These 4 Business Trends Will Shape IT Leaders’ Decisions in 2023

1. Technology Will Continue to Empower Consumers

Shoppers today have it pretty nice. They can get anything they want online at the tap of a finger, can easily compare prices for goods and services, and can get businesses to offer all sorts of concessions and special deals.

They can also demand that businesses protect their privacy. Cisco, for example, recently released a survey finding that more than 8 in 10 consumers regard a company’s privacy practices as a critical factor in whether they will patronize that business.

What this means is that businesses and nonprofits must build thrilling digital experiences for their customers and donors, but these experiences must also reassure them.

People want to feel valued by the organizations they patronize, and that means they must trust them to be thoughtful and transparent about how their data is used — and to protect it from hackers.

READ MORE: Learn how greater observability can provide better data privacy.

2. Workers Will Be Emboldened in the Current Market

High-quality workers are in demand in any economy, even an uncertain one like today’s. Of course, it has always been a big challenge to find and retain excellent tech employees, but now the challenge has spread to every department.

Once again, the answer comes down to delivering exquisite experiences. Whether employees remain mostly remote or return to onsite workplaces, the IT department must deliver the tools they need to have the frictionless, even graceful, work experiences they demand, wherever they are.

3. IT Leaders Taking a New Approach to Security

Ransomware and other threats continue to plague organizations of every kind, and there is no reason to think 2023 will be any different.

At the same time, more organizations are seeking single providers for many, if not all, of their security needs.

Gartner predicts, for example, that by the end of next year, 30 percent of enterprises will deploy a secure web gateway, a cloud access security broker, cloud-based firewalls and zero-trust network access technology — all sourced from single vendors.

The goal is to improve interoperability and simplify management. It may also provide some cost savings. It makes sense, but it raises the stakes on the decisions businesses make about their partners. Organizations that go in this direction should have a trusted partner to help.

4. The Economic Outlook Currently Looks Cloudy

I won’t make predictions about where things are headed economically, but with inflation and interest rates ballooning, a recession is possible.

There’s evidence that some organizations are starting to steel themselves. For example, in the latest edition of its annual State of IT report, Spiceworks Ziff Davis found that 83 percent of companies are concerned about the possibility of a recession. In fact, about half are planning to take precautions just in case one strikes.

Does that mean slashing IT spending? No, that would be unwise no matter the economy, and businesses know that. In fact, more than half plan to increase IT spending in 2023.

However, it does mean a greater focus on businesses’ most important priorities. The aim is to ensure they’re getting maximum value on the technology they use, and to get it in the most cost-effective way.

That’s where a partner with decades of experience and deep relationships with every major technology provider can come in handy.