International Journal of Computer Trends and Technology (IJCTT) – Volume 68 Issue 7 – July 2020
Current Trends In Information Technology:
Which Way For Modern It Experts
1
Kadima Victor Chitechi, 2Daniel A. Otanga
1
Senior Computer Technologist, 2Lecturer,12Department of IT,
MMUST P.O BOX 190, Kakamega, Kenya.
12
Masinde Muliro University of science and technology [MMUST]
Abstract The third in the series of great inventions are the
Information Technology is currently the enabler of development in the field of telecommunication, which
most services. Advancements in technology has include. Telegraph - In 1837 by An American SFB
affected the society’s way of living both positively and Morse. Telephone - In 1876 by Alexander. Graham
negatively. Today, most of the field of human life are Bell, Radio - In 1895 by an Italian G. Marconi.
affected by new Technology. The advancement has Television - In 1925 by a Scotsman J.L. Baird Laser -
brought about various Technological trends like In 1960 by an American Theodore Mainan - Optical
Cloud Computing, Mobile Computing, Social media, Fibre Communication - Communication Satellites -
Ubiquitous computing, data analytics ,data science Facsimile Transmission - Electronic mail etc. [1].
and Internet of Things (IoT), a network of large
amount of objects, computing devices embedded with It is common knowledge that, Information
microchips, sensors, actuators making this world a Technology has affected the human being almost in
smart place to live. This paper discusses the various all sphere of life in most sectors including education,
technological trends of information technology, healthcare, business, communication or our day-to-
evolving technologies, the percentage impact of day tasks [2]. Information Technology helps us to
technologies on business and government and finally gather, communicate, manage and interconnect large
a framework on the way forward for IT experts volume of data and information. Various
generated. technologies in IT are growing very fast like cloud
computing, mobile computing, social media etc.
Keywords — Information Technology which is changing the way of doing the jobs [2]. With
Advancements, Cloud Computing, Mobile the help of cloud computing we are able to get
Computing, Social Media, Internet of Things (IoT), hardware and software resources virtually on pay per
IT Expert, Ubiquitous computing, Emerging Trends demand basis [3].This helps an individual as well as
organizations to avoid installing heavy and costly
I. INTRODUCTION software on their systems. [4]Through cloud
The history of Information Technology is traced to computing we are able to get applications, platforms
early civilizations when the art of recording the as well as infrastructure over the internet [3].
information developed. It followed mechanical and Mobile computing enables human beings to access
later electronic path as in today’s society. In the early and process data on their mobile devices as with the
age, information was recorded on objects such as speed of personal computer [3].Social media helps to
stones, metal plates, cloth, and paper like materials. interact with the peoples over the globe in a very
The term Information Technology is a collective term user-friendly manner [5]. Wireless devices are
for the various technologies involved in processing becoming very popular these days. Ubiquitous
and transmission of information, which includes, computing or Internet of Things (IoT) is making
computing, telecommunication and microelectronics almost every object IT enabled that can sense,
just to mention a few [1]. process as well as transmit data among different
objects in real time over the existing networks. This
Evolution of Information Technology included some helps us to control the objects remotely and thus
steps, which led to various developments. The first saving our time. Ubiquitous computing is the major
break through was the invention of paper and Ink. area of research these days and in the coming year’s
The invention of the paper in 105 A.D. in China and number of embedded objects with computing device
subsequently the ink also. Paper provided better and have increased very fast. This paper will discuss and
durable writing medium than the earlier fragile ones review related literature on the various technological
[1]. The other most important landmark in the history trends of information technology that are evolving
of recorded knowledge was the invention of movable rapidly and the way forward for IT experts [6].
type by Gutenberg in 1438. A.D. in Germany. It led
to the proliferation of literature and brought a
revolutionary change in the development of library.
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International Journal of Computer Trends and Technology (IJCTT) – Volume 68 Issue 7 – July 2020
II. RELATED LITERATUR ON IT TRENDS Service (IaaS): Infrastructure as a Service is the
Information technology Industry has been regarded as bottom layer of cloud computing architecture that
an emerging industry with vast technological growth offers sharing of the hardware resources through
[7]. The industry has been experiencing tremendous virtualization for executing services [5].
trends since its origin. Information technology has The main motive is to make resources such as
contributed significantly since the start of new storage, network and servers readily available and
millennium and most companies share some common accessible by the operating systems. Cloud
goals to bring innovation in various fields of computing has several types which enable it deliver
technology. This paper discusses in detailed using its functions [5]. These types’ incudes; Public Cloud,
previous studies, literature reviews and journals the Private Cloud, Community Cloud and Hybrid Cloud.
