A good future for tech in 2021 and beyond

Issue 9 2020 Information Security

It’s been a tough year. But there’s good news on the tech horizon. As we all learned in the tumultuous, often tragic months of 2020, technology is essential to nearly every aspect of our lives – from health and learning to work and entertainment.

But while technology has been a lifeline for millions, it needs to get better. Way better.

That’s why I’m excited about what is to come. The pandemic drove technology adoption in amazing ways – indeed, the future arrived seemingly overnight. Networking, cloud, security, collaboration, and other digital technologies all played a huge role in keeping the world running.

Despite our current struggles, I see a time when we move past the pandemic and into that better world. Here are some of the top technology trends that I believe will lead the way towards a better future in 2021.

A bridge over the digital divide

The COVID-19 pandemic put a glaring spotlight on the biggest inequities in our society and around the world. Today, a lack of connectivity separates half the global population from opportunities in learning, business, and healthcare. In nearly every country, the digital divide affects rural communities and the poor disproportionately.

The next generation of wireless technologies – including 5G and Wi-Fi 6 – can go a long way towards closing the divide.

These technologies will raise the bar on bandwidth, speed, and latency, and reach areas where fibre is prohibitively expensive – including rural communities, from African villages to Native American reservations.

Frontline mobile workers, telehealth, manufacturing, and education will all benefit from next-gen wireless as well. We see pervasive wireless connectivity as the ultimate flattener of the digital divide as these new technologies spur growth, innovation, and opportunity for millions of people who are currently on the wrong side of the divide.

The rise of the sensors

We’ve been hearing about the promise of the Internet of Things (IoT) for years. But lately, a confluence of innovations, including advanced network technologies, next-gen wireless and AI, to name a few, are making it a reality. Add to that cheap, smart, and soon-to-be pervasive sensors and we will be interacting with our world, our machines and one another in exciting new ways.

The workplace is a great example. Data based insights delivered by sensors will help provide a healthier and more productive environment. Combined with Wi-Fi, location technologies, and infused into collaboration platforms like Webex, they will identify underutilised or overcrowded spaces, while monitoring conditions like room temperature, humidity, air quality and light.

But the potential for sensors is even greater. For example, sports sensors will be alert for signs of concussion. And fatigue sensors will monitor alertness in potentially dangerous environments.

All of this data will be collected and turned into actionable, real-time insights, with AI playing an increasing role in keeping us informed for better decisions.

Security that’s simple, solid and password free

Cloud and mobility were critical to the agility that kept the world going in 2020. But with so many far-flung workers and devices spread across multiple clouds, the very concept of a security perimeter has blurred – all in an environment where fast responses to security threats are crucial. This demands security that’s integrated, automated, and simple to use and monitor.

In Cisco’s global 2021 Security Outcomes Study, a well-integrated technology stack was a top driver of success. One of the biggest challenges in security is knowing what’s real and what’s a threat in complex environments.

‘Zero trust’ was developed to ensure that nothing – and no one – gets by without verification. It reacts to a constantly changing environment, ensuring that only the right users or devices get access to your network. In the 2021 Security Outcomes Study, 39 percent of respondents said they were “all in” on zero trust, while another 38 percent were 'moving in that direction'.

At the same time, a password-free future is on the near horizon, as enabling technologies such as biometrics become popular with both consumers and enterprises.

Paying for the tech you actually need

Organisations have long invested in one-size-fits-all tech solutions. That meant paying for features that users might never actually need. Today, software-as-a-service enables organisations to pay for the features and capabilities they currently need, with the option to scale other services with great speed and agility when needed.

Consumption models will continue to shift, especially as more and more features and capabilities are available via software, whether on site or in the cloud. The flexibility and cost savings that pay-as-you-consume models provide are simply too good to resist.

This shift to pay-as-you-consume spending gives organisations more flexibility and cost predictability to manage their IT spend – something that 85 percent of CIOs and IT decision makers in Cisco’s 2021 CIO and ITDM Trends Pulse report agreed is important to their business (43 percent called it very important).

Keys to the future: app-enabled agility and resilience

In the early months of the pandemic, organisations had to adapt quickly to meet highly unpredictable changes. Cloud was the critical enabler of this new agility. For many organisations, it was the only way to meet the rapidly shifting demands of their customers and employees, regardless of costs.

