In the ever-changing technology landscape, IT experts feel blockchain, artificial intelligence, machine learning and robotics are going to lead the way in 2018.

Cyber security, which is very critical for all these newer technologies, will also hold promise, they feel.

Dimension Data, an arm of NTT Group, has come out with a report that captures the likely technology trends that could drive the IT landscape in 2018.

“There has been an increase in adoption of blockchain, especially within the Indian BSFI sector. It is currently being used for fund transfers, digital identity and payments infrastructure. One of the main reasons for that is the security that blockchain brings with it,” said KN Murali, Head - Solutions, Dimension Data.

‘Zero-trust’ model

“In 2018, we will see the ‘zero-trust’ security model re-emerging, which means , enterprise systems will vigorously authenticate whether users are indeed entitled to access to specific sets of data, before making them available,” he said.

Blockchain, which will become the implementer of the ‘zero-trust’ policy, will hold the key in cyber security. In the world of automation, organisations expect automated services that are managed from the cloud in a hybrid IT environment. “They do not want to worry about where their technology sits — they just want to consume it the way they want to, in a fully automated way,” Murali said.

Blockchain, together with artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, and virtual and augmented reality, have the potential to deliver disruptive outcomes and reshape digital business in 2018, the Dimension Data report said.

“I believe blockchain has the potential to totally re-engineer cyber security, but the industry has yet to come to terms with it,” said Ettienne Reinecke, Group Chief Technology Officer, Dimension Data.

In 2018, some interesting applications of blockchain and IoT in the area of cyber security will emerge. Significant attacks have recently been launched from low-cost Internet of Things endpoints, and there’s very little incentive for manufacturers of these devices to incur the cost of a security stack, which leaves them extremely vulnerable.

Dimension Data, which had a turnover of $7.5 billion in 2016, offers digital infrastructure, hybrid cloud, digital workspaces and cyber security solutions.

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