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For businesses, keeping up with Web trends entails more than smart website design. Tech developments and trends in everything from speed to interfaces to how search engines operate affect the way businesses must approach their online presence.
Knowing what lies ahead can be half the battle for businesses. Below, 16 industry experts from Forbes Technology Council share the tech trends they see bringing major changes to the Web and the ways that worldwide organizations operate online.
1. Internet Segregation
One trend that may revolutionize the Web is the increased use of internet segregation—the idea of segregating and securing a portion of the internet based on use, industry or other geopolitical factors. For example, the U.S. Navy does not use the insecure public internet everyone uses but instead limits its internet access to the Non-classified Internet Protocol Router Network (NIPRNet). - Bob Fabien Zinga, Directly, Inc./U.S. Navy Reserve
2. Quantum Computing
Quantum computing is a revolutionary technology. Companies are thinking about it in a way that’s similar to how they thought about machine learning a few years ago; that is, “Is it the right time to start using it for my business?” Today, the question is not whether it’s right for companies to consider quantum computing but how they can get involved. The initial use cases will be around optimization. - Vaclav Vincalek, Future Infinitive
3. 5G Technology
5G is up to a hundred times faster than 4G. When we jumped to 4G, we created the digital economy: Uber, Airbnb, TikTok and a host of other services would not be the same—and might be useless—without 4G. We will see enormous change because of 5G capabilities. Put every app you ever knew on steroids, and so many other ideas can now be greenlit. - David Moise, Decide Consulting
4. Voice Technology
Voice technology will revolutionize the way we use the Web. Primarily, voice tech is changing our online search behavior, enabling users to search through voice commands. Naturally, when asked a question via voice, Google pulls the answer from a featured snippet. Businesses need to ensure they invest in their SEO strategy to increase their chances of winning a snippet and reaching potential audiences. - Sanjay Malhotra, Clearbridge Mobile
5. Natural Language Processing
Natural language processing is an AI field that focuses on allowing machines to understand human language. It will transform how humans interact with the Web by changing the information we pull/see when conducting searches. This will fundamentally change how we read product reviews, book vacations and more. It will also change the marketing tactics businesses use to compete for customer attention. - Marc Fischer, Dogtown Media LLC
6. Smarter Algorithms
Algorithms have been utilized by businesses for years, and they are only getting smarter. From scrolling on social media to doing a simple Google search, algorithms play a large role in the way businesses are being displayed and promoted online. Additionally, location-based algorithms play another significant role in how people find local businesses based on their Google search. - Yenn Lei, Calendar
7. Increased Utilization Of APIs
With over 80% of all Web traffic going through application programming interfaces, the Web is expected to utilize more APIs and new platforms-as-a-service. As more businesses go online the need for standard services such as user management, online payment and physical delivery is growing. Such services are increasingly available through APIs and will continue to be on the rise in more innovative and economical ways. - Ahmad (Al) Fares, Celitech - Cellular Data Platform
8. The Development Of Starlink
Starlink will increase Web traffic and revolutionize how and when we are connected. It will connect parts of the world—even the most remote places—that currently don’t have Web access. This will bring education and access to parts of the world that have not been able to keep up. - Laureen Knudsen, Broadcom
9. The Demise Of Cookies
The demise of cookies is going to force a step-change in the way applications are built and how sites and vendors engage with their visitors and users. Coupled with an increased requirement for better trust between vendors and consumers, this will help businesses differentiate themselves in terms of the quality of their service. - Murray Foxcroft, ProArch
10. Customer Data Platforms
The customer data platform is a key technology that will revolutionize and personalize customer touchpoints through any channel. CDPs collect massive amounts of data (any type), create customer profiles, stitch customer interactions and transactions, and use machine learning to personalize content. - Arvind Murali, Perficient
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11. Increased Focus On Multi-Cloud
The trend for organizations is now multi-cloud. The sooner people adjust their thinking to embrace a distributed business environment where apps and identities co-exist wherever they are the less likely they are to end up in an identity quagmire. Centralizing everything on one cloud isn’t realistic. Companies that take a natively distributed approach to this fundamentally distributed problem will thrive. - Eric Olden, Strata Identity
12. More Focus On Hybrid Meetings
As the world rebounds from the effects of the pandemic we will see a huge focus on hybrid meetings. More organizations will have to adjust to blended audiences—some people will be on site, while others participate remotely. We will see a number of technologies emerge to ensure parity of experience for both on-site and remote participants. - Fardad Zabetian, KUDO
13. Privacy-Based User Authentication
One of the biggest trends the Web will face in the next few years has already started: the rising tide of privacy-based user authentication. After the death of the “broken” third-party cookie, the premium-content part of the Web will see more and more users signing in as a fair value exchange to enjoy content, giving rise to hundreds of small “logged-in walled gardens.” - Daniel Heer, Zeotap
14. Mixed Reality
Mixed reality technology will significantly revolutionize the Internet. The number of newly announced patents in this area continues to grow at an exponential rate. Technologies that are currently used in the medical industry or R&D labs will make their way into the consumer sector. This will provide new opportunities in terms of user experience and business opportunities. - Robert Strzelecki, TenderHut
15. Machine Learning And Deep Learning
We’ve seen artificial intelligence—specifically machine learning and deep learning—revolutionize everything from logistics and last-mile delivery to personalized shopping experiences and predictive analytics. This trend will continue as AI models get generalized. Projects such as GPT-3 by OpenAI are already powering searches, conversations, recommendations and recognition use cases. - Faisal Masud, Fabric
16. Niche Applications For Machine Learning
More and more industries will discover niche applications for machine learning. Universal applications of ML are the holy grail but are extremely difficult to achieve. However, a huge ROI can be seen from such things as legal case reviews, processing customer complaints and more. The number of applications and dollars that can potentially be saved is staggering. - Joaquin Lippincott, Metal Toad
