IT Support and Technology Trends in 2022: Our Predictions

Introduction

With every passing year, it feels like technology plays a larger role in our daily lives.

But in a post-pandemic world, that feeling has only accelerated. In fact, according to research carried out by McKinsey & Company, digital transformation in businesses has advanced seven years in just one or two.

The pace of the change makes it difficult to decide which changes are here to stay and which are passing fads – so we’re here to put our flag in the ground.

Let’s look at 5 IT support and technology trends which we think will take root in 2022.

#1: New tools to support the work-from-home revolution

Here’s a notable stat for you: in April 2020, Microsoft Teams boasted 75 million daily users. By July 2021, that number had exploded to 250 million.

That’s proof (if anyone needed it) that working from home is here to stay — and we expect 2022 to follow this same trend. The Microsoft 365 suite is growing almost weekly, and plenty of other remote-focused services (Asana, Zoom, Slack and more) are doing very well in the marketplace too.

The idea of telepresence – making remote working feel more like in-office working – is gaining ever more steam, as shown by concepts like Together Mode in Teams. We’d expect to see much more development in this direction as the year goes on.  

#2: Even more “As a Service” services

Remember when computer software used to be sold on CD-ROMs?

Remember having to wait what felt like hours to watch the little blue bar fill up as it installed?

Remember having to download updates through a screeching 56k modem?

Yep… some things are best left in the past. And while native software isn’t entirely gone, the model for business software has mercifully moved on.

With the evolution of the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model, it’s now faster and easier to always have the latest (and most well-protected) software installed on your computer. The “As a Service” business model, based on monthly subscriptions, works well for businesses due to predictable financial planning, and allows for simplified digital delivery. Along with the many other ‘As a Service’ models out there, we fully expect subscription-based computer software to remain a mainstay in 2022.

#3: NFTs and cryptocurrency

Put your hand up if you were confused for even a moment by the term “NFT” in 2021? In truth, that’s probably most of us — but the concept is simpler than you might think.

NFT, which stands for “Non-Fungible Token”, is essentially a digital asset which anyone can buy the rights to using a blockchain-powered ledger. As we covered in our Plain English Guide to Cryptocurrency, the blockchain is a means to verify transactions (including the purchase of a virtual asset) which cannot be counterfeited or altered. This means you can essentially ‘prove’ that you own the rights to a particular digital item, whether it’s a JPG image, music file, or even a tweet. The fact that these items are easily reproducible isn’t the important factor with NFTs – it’s the digital ownership which is the real money-maker.

Of course, they could just be an enormous fad, so let’s see where we are in a year.

#4: The continued migration towards cloud-based IT services

IT support, and IT services in general, have been trending towards cloud-based infrastructure for some time. In fact, the boom in SaaS services covered above is a good example of this in action.  

With cloud versions of the major Microsoft business infrastructure apps — Exchange Online and SharePoint Online, for example — already up and running in companies across the UK, this transition to the cloud is already well underway.

Even secure file storage can now be managed in the cloud through services like Microsoft OneDrive for Business (or SharePoint as mentioned above), especially because solutions are already in place for cloud backup and disaster recovery should the worst happen.

#5: The Metaverse

Here’s one which might be something of a curveball – but the future is often unpredictable, right?

Announced in 2021 when Facebook changed its corporate name to “Meta”, the so-called “Metaverse” is a concept which seems both old and new. The word itself dates back to early 90s cyberpunk fiction, but the 2022 version is about a virtual world in the here and now. Accessed by VR headsets and rendered in 3D graphics, the Metaverse is a virtual space users can inhabit, socialise, and — of course — spend.

The tech built to form the Metaverse has been designed from the ground up to support cryptocurrencies and NFTs to power the concept of virtual ownership in these digital spaces. Just imagine a brand like IKEA being able to sell digital items in a virtual space for real money – that’s the world which the Metaverse aims to bring to life. Whether that’s something people want or not? We’ll let you decide.  

Need to future-proof your IT support strategy?

While it would be a very nice skill to have, and it’s fun to speculate about what might happen in 2022, none of us can predict the future.

That’s why at Get Support we spend so much time setting up our clients with the best in IT support systems to help them stay prepared for the road ahead. From long-term agile roadmap development via our IT Director service to complete disaster recovery and business continuity planning, our IT support agreements have your business covered.

To learn more about how we could help keep your business protected in 2022, call us today on 01865 594 000 or just fill in the form below.