Dominant trends such as cloud, the impact of data scientists, the increase in data security, 3D printing and the Internet of Things (IoT) continue to blur the lines between enterprises and individual computing, shaping them into intertwined eco systems.

Cloud, big data and connected everything have come of age, and widespread adoption is accelerating.

As we enter 2016, massive adoption of mobile devices through reasonably fast networks are redefining end user participation and personalisation, while wearable technologies are coming of age.

>See also: 8 information technology predictions for 2016

The personal cloud is now a main stay as many people – both working in an enterprise environment and in an individual capacity – are increasingly dependent on the cloud for storage, streaming and commerce. The industrial internet will give way to a hyper-connected interchangeable real-time decision making ‘internet of me’.

Electronic payments are also prevalent, providing much more data and transactional granularity, while automation that enables bridging legacy and modern systems will reach an interim peak through the usage of robotic process automation – but will be superseded by rapid replacement of legacy systems and API-driven integration.

These trends make it mandatory for social, mobile, analytics and cloud to be adopted by enterprises in order to survive in the next generation.

Traditional industries such as insurance are looking at legacy modernisation like never before. This is not a surprising trend as in the initial stages of the internet, big enterprises missed the bus by not fully embracing it, and unfortunately, paid the price.

In its article ‘Winning in The Age of the Customer’, Forrester observed that ‘the only way to retain customers and their loyalty is to become customer-obsessed’. IT trends in 2016 will be driven by this.

2016 will also usher in huge investments by organisations to fortify their cyber security protocols. Increased dependence on technology requires a different strategy to secure the underlying data.

Gemalto’s twice-yearly Breach Level Index (BLI) database indicates that in the first half of 2015, the number of records breached was just under 246 million across 888 disclosed incidents, with mega-breaches accounting for 82% of the records compromised.

However, the number of breached records was unknown for an astonishing 50% of incidents. We can expect these figures to increase based on new business models and increasingly reliance on technology.

Doing business without technology is not an option – hence a sustained effort is needed to ensure security can cope with any breaches. 

With that in my, here are eight predictions for IT trends in 2016.

1. CRM will be re-evaluated and will no longer follow the traditional cycles.

More customer intelligence and personalisation that elevate level of services – from a multi-group segmentation to a segment of one – will be the way to go for customer relationship management (CRM).

2. Device and application mesh

There will be greater integration between a sensor and mobile devices. For example, wearable devices that act as contextual data gathering mechanism will provide new insights personally and to enterprises

3. Hyper-connectivity will rule

Fueled by the proliferation of billions of devices, hyper-connectivity will generate data about everything from locations, to atmospheric data, to speed and health information – and lead to the creation of new products and business models

4. Adaptive and offensive cyber security will emerge

This will provide a new predictive defense mechanism. The modern security architecture must continuously detect, prevent, analyse and respond to threats.

5. Internet of Things will go mainstream

Consolidation of key technologies and standards will emerge in 2016 that will bring the promise of IoT to reality.

6. The API economy will lead legacy migration

The ability for big enterprises to create APIs rather than monolithic applications that enable a multitude of developers outside the system to create point applications will accelerate.

Programmers’ efficiency will not be measured by their coding strength but their orchestration strength to bring applications to life.

7. Big data will step up

Big data will no longer be a hype or aspiration, but rather an integral part of a successful enterprise.

8. 3D printing will focus more towards material rather than the printing itself

Significant progress will be made in both the building and food industry in this area

>See also: Gartner’s top 10 strategic technologies for 2016

Ultimately, CIOs will be looking at procuring on-demand solutions and related services rather than investing in point solutions.

These are exciting prospects for entrepreneurs to make a mark with game-changing products and redefine industries.

Sourced Subramanian Gopalaratnam, Xchanging