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Apps Associates 2022 Predictions: Workforce, Cloud and Data

2021 certainly had its ups and downs, but the ongoing rapid transformations we saw take off last year will continue to shape the long game impacts for years to come. As we head into 2022, here are a few trends from the enterprise application services leaders at Apps Associates, who foresee continued and accelerated growth across the enterprise, as businesses continue to adapt to the digital-first aspects of the “new normal.”

John Schmottlach, Senior Vice President of Delivery, believes the cloud doesn’t need to change for hybrid work, companies do. “With nine in 10 remote workers wanting to continue working from home, companies will need to continue their adoption of cloud-based applications and services,” he said. “The pandemic brought significant changes to the way we work and assisted in the expansion of cloud-based applications and infrastructure. Employees and customers will continue to demand applications that are easily-accessible, fully integrated, and provide them with the data they need-and available when they need it. We have proven that we can be successful even with minimal human interactions; our applications need to ensure that they can also be administered without requiring a resource to travel to an office to support. For those customers who have already begun their digital transformation journey, we predict greater budgetary spending being channeled into continuing the journey and reducing manual processes. If the journey hasn’t started yet, the hybrid workforce and customer base will demand that digital transformation initiatives be prioritized.”

Schmottlach also commented on the barriers to cloud migration and how security misconceptions will be the biggest hurdle to adoption: “With large-scale cyberattacks on the minds of C-suites across the globe, the biggest hurdle to adoption in 2022 will be to rectify any misconceptions of the public cloud surrounding safety and security. The pandemic has taught us that cloud-based infrastructure is an important factor in moving to a remote workforce, due to this we will continue to see more companies make the switch. However, opinions that public cloud may not be as secure as existing infrastructure will slow the adoption process. Communication service providers (CSPs) will need to work to combat these misconceptions and ensure potential customers understand the cloud is safe, effective and is an essential component of digital transformation.”

From a workforce perspective, pandemic fallout impacted women particularly hard, with 3.5 million either losing their jobs, taking a leave of absence or leaving the workforce all together in spring of 2020 alone. If the tech industry-which already had a growing diversity gap pre-Covid-wants women to come back, it’s time to ramp up training programs, says Preeti Lobo, Director of Business Integration and Automation.

“In 2022, online learning opportunities for women will be key in reversing the diversity setbacks the pandemic caused on the workforce,” said Lobo. “According to the National Partnership for Women & Families, pandemic job losses have cost women around the world more than $800 billion in income. However, many are saying they won’t come back to work unless they can have more flexibility or additional opportunities for career growth. Offering flexible online education through job programs, providing mentors and creating a culture where learning, asking questions, and compassion is rewarded, would further encourage women to come back to the workforce.”

Finally, Myles Gilsenan, Vice President of Data, Analytics and AI, believes AI and ML will lead the way for thwarting cyberattacks in the New Year.

“AI and ML are making a very positive impact on cybersecurity and have been for several years and I predict AI and ML will be powerful engines for reducing security breaches next year,” he said. “AI and ML have some unique characteristics that we have not previously had access to in the world of cybersecurity, and advances over the last year will help secure companies moving forward. Since AI and ML can learn over time, they can detect and cluster behavior patterns for a company’s network and user communities and thus more easily identify deviations from normal behavior patterns.”

Additionally, Gilsenan thinks as we continue to move forward and create more data, AI will become more ethical: “As we push towards more ethical AI, the more data we collect in 2022, the less bias we’ll see. AI and ML depend on data, and they require lots of it; data is how the ML models are trained. In 2022, enterprises need to ensure AI and ML projects are done on an ethical basis by asking why particular sample sets are being used and investigate how biases might be built into the data. Additionally, I predict there will be new data collection protocols that will be established to reinforce the principles of fairness, explainability and traceability.”

It’s certainly an exciting year ahead and we at Apps Associates are excited to see what 2022 brings for business, tech and beyond!

The original article is published on: https://vmblog.com/archive/2021/11/23/apps-associates-2022-predictions-workforce-cloud-and-data.aspx#.YZ3Lq7rhXIW

About Apps Associates:

Apps Associates is an enterprise application services leader with a customer-first focus. Apps Associates has more than two decades of experience helping organizations innovate through digital transformation initiatives. Customers such as Brooks Automation, Hologic Inc., Edwards Vacuum, and Take Two Interactive Software turn to Apps Associates for strategic counsel, system integration and the services required to solve their most complex business challenges – utilizing experience in analytics, application modernization, process automation, digital systems, technology and operations. To learn more about how Apps Associates can help you align your business with the right technology, visit: www.appsassociates.com, or follow Apps Associates on social media on Twitter and LinkedIn.