IDC forecast: 10 trends in the global IT market in 2021

IDC analysts predict that the company's IT departments will overcome the problems caused by the pandemic and how they will try to gain a competitive advantage in the conditions of the "new normality". 

The main trends that will determine the IT industry in 2021 and beyond, analysts say:

1. Accelerated transition to cloud technologies 

The IDC report notes that by the end of this year, 80% of businesses will be twice as likely to move to cloud infrastructure and applications than to a pandemic.

2. EDGE – in priority 

IDC is confident that changes in the organization of operations and operations caused by the pandemic will stimulate investment in network peripheral technology and new business models in most industries. This will also increase the number of cloud solutions at the intellectual frontier and within the network, which allow organizations to respond faster and more efficiently to changes in business needs.

3. Intelligent digital workspace 

By 2023, analysts say, 75% of Global 2000 companies will focus on creating an intelligent workspace that will help employees work more effectively on their own and collaborative projects.

4. "IT debts" will make themselves felt 

The technical debt that arose due to the need for rapid migration to the cloud and the transition to teleworking will make itself felt by 2023. CIOs will continue to look for opportunities to build a stable digital infrastructure.

5. Fault tolerance – the central element 

The pandemic has forced organizations to look for new approaches to stay competitive. IDC predicts that by 2022, companies that provide digital sustainability will adapt to any challenges and expand their services twice as fast as companies that focus on maintaining the status quo.

6. Autonomous IT operations 

By 2023, analysts say the cloud ecosystem, with its extensive resource management and analytics capabilities, will be the base platform for IT and automation initiatives. To do this, companies will more actively integrate analytics based on artificial intelligence and machine learning, will implement automation and autonomous infrastructure.

7. Interest in startups that work with artificial intelligence 

By 2023, 25% of Global 2000 companies will acquire at least one artificial intelligence (AI) startup to upgrade their products and services. The most successful in the future will sell on their own subscription model software products based on deep knowledge of their industry.

8. New digital strategies 

The IT industry is undergoing change, so according to IDC, 80% of companies will review their relationships with providers and partners to more effectively implement digital strategies.

9. Sustainable development and environmental goals 

IT departments are becoming an integral part of companies' eco-events. According to IDC, most of the companies on the Global 2000 list will require reuse of materials in the supply chain of IT equipment and reduce energy consumption.

10. New approaches to staffing 

By 2023, much of the action to support the hybrid staff structure (office remote) and business process automation will be delayed or failed due to a lack of investment in IT / Sec / DevOps teams with relevant skills. To cope with the shortage of skilled developers and analysts, organizations will use flexible forms of employment, crowdsourcing and retraining of their own employees.