Last year’s Tech Trends report explored nine macro technology forces that form the backbone of business innovation and transformation. For a decade, we’ve been tracking the emergence and eventual ascent of digital experience, analytics, cloud, digital reality, cognitive, blockchain, the business of IT, risk, and core modernization.

This year’s update takes a fresh look at enterprise adoption of these macro forces and explores how they’re shaping the tech trends we predict will disrupt businesses over the next 18 to 24 months.

Enablers Digital experience, analytics and cloudFoundation Business of technology, risk and core modernizationDisruptors Digital reality, cognitive and blockchainHorizon Next Ambient experience, quantum and exponential intelligence

Beyond the essentials of compliance and security, organisations are approaching the broader issue of trust as a corporate brand strategy driven by the impact emerging technology is having across products, services, and goals.

As enterprises become more agile, companies are exploring new approaches to accounting, contracting, and capital planning to fuel agile innovation and usher in a new approach to enterprise finance.

High fidelity digital simulations combined with IoT sensors and machine learning are presenting a host of new opportunities ranging from optimisation to autonomous decision-making to new business models.

Leading organisations are creating customised, emotionally intelligent experiences based on individuals’ behaviours, preferences, and values using technologies like machine learning, voice response, and image recognition

Established companies with legacy systems have begun moving architects out of the ivory tower and into the trenches. Their goal? Create the kind of architectural agility that often gives younger competitors a market advantage.

What big technology shifts could emerge over the next decade? As the line between the digital world and humans blurs, it’s becoming clear that today’s trends are the seeds from which tomorrow’s possibilities will grow.

Read insights from thought leaders and success stories from leading organisations. Get inspired by new ideas on ways to apply emerging technologies to reach business ambitions.