2024 Industry Trends for an Intelligent Workplace to Support Hybrid Work
NWN Carousel’s offering experts have bold predictions for the tech world in 2024. Trends focus on AI applications as the gateway to customer care in the contact center, and collaborative tools encompassing automated scheduling, smart task delegation, and predictive analytics. Additionally, the focus extends to Zero Trust security and self-service video support, as well as easy device management with voice recognition.
These trends collectively signify an effort by IT professionals to establish an Intelligent Workplace designed to enhance the customer and employee experience.
“AI is the largest service opportunity in my career. You can buy AI capabilities but it requires the process and data models and people with the right expertise to implement it.”
Jim Sulivan, CEO, NWN Carousel
Our offering leads have identified key strategic IT trends for 2024, a year that’s predicted to show more AI-related cloud spending.
AI-Powered Visual Collaboration Takes Center Stage as Offices Embrace Self-Serve Technologies
In 2024, Artificial Intelligence is set to be the dominant buzzword with major companies like Microsoft, Google, and Cisco channeling significant efforts into expanding their AI capabilities. Additionally, discussions around self-serve options are gaining traction, especially concerning Return-to-Work strategies. The prevalence of self-service offerings in video and Unified Communications in office flex spaces is expected to rise with QR codes to reach tier 1 help desk engineers, convenient room reservation features, and digital signage to display room capacity or act as a concierge to direct guests.
NWN Carousel’s East and West Collaboration Experience Centers are models for transforming traditional office spaces into innovative hybrid work environments.
What’s the Impact of the AI Explosion?
“Artificial Intelligence will continue to make identifying attacks more challenging while also becoming one of the most impactful tools in the security toolbox.” Chris Poe, VP, Security & ATS, NWN Carousel
“AI collaboration features like automated scheduling, intelligent task allocation, predictive analytics, and enhanced search functionalities will become more common, aiming to boost productivity and decision-making.” Alvaro Riera, VP UC&C, NWN Carousel
“AI in the office can help leverage how conference rooms are used to help with efficiency and improve meeting equity regardless of working from the office or remotely by offering automation.” Brian Fichter, VP, VCW, NWN Carousel
“Devices with integrated CPUs and GPUs strive to enhance the end-user experience by supporting additional AI functionalities, including voice recognition, virtual assistants, improved security measures, and automated device productivity features such as power and battery management.” Mike Patton, VP Devices, NWN Carousel
“Customer data and history will provide unique experiences for each consumer during every interaction in the Contact Center. AI will also dynamically provide rich, meaningful information to agents in real time while they’re assisting customers. It will automate monotonous business tasks, such as taking notes, scheduling follow-ups, and sending confirmations.” Kevin Basden, VP, CC, NWN Carousel
In the Contact Center, AI-powered chatbots and voicebots are poised to take on a primary role as the initial line of defense. Leveraging customer data and history, these bots will tailor unique experiences for each consumer in every interaction. Real-time, dynamic AI assistance will furnish agents with rich and meaningful information while they engage with customers. The evolution of communication channels will encompass cross-channel interactions, envision interacting with an agent through a mobile phone app or SMS, or engaging in a chat while collaboratively sharing a screen.
NWN Carousel’s Contact Center experts act as trusted advisors to integrate the latest cloud features to help you reach your business goals.
Security and Data Privacy Integral to Exceptional Customer Experiences
While Zero Trust philosophy will continue to accelerate as the underpinning, AI will augment human capabilities by correlating insights and processing events at machine speed.
Cloud-delivered security capabilities adoption will grow significantly as more organizations embrace Secure Service Edge and Secure Access Service Edge architectures. Yet security leaders must keep their pulse on Generative AI, which is being leveraged by bad actors in a manner that makes phishing attacks almost unidentifiable. This will place an even greater amount of responsibility on organizations experiencing a talent shortage.
NWN Carousel’s Secure by Design offering focuses on solving the architectural and operational challenges of implementing and managing a secure environment.
Market Trends
Gartner forecasts a global increase in IT spending, projecting it to reach $5.14 trillion by 2024, up from the current $4.72 trillion, indicating an approximate annual growth rate of nearly 4 percent. The primary contributors to sales in 2024 are expected to be IT services, software, and communications services.
Operational Efficiency and Total Experience Dominate Unified Communications and Collaboration
For Unified Communications platforms, there will be a greater emphasis on the integration of collaboration tools with other business systems, such as CRM, ERP, project management, and productivity suites. This integration is aimed at creating a more seamless work environment and improving workflow efficiency. As competition in the collaboration market increases, there will be a stronger focus on user experience (UX) design. Tools will become more intuitive, customizable, and user-friendly, with personalized dashboards and settings. Video conferencing will continue to evolve with better quality, more interactive features like augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and AI-driven enhancements such as real-time translation and transcription services.
NWN Carousel’s Unified Communications & Collaboration experts focus on delivering integrated solutions for a Total Experience.
Device Trends Drive Enhanced AI Features and Productivity Automation, along with Sustainability
The primary trends in the realm of devices revolve around the integration of CPUs and GPUs, aiming to enhance the end-user experience by accommodating advanced AI features like voice recognition, virtual assistants, improved security, and automation of device productivity functions such as power and battery management. Additionally, there is a growing awareness of sustainability, with a focus on developing eco-friendly devices throughout their lifecycle, from manufacturing to material recycling. This trend is contributing to the ongoing effort to make devices more energy-efficient. NWN Carousel’s Device-as-a-Service takes on the stress of daily patch and security management, enabling organizations to prioritize bigger goals.
Full Stack Observability to Focus on User Experience
The evolution of wireless technologies, including 5G, is anticipated to play a significant role in enhancing connectivity and supporting the increasing number of devices in a hybrid work environment. 5G as well as satellite connectivity will gain momentum as alternative transport methods to be incorporated into highly redundant SD-WAN solutions. AI advancements in infrastructure will continue to accelerate to augment, assist, and automate processes.
SD-WAN and Secure Service Edge adoption will continue to accelerate as more and more organizations leverage cloud infrastructure and SaaS applications while still supporting on-site/datacenter located workloads. Providing a seamless and secure user experience (regardless of device, connectivity, or location) is becoming table stakes for IT organizations. It shouldn’t matter where the application is hosted (cloud or on-prem), from a user perspective it should just work and be secure.
NWN Carousel’s Advanced Technology Services provide customized business connectivity including networking, telecommunications, wireless, data, and Microsoft Domain/Directory solutions.
How Data Analytics and AI Revolutionize Tailored Customer Experiences
Personalization remains a cornerstone of customer experience. With advancements in data analytics and AI, organizations can leverage customer data to create tailored interactions and experiences. The ability to offer personalized experiences is increasingly becoming a competitive differentiator and a way to foster customer loyalty. NWN Carousel’s Experience Management Platform (EMP) unifies the people, processes, and technology required to operate, optimize, and transform your cloud, and on-prem, ecosystems.
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