In 2018, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) trends ranged from companies enhancing their products, services, and experiences digitally to anticipating policy changes that would disrupt ICT and BPO markets. It was a year where VR/AR experimentation, technology adoption, cybersecurity, and data-centrism played key roles in companies’ efforts to level up their digital transformation.
This year, becoming a digital-native enterprise is the next major step for Philippine organizations that want to be successful in a very global digital economy. To become a “digital native enterprise” (DNE), their technology and data must be built on an advanced digital business platform.
Development towards becoming a DNE, however, doesn’t just lie on internal factors – it must also consider how they are affected by external factors that occur in the industry. As such, it is vital that the trends for the Philippines’ ICT industry should still be monitored to best position your company this year and beyond.
In this infographic, we lay down 10 trends that you should anticipate this 2019.
Trends for the Philippines’ Information and Communications Technology (ICT) for 2019 and Beyond
Out-of-the-Box Think Tanks
In the next three years, disruptive CIOs, who are out-of-the-box thinkers, will set the tone of the ICT development in the Philippines. Tech leaders are actively researching Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), but organizations are prioritizing tech investments in security and data tools.
Upscaling Jobs through ICT
With the exponential rise in the advancement of technology, the pace of which has become difficult to keep up with, the companies’ ability to adapt has become a critical competitive advantage. By 2021, the demands of the new borderless economy will push enterprises to manpower reskilling and upscaling jobs through ICT. Skills in areas such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, data science, software-as-a-service (SaaS) in the cloud, and cybersecurity have become globally in-demand this year, and will continue to be so.
Authentication and Trust
By 2019, 20% of CIOs will shift their cybersecurity focus towards “authentication and trust” to better handle business risks. This is directly connected to the 2018 ICT trend of prioritizing cybersecurity – a phenomenon that arose due to several reports of cybersecurity incidents, such as phishing and hacking. And with the rise of mobile devices and applications come the heightened attention of many cyber criminals and terrorists groups to exploit this medium.
Workspace 360
By 2019, the rise of digital natives and the influence of digital-native mindset on enterprises will push novel workspace trends. It is a result of increased mobile access to the internet, which results in increased demand for work not limited by location and with openness to collaborations.
As an example, Yondu’s office space, which was given a new look last September 2017, follows this rising trend to better show the digital-native mindset it has.
Digital Empowerment: Non-Disruptive Digital Disruption
In the next two years, the country’s continuing journey towards digital transformation will pave the way for retail and financial technologies and services that integrate seamlessly into the daily lives of the local community. Examples include the BGC App developed to guide users through the bustling business hub, and the “Makatizen card” which uses NFC for local government units (LGUs) to quickly identify residents and act as a mobile wallet that allows residents to use it for digital platform-based transactions.
Personalization is the New Standard
In the next 12-24 months, utilizing digital-driven, customized, and personal approaches to customer intimacy and talent acceleration will become a standard practice among Philippine enterprises. This is possible through customer intimacy strategy.
Armed with customer data, the idea behind a customer intimacy strategy is simple: Identify high-value customers that are most likely to accept an order and tailor a campaign around the messages they’ll find most compelling. This not only ensures your offer is getting in front of those most likely to take advantage of it, but also demonstrates an interest in forging a closer connection with them.
Future of Payments
By 2019, the country will continue to witness creative and Philippine-centric payment and remittance innovations, driven by the country’s unbanked sector and the ongoing rise of remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
DX in the BPO Industry
By 2019, as digital transformation shakes up the BPO market dynamics, BPO providers that align their DX plans with the changes in the industry will gain competitive edge in the market. Because the outsourcing industry is now being threatened by the rise of artificial intelligence, which may take over 40k to 50k “low-skilled” or process-driven jobs, it should now move to higher-level skills and higher value-added services such as big data analytics, app development, and related fields.
Analytics-Driven Marketing
In the next five years, Philippine enterprises that incorporate analytics and customer insights into their marketing will see a commanding lead over competitors in customer retention and profitability. Top goals in data-driven marketing include personalizing the customer experience, acquiring new customers, measuring data-driven marketing ROI, and targeting individual market segments.
Digital Economy Tipping Point
In the next 12-36 months, enterprises are headed to a different higher level of maturity when it comes to DX adoption. In the same manner, clearer digital vision for the country should be seen, as the government barrels up its ICT initiatives. The country’s ICT development has been showing significant progress from both the public and private sector domains. The combined efforts of these two stakeholders will usher a period of rapid and robust technology adoption.
2019 is poised to be the time for further establishing and strengthening digital transformation for enterprises involved in the ICT industry, and these trends will affect those efforts for the coming years.
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