Gartner Announces Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2017
Preparing the foundation for intelligent digital mesh, including artificial intelligence technology

Gartner (Gartner. Inc.) highlighted the top 10 strategic technology trends that enterprises should pay attention to in 2017 at the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo.

According to Gartner, a "strategic technology trend" is either a technology trend with significant disruptive potential that is just breaking out of the adoption phase and expanding in impact and use, or a fast-growing technology trend with a high degree of volatility that will reach a tipping point within the next five years.

David Cearley, vice president and Gartner Fellow, said, "Gartner's top 10 strategic technology trends for 2017 are laying the foundation for the Intelligent Digital Mesh. The first three trends are about 'Intelligence Everywhere' and how data science techniques and approaches, including advanced machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI), are evolving to enable the development of intelligent physical and software-based systems that are programmed to learn and adapt.

The following three technology trends focus on the digital world and the increasingly close connection between the physical and digital worlds. The rest is focused on the platform and service mesh needed to implement an intelligent digital mesh,” he said.

1. Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Machine Learning
Artificial intelligence and advanced machine learning are comprised of a variety of technologies and techniques, including deep learning, neural networks, and natural language processing. Furthermore, many cutting-edge techniques go beyond traditional rule-based algorithms to create autonomous systems that understand, learn, predict, and adapt, potentially operating on their own. This is what makes smart devices appear "intelligent."

2. Intelligent App
Intelligent apps, such as virtual personal assistants, can perform some of the functions of a real assistant, making everyday tasks like email prioritization easier and highlighting the most important content and interactions to enhance user efficiency. Intelligent apps, such as virtual customer assistants (VCAs), can handle more specialized tasks in sales and customer service. Thus, intelligent apps have the potential to transform the nature of work and the structure of the workplace.

“Within the next 10 years, most apps, applications, and services will have some level of AI built in,” said David Searle, vice president. “This will form a long-term trend that will continuously evolve and expand the scope of AI and machine learning applications for apps and services.”

3. Intelligent Things
Intelligent things are physical objects that go beyond the execution of rigid programming models to perform advanced functions through applied AI and machine learning, and interact more naturally with their surroundings and people. Gartner predicts that as intelligent things like drones, autonomous vehicles, and smart devices proliferate, there will be a shift from individual intelligent things to a collaborative intelligent things model.

4. Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality
Immersive technologies like virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are changing the way people interact with each other and with software systems. "The landscape of immersive content and applications for consumers and businesses will explode through 2021," said David Searley, Vice President. "VR and AR capabilities will merge with the digital mesh to create a more seamless system of devices capable of orchestrating the flow of information delivered to users as hyper-personalized apps and services. Immersive applications will transcend isolated, individual experiences by integrating diverse mobile, wearable, Internet of Things (IoT), and sensor-rich environments. Rooms and spaces will be activated by objects, and connections across the mesh will emerge and interact with immersive virtual worlds."

5. Digital Twin
Digital twins, dynamic software models of physical objects or systems, use sensor data to understand their current state, respond to changes, and improve operations and enhance value. A digital twin contains complex elements such as metadata (classification, composition, structure), conditions or states (location, temperature), event data (time series), and analytics (algorithms, rules).

Within three to five years, millions of objects will be represented as digital twins. Companies will be able to proactively plan and repair equipment service, plan manufacturing processes, manage plant operations, predict equipment failures, improve operational efficiency, and develop improved products. Thus, digital twins will become an alternative to the combination of skilled personnel and traditional monitoring and control devices, such as pressure gauges and pressure valves.

6. Blockchain and Distributed Ledgers
Blockchain is a distributed ledger in which value exchange transactions, such as Bitcoin and other tokens, are sequentially organized into blocks. Each block is linked to the previous block and recorded via a peer-to-peer network, utilizing cryptographic trust and authentication mechanisms. Blockchain and distributed ledger concepts are attracting attention for their potential to transform industry management models. While there are currently exaggerated claims related to the financial services industry, they have potential applications in diverse fields such as music distribution, identity verification, title registration, and supply chains.

7. Conversational System
Conversational interfaces currently focus primarily on chatbots and voice-enabled devices embedded in speakers, smartphones, tablets, PCs, and automobiles. However, the digital mesh encompasses an expanded range of devices people use to access applications and information, or to interact with people, social communities, governments, and businesses. The device mesh encompasses a broad range of devices capable of interacting with people, extending beyond traditional desktop computers and mobile devices. As the device mesh expands, communication models will expand, and more diverse collaborative interactions between devices will emerge, laying the foundation for new, persistent, and pervasive digital experiences.

8. Mesh App and Service Architecture (MASA)
In a Mesh App and Service Architecture (MASA), mobile, web, desktop, and IoT apps are connected to a broad backend service mesh to create what users perceive as an "application." This architecture encapsulates services and exposes APIs at multiple levels across organizational boundaries, balancing the need for agility and scalability with the composition and reuse of services. MASA enables users to have optimized solutions across the digital mesh—desktops, smartphones, and cars—and provides a consistent experience as they move across these different channels.

9. Digital Technology Platform
Digital technology platforms provide the fundamental building blocks for digital business and are key technologies for achieving it. Gartner identified five key elements essential for realizing new capabilities and business models for digital business: information systems, customer experience, analytics and intelligence, IoT, and business ecosystems. Every company likely possesses some level of these five digital technology platforms. These platforms are fundamental building blocks for building a digital business and are essential technologies for achieving it.

10. Adaptive Security Architecture
Intelligent digital meshes and their associated digital technology platforms and application architectures are becoming more complex than ever from a security perspective. Vice President David Searle emphasized, "Existing security technologies should serve as a baseline for securing IoT platforms. Monitoring user and enterprise activity is a critical capability that must be added to IoT scenarios. However, the limitations of IoT present new vulnerabilities for many IT security professionals, requiring new remediation tools and processes. These must be considered in IoT platform-related projects."