current trends of information technology and way Examples of Cloud Computing includes; E-mail,
forward for Information Technology experts [7]. Google Drive, Virtual Office, Google App and
Dropbox. Some of the benefits of cloud computing
A. Cloud Computing includes; Cloud computing reduces IT infrastructure
Cloud Computing is one of the latest advancement in cost of the company, Cloud computing promotes the
information technology that has impacted more on concept of virtualization, which enables server and
organisations growth on a daily basis. Cloud storage device to be utilized across
Computing is said to comprise of a pool of shared organization ,Cloud computing makes maintenance
resources, which includes server, storage, networks, of software and hardware easier as installation is not
services, and applications that can be shared with required on each end user’s computer.
individuals as well as with organization on pay per
use basis in a cost efficient manner. Cloud computing B. Mobile Computing Technologies
services are usually owned and managed by the third Mobile Computing technology allows transmission of
party providers who deliver the services to the user data, audio-video, voice through any wired or
on pay per-use basis [3]. Cloud Computing has wireless network enabled device without having to
various computing services that are very key to connect to a particular physical location (Kumar,
clients, this services include; Software as a Service 2016). Mobile computing has led to increase of
(SaaS): SaaS is the very familiar type of cloud portable computing devices and desire to connect to
service to the customers. Software as a Service is the the internet without having to re-connect to a fixed
topmost layer of cloud computing architecture that location thereby increasing the popularity of the
offers complete application to the customer over the mobile computing. Use of mobile computing has
internet [5]. increased tremendously due to current advances in
Among the most familiar software as a Service mobile computing that includes GPS, GPRS, Long
(SaaS) applications currently used for businesses are Term Evolution (LTE), 3G, 4G and Wi-Max have
CRM applications like Salesforce, storage solutions become very popular. [5].
like Google Drive, Drop box and productivity Among the main IT trends 2019, there is the long-
applications suit like Google apps [3] awaited launch of 5G mobile devices. The networks
of the new generation have tested and the first 5G-
ready smartphones are available on the market. This
will introduce new standard promises to bring
broadband download speeds over mobile networks
and to provide 10x faster internet services than
[Link], the use of new generation network is
much wider. 5G will provide the impetus for the
further development of the Internet of Things, self-
driving cars, virtual and augmented reality, robotic
surgery, drone delivery just to mention a few [8].
Mobile Computing Devices that aid in enabling the
service includes; Smart Phones, Personal Digital
Fig 1.0: Cloud Computing Services Assistance (PDAs), Laptops and Wearable Devices
Source: [3] like Google Glass, Apple smart watch, head mounted
display are some examples of wearable devices. The
Another key service is Platform as a Service (PaaS)
advancement in mobile computing has realised
which is the middle layer of cloud computing
architecture that offers execution environment as a several advantages and disadvantages which
service for the software without any need of includes: Increased Productivity due to its
downloading software or installation of software for effectiveness and efficiency.
the developers or end users [3]. Examples of Platform
as a Service (PaaS) are Microsoft Azure and Google
App Engine. The other service is Infrastructure as a
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International Journal of Computer Trends and Technology (IJCTT) – Volume 68 Issue 7 – July 2020
some of the image logos for common social media
platforms.
Fig 2: Mobile-Computing Devices
Source: [3] Fig 3: Social Media
Source: [5].
Time saving since there is no need for travelling
schedules to locate network, flexible since no user is D. Big Data
restricted to work in a given location, source of The technologies that are related to the big data will
entertainment since most gadgets are used for a continue rising in importance in 2018. Due to its
variety of entertainment purposes [5]. However great return on investment, impact speed and
mobile computing have their own limitations too measurability, digital marketing are now more
which includes; in-security Issues and connection popular as compared to the traditional marketing [9]..
barriers. This means that big data is now applied to the big
business as many of the digital marketing campaigns
C. Social Media can rely on the huge data quantities to ensure
Today, most nation’s media is considered as fourth effectiveness and a greater reach. This is why
estate or fourth pillar of the democracy due to its companies are now relying on the data management
growth and increased use as a communication tool. to ensure conversions from online connections [9].
