The 2021 Emerging Technology Top 10 list dives deeper into AI and IoT to show how they are transforming businesses with the top five use-cases for each technology. CompTIA’s Emerging Technology Community has made it a priority to identify the most promising technologies that could have a significant impact on businesses in the near future. There are many use cases for various technologies. IT solution providers are keen to partner strategically with their clients. However, it is not secret that the hype surrounding certain emerging technologies has outpaced adoption.
IoT and AI have landed in the top three on the Emerging Technology Top 10 List since 2018. This is a good thing because there are many use cases that demonstrate the power of AI. These solutions can help companies increase efficiency, save time and increase revenue. This trend was highlighted by IoT, with 46% of MSPs stating that they offer IoT services in the 2021 Trends In Managed Services Survey.
Illustrating Opportunities in AI & IoT
Recognizing the potential for IT solution providers, 2021 Emerging Technology Top 10 lists dives deeper into AI and IoT to show how they are transforming businesses with the top five use-cases for each technology. During ChannelCon Online Greg Plum, SVP of strategic alliances, Markee.io and chair of Emerging Technology Community and Khali Henderson (senior partner, Buzz Theory) provided insight into why their community focused on these two technologies during the session Practical and Profitable Applications of Emerging Technology.
“We made an effort to shift to a more prescriptive approach for this year’s list. This will allow our audience to understand the types of emerging technologies and how they are being leveraged. Plum stated that our mission to “move ‘from promise to profits’ reflects our focus on providing meaningful case stories and playbooks to enable MSPs to leverage the two most prolific advances of recent years, AI/IoT.”
The Emerging Technology Community used CompTIA data from a recent qualitative study. This included an online survey that was sent to professionals in February 2021. The survey was completed by 400 companies based in the United States. It identified the most popular use cases for IoT/AI. The list was narrowed down to five use cases per technology, based on the expertise and input of Emerging Technology Community members.
Download the 2021 Emerging Technology Top 10 list.
Components of a Larger Ecsystem
CompTIA’s whitepaper “The Role of Emerging Technology In Digital Transformation” states that emerging technologies are not standalone pieces of technology to be implemented. This shifts the IT’s main task from maintaining a platform to creating tailored solutions. This year’s Emerging Technology Top 10 list recognizes the importance of this shift in mindset and operations for AI and IoT solutions.
“How can MSPs grab a piece of this pie?” Contrary to some technologies that MSPs sell as workstations or servers AI and IoT do not come in a standalone product. They are components of larger solutions that can drive business outcomes. We’re also focusing on the top 10 use cases. Henderson stated that Henderson wanted to help MSPs find the business opportunities.
According to the Emerging Technology Community (ETC), the top AI uses cases in 2021 are:
Predictive Sales/Lead Scoring
CRM/Service Delivery Optimization
Chatbots/Digital Assistants
Cybersecurity Threat Detection
Marketing Automation
These are the top IoT uses:
Asset tracking
Industrial Monitoring
Smart Badges
Fleet Management
Smart Buildings
Additional information is available in the full Emerging Technology Top 10 List. You can also view the ChannelCon Online session Practical and Profitable Applications of Emerging Technology to learn more about the Emerging Technology Community.
Ten Emerging Tech Use Cases Demonstrate the Promise and Profitability of AI and IoT
