While the initial shock of COVID-19 has worn off, the lasting effects are far from over. Last year, with the accelerated push for digitization in business and society, only 37% of IT teams reported that they were able to complete all the projects asked of them, an issue that is further explored in MuleSoft’s 2022 Top 7 Digital Transformation Trends Report.
Despite the increased demand and strain on IT teams, companies are moving forward with their digital initiatives, resulting in a renewed focus on transformative change and the emergence of several strategic technology trends, such as composability and hybrid experiences. The concept of composable business and hybrid experiences are not new but the pandemic and sudden shift to a digital-first world have accelerated the adoption of these emerging trends in business.
As the demand for hybrid experiences and automation continues to grow, IT leaders will need to be equipped with the right tools and knowledge to meet the demands of their customers. Read below to learn more about the three emerging trends paving the way for digital transformation.
Top three emerging digital trends for 2022
1. Hybrid work is here to stay. Are you ready with the right tools to succeed?
One of the most significant impacts of COVID-19 on businesses is the rapid adoption of a hybrid work workplace that has required most companies to rethink what tools they need to drive efficiency and collaboration while maintaining a positive employee experience. We’ve seen the emergence of hybrid cars, robots, and even plants in the past decade! While those discoveries are fascinating, none of them have caused as big of disruption as hybrid work. A recent report by McKinsey estimates that more than 20% of the global workforce — although mainly those in high-skilled roles in verticals such as finance, insurance, and IT — could work most of the time away from the office without impacting productivity. Yet, to make this a reality, organizations need to create seamless hybrid experiences, retire legacy applications, digitally upskill employees, and make investments in automation to empower business users.
2. How is business composability being used to drive innovation?
The transition to a digital-first world paved the way for innovative frameworks like composability, enabling businesses to utilize reusable building blocks like APIs to adapt to the changing needs of consumers and employees quickly. As more organizations start to include APIs in their innovation strategy, they’ll realize that not all APIs are created equal. Historically, organizations have focused on building RESTful APIs built on a lightweight architecture that makes them ideally suited for interacting with web-based applications and handling low volume data where speed is not essential. These architectures support synchronous messaging, from the user’s system to the supplier’s system, and back again.
However, they’re limited to situations when the user’s system has a clear idea of what it wants from the other. They’re less suited to the type of real-time, asynchronous data exchange that will become even more essential in 2022. As a result, technologically advanced, composable organizations that can quickly adapt to the changing digital landscape and adopt innovative technology will be the true winners of the digital age.
It’s no secret the digital economy has added a layer of complexity to the work of IT leaders. Yet, despite all the hurdles, they have remained nimble and resilient to thrive in the new digital economy.
Rahul Pahuja, Director at Salom, a MuleSoft Partner, gives his take on what’s ahead in 2022 and how emerging trends will change the world of business.
The pace of digital change shows no sign of slowing as we accelerate towards 2022. Organizations must meet the expectations of their employees and customers, or risk falling behind their competitors. This is reflected in the technology trends emerging across every industry, all of which are geared toward delivering improved user experiences and innovation at speed.
Unlocking data and connecting applications will be central to the future of work and underpin tomorrow’s transformation initiatives, powering everything from increased automation to digital-first experiences.
The most effective way to do this will be to adopt a composable IT model, which empowers more people — developer and non-developers alike — to connect data and applications in a secure, yet frictionless way.
Rahul Pahuja, Director at Salom
3. Hyperautomation is increasing productivity and customer satisfaction
Hyperautomation is about scaling automation across the enterprise via the reuse of processes and the deployment of multiple, integrated technology capabilities — such as low‐code platforms, machine learning, and robotic process automation (RPA). The idea of automating manual processes and tasks is not a new concept to business leaders. However, many businesses had never employed dynamic technology until the pandemic. As a result, the widespread adoption of hyperautomation technology has led IT and business teams to work together to deliver superior value to customers and internal stakeholders.
One of the ways technologists can succeed at this initiative is by employing API management and hyperautomation to automate customer service through chatbots and phone calls, AI-powered loan processors, and personalized troubleshooting services. In addition to improving customer experiences, IT leaders can use the technology to complete the overwhelming number of projects in their queue to retain employees and increase productivity — leaving more time to strategize for digital transformation and economic growth.
The road ahead: Hybrid experiences, composability, and hyperautomation
As companies gear up for 2022, there is undoubtedly a sense of contemplation and reflection in the air. The pressure is on. Businesses have to refocus their plans to ensure growth in a crowded space by prioritizing these three things.
- Delivering connected, hybrid experiences for your employees and your customers.
- Implementing composability to foster agility and innovation.
- Investing in hyperautomation to increase productivity and maintain business continuity in the wake of the Great Resignation.
To achieve these initiatives and remain competitive, organizations will have to embrace the use of low-code technology to create connected experiences and close the IT delivery gap. Our 2022 trends report showcases what businesses are prioritizing to drive digital transformation.
To learn more about 2022 emerging trends and how companies can keep up with the pace of digital change, read MuleSoft’s 2022 Top 7 Digital Transformation Trends Report.