These days this fourth estate of media is supported by
social media [5]. Social media become a common E. User Interface
place to discuss all issues existed in society today. The user interface is one area that has undergone
Social media is playing a major role in integrating the massive revolution since the touch screen was
world. Social media is also doing their contribution to introduced. The capability of the touchscreen has
make this world a better place to live by raising revolutionized how the end users are able to interact
issues of social importance. Advances in information with the application. With the touchscreen capability,
technology changing all aspects of doing things and the way users are able to interact with the application.
social media platforms become major tools in the Users are now able to interact freely with what is
growth of business marketing [5]. being displayed without the need for an intermediate
The widespread use of these social media platforms device such as a mouse [9].
by the consumers and businesses all over the world
motivate the business people to market their products F. Data Analytics
on social media platforms. Social media is a powerful The field of analytics has grown many folds in recent
tool for advertisement and marketing. Almost all years. Analytics is a process, which helps in
business organizations are using social media to discovering the informational patterns with data. The
connect with their customers and serving in a better field of analytics is a combination of statistics,
way. Social media also help customers to give computer programming and operations research. The
reviews and feedback regarding some products that field of analytics has shown growth in the field of
helps to the new customers to know about the product data analytics, predictive analytics and social
and help the company to know the views of the analytics. Data analytics is tool used to support
customers regarding some product. Social media has decision-making process. It converts raw data into
emerged from being cyber world geek buzz to a meaningful information. Predictive analytics is tool
massive platform for professionals, entrepreneurs, used to predict future events based on current and
businesses and organizations that seek greater historical information. Social media analytics is tool
identification and recognition at a very low price [5]. used by companies to understand and accommodate
Increased use of social media has been attributed to customer needs. The every changing field of
various Benefits such as Online Advertisement and information technology has seen great advancement
Marketing, there is no need for any geographical and changes in the last decade. In addition, from the
boundaries it is used globally without any emerging trend, it can be concluded that its influence
restrictions, and there is an immediate feedback for on business is ever growing, and it will help
the two parties who are interacting. Figure 3.0 shows companies to serve customers better [10].
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International Journal of Computer Trends and Technology (IJCTT) – Volume 68 Issue 7 – July 2020
G. Internet of Things (IOT) B. Block-chain Evolution
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of Block-chain technology should undoubtedly be
interrelated physical computing devices, digital and included in the list of tech trends 2019, since it has
mechanical machines, animals, objects, or people that been rapidly expanding for the last few months and
are assigned with unique identifiers and the ability to still has huge potential. Though most people
exchange data over the network without any human associate block-chain with cryptocurrencies only, the
to computer or human-to-human interaction. A thing technology can be successfully incorporated into
in the internet of things (IoT) refers to large amount many other crypto-unrelated fields. The year 2019
of computing devices that can be a biochip will be devoted to the creation of the block-chain
transponder in a farm animal, automobile with built- industrial image and its separation from bitcoin and
in sensor to alert the driver about some problematic other cryptocurrencies. We will probably witness
situation and a person with heart monitor implant. block-chain convergence with other technologies
These types of devices are capable to collect data such as IoT, machine learning and fog computing. As
through sensors and exchange this data between a result, new practical use cases will be represented,
devices over the network anonymously [5]. When and the demand for block-chain experts will increase
IoT is augmented with actuators and sensors, the [11].
technology become more powerful and can handle
variety of tasks. Applications of IoT include building C. Use of Drones Technology
management, energy management, healthcare All lists of the latest trends in information technology
management, transportation management, probably include discussions about drones. For a
environment management etc. couple of years, the creation and usage of drones
have grown into an entire industry — the so-called
III. RECENT EVOLVING TECHNOLOGIES UAV (unmanned air vehicle) or UAS (unmanned air
In this paper, it is important to note that some systems) industry [11].. It is developing at an
technologies are still in the process of adoption due to amazing rate. Autonomous aircrafts are widely used
their challenges in development. Full implementation in farming, military surveillance, accident monitoring
of such technologies will take some time depending and other areas. In the coming year, the drone
on the user’s feedback. The following technologies industry will see increasing investment. More and
are evolving and are not fully adopted. more drone delivery systems will grow into
commercial projects worldwide. Actually, NASA is
A. Quantum Computing
You may be surprised, but the performance of going to complete the Unmanned Aerial System
traditional computers is rather slow. Information Traffic Management (UTM) to manage drone traffic
in the skies.
technology trends 2019 say that the next generation
of computers will be quantum computers. They are
D. Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence.
actively maturing now and are going to significantly
Cyber security is becoming essential to everyday life
surpass their ancestors. Quantum computing is a
completely new way of transmitting and processing and business, yet it is increasingly hard to manage
data based on the phenomena of quantum mechanics. due to the many-exhibited challenges. Exploits have
become extremely sophisticated and it is hard for IT
Traditional computers use binary code (a bit) to
experts to control the attacks brought about by cyber-
handle information. The bit has two basic states, zero
insecurities. Pure automation no longer suffices and
and one, and can only be in one of them. As for the
quantum computer, it uses qubits that are based on AI is required to enhance data analytics and
the principle of superposition. The qubit also has two automated scripts. It is expected that humans will still
be in the loop of taking actions; hence, the
basic states: zero and one. However, due to
relationship to ethics. However, AI itself is not
superposition, it can combine values and be in all
immune to cyberattacks. To manage and control
these states at the same time [9].
