Many years from now, when historians look back at this time, they will see technology rapidly spreading and changing the business landscape, like a wildfire that races across the dry plains.

Every organization is a tech company in a business climate powered by disruption, rapid-fire innovation, and digital forces. While tech was conventionally confined to execution and operations, the digital expressions today translate into every aspect of business – from ideation to delivery. The ascendance of innovative technologies has translated into strategic primacy, and this has happened in a turbulent period.

The tidal wave of tech progress is sweeping everyone into it – whether you’re ready for it or not.

To help make sense of everything, we present the 7 Emerging Tech Trends that are likely to disrupt every business process in 2018. This will help every leader imagine a future, harness innovation and build it responsibly using the realities of today.

• 1) Mobile-First or AI-First - Wait, what?

  Celebrating Alan Turing - One-to-One. When he contemplated on the significant question ‘Can Machines think?’, who would’ve thought that decades later, countless cryptographers and scientists will reshape the very fabric of our relationship with machines. AI, at the heart of every business process, is leveraged to automate processes, collect data, and reduce administrative tasks.

• 2) Hello Customization– Latest Marketing Strategy!

  In certain sectors like aviation, finance, goods and services, and life-sciences, business will personalize products to make the customers happy – individually. How will this help, you ask? This will impact data flows, supply chains, and encourage capital investments without increasing the prices.

• 3) Exponential Rise of as-a-service models

  Customer demand for various resources has unarguably triggered innovation in the remanufacturing and reusing of goods – reflecting the environmental awareness and the changing preference of access over ownership in customer’s mind. This cuts down the costs by simplifying IT infrastructure.

• 4) May I help you? – Voice based Virtual Assistants to become ubiquitous

  Alexa and Google Home have not failed to build confidence in customers. Familiarizing customers with a seamless technique of conversing with tech, these assistants have taken a major position between consumers and a brand.

• 5) From IoT to BIoT

  While IoT needs no introduction in the hyper-connected world today, Distributed Ledger Technology, Blockchain, can make IoT devices even more effective. The mixture of IoT and Blockchain, or, BIoT, will host many exciting services together – Like tracking of shipments in real-time, connected traffic lights for a better management during rush hour, to name a few.

• 6) Quicken decision making with Prescriptive Analytics

  Companies can now manage humongous amount of information easily thanks to machine learning, automation of workflow, and data discovery capabilities. This data can be used to predict market trends and developments resulting in greater depth to the forecast. Prescriptive analytics will go beyond ‘what’ and focus on the ‘how’ of the problem.

• 7) Immersive Experiences, for real

  Thanks to the highly-anticipated gear Google Daydream and games such as Pokemon Go, Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality are becoming a reality. In the coming years, people will switch to glasses attached to their cellphones providing the necessary information. The dream is on its way to becoming real, isn’t it?

Are you a Technophile or Luddite?

Doesn’t matter. Yes, the rapid technological changes aren’t expected to slow any time soon. The future will belong to the forward-thinkers, is your company prepared to be one?