5 Technologies That Have Soared Since the Onset of the Pandemic

The year 2020 is the perfect example of the phrase "necessity breeds invention." The world thought it was developing rapidly until we realized that better technology would have made it much easier to handle the pandemic. It motivated us to churn out innovative technologies. The global economy is expected to suffer in the post-covid years, but technological advancements could help us ease the blow and get back on our feet.

We have seen modern technology emerging at the forefront in 2020. These innovations are more suited for a post-pandemic era of work-from-home, online shopping, and personalization services. We have listed the 5 most useful and demanded technologies:

5G Networking

The pandemic has forced people inside their homes and made them realize the privilege of internet connectivity. Staying connected while being isolated from the outside world was one of the biggest problems in 2020.

The world realized quickly that the 4G internet was not enough to sustain the global economy, and the development of 5G connectivity, experienced a boost. It is not available worldwide, but crucial development will occur in the coming years. 5G internet is the base requirement to enhance all the other technologies mentioned below.

This next-generation technology will come with higher speeds, smoother streaming, and less buffering during video calls. The first phone compatible with 5G connectivity was already released by Motorola over a year ago, using the chipsets from Qualcomm Technologies.

About 30% of people are expected to work remotely by the end of 2021, making it crucial to help them stay connected. One of the highlighted uses of 5G technology is telehealth. Patients' health can get monitored remotely. Online shopping will improve with a better Virtual Reality experience.

It took a significant bit of time to develop facilities compatible with 4G devices, such as enabling streaming and GPS tracking services. Similarly, getting all benefits of 5G will take time, but once available worldwide, 5G will bring new advancements.

Cybersecurity

New priorities emerged the moment Covid 19 hit the world. Before Covid 19, work-from-home was just a distant vision for most corporations. As people abruptly got pushed into the new work environment, cybersecurity became the main issue.

In many instances, cybercriminals took advantage of the fear and anxiety related to Coronavirus. They sent their viruses, including fake Covid 19 test kits and domains, further scaring users. Zoom, a video conferencing application, received a lot of heat for having lax cybersecurity and exposing the users' data.

The chief information-security officers (CISOs) are responsible for protecting remote workers and online shoppers from cyber-threats. Since then, many companies have augmented their budget for cybersecurity. The expenses for internet safety are estimated to increase in 2021. Many shopping companies have had to rethink their strategies to complement the new, strict security landscape.

Despite all these measures, the world has seen an increase in internet threats such as spear-phishing attacks. According to many companies, the priority areas are endpoint security, data security, identity and access management, and web and email security. Surprisingly, a lot of organizations still do not believe that cybersecurity is of ‘utmost priority’.

Cloud Adoption

Cloud computing directly relates to the increase in video conferencing. Zoom reported a 169% increase in its revenue in 2020. The current scenario of the world demands a global internet bandwidth. Such spikes have not been recorded in the past. Cloud computing is suitable for sudden increases in bandwidth, today.

In several industries like health-care, data is of prime importance. You cannot afford it to get contaminated, or lost. Additionally, there is always a large amount of data to be maintained and retrieved. Cloud computing enables us to access online data backup solutions quickly.

Services like Google Drive can help store large amounts of data, but there are security issues; Cloud storage makes it simple to access data remotely without compromising the company's security.

Remote working, even with video conferencing, is not the same as having a face-to-face meeting. Some aspects of a typical discussion are still compromised. Cloud applications help colleagues work collaboratively on the same project from different locations helping with engagement.

Many of these applications also have features to enhance productivity, communication tools, and selective access to projects. It is not a wonder that cloud computing is estimated to gain more popularity in the future. Microsoft reported a 775% increase in demand for cloud services. Implementing this technology into mobile applications will allow for more convenient access.

Artificial Intelligence

AI products are estimated to contribute about $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030. We are already becoming dependent on AI applications such as voice and speech recognition and intelligent data processing. It is seen as regressive when someone is unaware of these functions in 2020.

Covid 19 has forced us to enter a technologically advanced era, and customers will not regress into the pre-covid standards after the pandemic. Customers will still purchase online, and companies will maintain the work-from-home norms. This probability further increases the significance of AI in the post-covid era.

Retail industries and supply chain management will benefit the most from AI-based technology, because it helps them predict customer behaviors, trends, and navigate their inventory accordingly. AI's ability to continuously learn and adapt to new patterns makes it more crucial than many other technologies.

Amazon partnered with researchers and pointed out the populations vulnerable to the virus using AI technology. It acted as a much-needed warning. BlueDot also used machine learning to predict the spread of viruses in China. The increase in online shopping calls for virtual customer support agents powered by AI. Today, very few companies use them, but it is expected to be the norm in the future.

By administering AI chatbots to attend the simple questions, human employees can focus on highly complex and compelling issues, allowing for an overall good customer service experience. Another place where AI could replace humans in the field of data entry.

One of the widely used applications of AI is the QR Codes. QR Code with logo is one of the features that allow customization. These glorified barcodes have been on the rise before the pandemic, and thanks to them, companies can function more smoothly. From making payments to writing reviews, customers use QR codes for everything now!

It would be considered regressive not to have a Custom QR Code for your brand in 2020! One can expect fewer errors when the mundane and repetitive tasks are completed using AI. It reduces the burden on humans and allows them to concentrate on crucial projects requiring creativity.

Internet of Things

IoT is especially crucial in the telehealth industry. It can predict health issues before symptoms start surfacing. It could also tell us whether a food item is healthy and safe for consumption or not. IoT is the stepping stone towards precision medicine, where medicines and treatments are personalized for every individual.

IoT is currently helping the medical system during the pandemic through connected drone monitoring, thermal heat scanners, and cellular positioning systems. When combined with AI, IoT functions even better. It helps in scanning body temperatures, determining heart-rate, and even sanitizing the premises.

The number of IoT devices is expected to increase to 75.44 billion by 2025. There would be 15 IoT devices per US citizen by 2030. IoT also helps with edge computing so that the storage and analysis of data become closer to the action's location. It requires low latency and also saves bandwidth. IoT is a milestone to make lives more comfortable, safer, and improve the consumer experience.

IoT can also play a significant role in e-learning when done correctly, for instance, using device-based augmented reality classrooms, allowing children to have the same experience as is found, inside a physical classroom. In e-commerce, the electronic shelf label (ESL) technology helps reduce employee workload by keeping track of the commodities accurately.

Final Verdict

The world has changed, Nobody is sure whether this change is for the better or worse, but it heavily depends on what we make of it. We are in the preparatory phase for the year 2021, wherein we would directly experience the pandemic's impact on the global economy. Innovative technology helps us reduce workload from mundane tasks, carry out complicated analyses, and predict change patterns. These advancements allow for a better quality of life.

The vaccine development for Covid 19 is fast-paced when compared to the previous pandemics. It is possible because we have already developed advanced machinery. The current achievements in the field of AI, machine learning, QR codes, and IoT give a valid reason to be slightly excited about the future.