobile technology as a part of digital transformation involves strategizing, developing, launching and monetizing mobile applications to reach out to millions of mobile users.

Advanced Analytics
As big data grows constantly, it brings opportunities for advanced analytics. Analytics allows businesses to offer the right products to the right customers at the right time. Real-time analytics gives businesses a competitive edge in the digital arena. Enterprises are using advanced analytics, Artificial Intelligence and deep learning to understand customer behaviors, uncover hidden patterns, discover new market trends and make smart business decisions.

Cloud
Cloud computing and digital transformation go hand in hand. Cloud based services help organizations store and manage massive data sets effectively, and simplify their complex infrastructure. Studies reveal that cloud adoption results in process efficiency by 18.80% and cost reduction by 16.18%. Businesses around the world are adopting cloud based platforms to accelerate digital transformation.

Internet of Things (IoT)
With the development of sensors and smart devices, technology is connecting things and internet in an inspiring way. IoT has become a buzz word in the technology industry and is touching several aspects of the day-to-day life.  It is a key catalyst to digital transformation as businesses are capturing ways to engage customers in new and innovative ways through IoT-powered devices.

The best success strategy for digital enterprises is to keep evolving over time with advancements in technology. Digital transformation is no more an option; it is the need of the hour. And SMACT is fueling digital transformation with its five vital elements, empowering businesses with sophisticated technology.