Ten months later, the applications at the heart of our businesses are highly distributed. Our workforces are more mobile than ever before. And the demands on our systems are unprecedented.

Looking ahead, IT teams will need even greater agility. With enhanced observability solutions, teams can shift from monitoring everything to monitoring just the data and insights that matter. Both insights and automation will be essential to future growth, competitiveness, and resilience.


HSS.21.24 Gordon Thomson, global vice president for EMEAR specialist sales, Cisco.

From serving customers to delighting them

Today, mobile apps enable everything from shopping and banking to learning and wellbeing – and they’ve even helped track COVID cases. Mobile apps also enable both public and private sector organisations to connect with and understand users in ways that were unimaginable just a few years ago. Of course, most business processes also run on applications.

The most advanced of these promise more personalised relationships, along with instantaneous responses. That demands the ability to turn masses of real-time information from the network into actionable insights. And to do it fast.

Armed with such capabilities, companies can respond to a customer even before they report an issue or a need. It’s this combination of immersive, intelligence-based personalisation and experience that will transform baseline customer satisfaction into deep customer engagement, excitement and loyalty.

With innovation accelerating at a fast pace, there’s a tremendous opportunity to use new technologies to create organisations that are more flexible, responsive, and resilient. At the same time, I believe our higher mission is to use technology to improve lives across the planet.

Which technology trends do you have on your radar?




Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page



Further reading:

Highest increase in global cyberattacks in two years
Information Security News & Events
Check Point Global Research released new data on Q2 2024 cyber-attack trends, noting a 30% global increase in Q2 2024, with Africa experiencing the highest average weekly per organisation.

Read more...
Empower individuals to control their biometric data
Information Security Access Control & Identity Management Security Services & Risk Management
What if your biometrics, now embedded in devices, workplaces, and airports, promising seamless access and enhanced security, was your greatest vulnerability in a cyberattack? Cybercriminals are focusing on knowing where biometric data is stored.

Read more...
Strategies for combating insider threats
Information Security Security Services & Risk Management
In Africa, insider threats pose an increasingly significant risk to businesses, driven by economic uncertainty, labour disputes, and rapid digital transformation. These threats can arise from various sources, including disgruntled employees and compromised third-party service providers

Read more...
Five tech trends shaping business in 2025
Information Security Infrastructure
From runaway IT costs to the urgent need for comprehensive AI strategies that drive sustainable business impact, executives must be prepared to navigate a complex and evolving technology environment to extract maximum value from their investments.

Read more...
Kaspersky’s predictions for 2025 APT landscape
Information Security
The 2025 advanced persistent threat (APT) includes the rise of hacktivist alliances, increased use of AI-powered tools by state-affiliated actors – often with embedded backdoor – more supply chain attacks on open-source projects.

Read more...
SecurityHQ certified B-BBEE Level 1: Delivering global services from a local entity
SecurityHQ Information Security
SecurityHQ, a global managed security services provider (MSSP) with an office in South Africa, has announced it can now offer local companies a complete managed cybersecurity service from a Level-1 B-BBEE accredited and 51% black-owned service provider.

Read more...
2024, the year of Fraud-as-a-Service
Information Security
A report from AU10TIX outlines how ‘the industry’s dark engine’ offers user-friendly fraud kits that enable amateurs to execute complex attacks against thousands of accounts in minutes.

Read more...
The future of endpoint security
Information Security
Endpoint security is a critical pillar of cybersecurity, especially for South African businesses, which are becoming prime targets for cybercriminals. Endpoint security involves safeguarding devices connected to a network from a range of cyberthreats.

Read more...
Not enough businesses take cybercrime seriously
Information Security
Interpol recently revealed that cybercrime, specifically ransomware incidents, cost the South African economy up to 1% of the country’s GDP, while the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research estimated the loss at R2,2 billion a year.

Read more...
Navigating today’s cloud security challenges
Information Security Infrastructure
While the cloud certainly enables enterprises to quickly adapt to today’s evolving demands, it also introduces unique challenges that security teams must recognise and manage. Vincent Hwang offers insights from the 2025 State of Cloud Security Report.

Read more...