these challenges affecting the two technologies, there
Such parallelism of quantum computing helps find
the solution directly, without the necessity to check is need to make Artificial Intelligence/Deep Learning
all the possible variants of the system states. In (AI/DL) techniques more robust in the presence of
adversarial traffic in any application area. This is
addition, a quantum-computing device does not need
expected to be implemented in the near future [11].
huge computational capacity and large amounts of
RAM. Imagine: it needs only 100 qubits to calculate
a system of 100 particles, whereas a binary system E. Virtual Reality
requires trillions of trillions of bits. Developers have Technology that includes virtual reality is becoming
already learned to build quantum-computing prevalent. The software of virtual reality is making
many industries prepared for various scenarios before
applications and will strive for their further
entering them. The medical profession is projected to
development and widespread adoption [9].
use virtual reality for some treatments and
interactions with patients in the coming years [11].
Virtual training sessions for companies can cut costs,
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International Journal of Computer Trends and Technology (IJCTT) – Volume 68 Issue 7 – July 2020
fill in the need for personnel, and increase education. Technology Business % Government %
According to Gartner (2019), by the year 2023, Impact Impact
virtual simulations for selected patients with specific
illnesses will reduce emergency room visits in Machine Business 92% Govt. 90%
America by 20 million. These simulations will have Learning
Internet of Business 91% Govt. 88%
intelligence capabilities, so virtual-reality care can Things –
still provide patients with proper attention (Gartner Block Chain Business 90% Govt. 82%
2019). Quantum Business 85% Govt. 80%
Computing
IV. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TRENDS 3D Printing Business 83% Govt. 80%
WAY FORWARD FRAMEWORK Robotics Business 81% Govt. 72%
Biometrics Business 80 % Govt. 82%
The information technology trends way forward Augmented Business 80% Govt. 77%
framework has been developed from the related Reality (AR)
Artificial Business 79% Govt. 75%
research to show how the trending technologies Intelligence
and evolving technologies will realise the way Virtual Business 79% Govt. 75%
forward for the Information Technology experts. Intelligence
Figure1 shows the framework with the three Virtual Reality Business 76% Govt. 74%
elements. (VR)
Virtual Reality Business 76% Govt. 74%
Information and (VR)
Communication Technology Autonomous Business 70% Govt. 63%
Various Current Trends in ICT Evolving Technologies in ICT
Vehicles
Cloud Computing Quantum computing
Internet of Things Drones Technology
(IOT) Smart homes Fig.2 ICT Technological Growth Impact
Mobile Computing Autonomous vehicles Source: Derived from Related Literature
Social Media Assisted reality and
Data Science virtual reality
Smart cities Deep Learning
VI. CONCLUSION
Information Technology This paper presents detailed discussion on the various
Future emerging trends in information technology that is
Fig. 1 Information Technology Trends Way forward growing very rapidly. The way forward for the
Framework information technology experts is a key issue since
Source: Developed from Related Research Work they are the drivers of technology and have to be
aware and advise. Technological advancements such
V. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY EXPERTS as cloud computing, mobile computing, social media
WAY-FORWARD and Internet of things are discussed. Cloud
The future of IT experts role is driven by the rapid Computing provides us the way of sharing hardware
growth in technology exhibited by the various trends and software resources as a service over the internet.
as discussed in this paper. However, the use of new Mobile computing enables people to access data and
generation network is much wider. 5G will provide information anytime and at any place without any
the impetus for the further development of the need to connect to a particular physical location.
Internet of Things, self-driving cars, virtual and Social media is providing new means to connect to
augmented reality, robotic surgery, drone delivery the people all over the world and making this world a
just to mention a few. very small place to know each other. Social media
The latest information technology trends we have providing a new trends to do marketing and
discussed in this paper show that the coming years advertising as compared with traditional medial and
will bring new breakthroughs and big changes in IT. almost all type of businesses are making their
There will be a total increase in growth of ICT by the presence over the social media to connect with their
Emerging Trends on businesses and the government customers. Internet of Things (IoT) enables
whereby it is predicted that the technology will computing devices, chips to embed with various
contribute to the growth since both businesses and types of real life objects and transfer data among
the governments will be affected positively by ICT in these objects through existed network infrastructure.
the next four year as shown in Figure 2. The future of IT experts role is driven by the rapid
growth in technology exhibited by the various trends
as discussed in this paper.
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International Journal of Computer Trends and Technology (IJCTT) – Volume 68 Issue 7 – July 2020
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