Vendor Predictions for 2018, Part 2: AI, the Cloud, and (Inevitably) More on Security

Artificial intelligence has already changed the way people order pizza and master song lyrics. In 2018, it will begin transforming the way businesses manage IT as well, according to Miguel Lopez, senior vice president and general manager of managed services software vendor Kaseya Ltd.

“Next year, businesses will use AI to add intelligence to everyday desktop management tasks, such as software patching,” he says. “New network intelligence will allow IT to patch faster and cleaner, with much more automation involved.”

The “Head Geek” team at SolarWinds Worldwide LLC agrees.

“In the year ahead, more organizations will embrace AI, machine learning, and automation as ways to augment (not replace) their existing human resources,” they say in a collective press statement. “For IT professionals this will necessitate the cultivation of AI- and automation-era skills such as programming, coding, a basic understanding of the algorithms that govern AI and machine learning functionality, and a strong security posture in the face of more sophisticated cyberattacks.”

BitTitan Inc. CEO Geeman Yip foresees more IT automation coming next year too, but expects companies to embrace it selectively.

“Fear—stemming from lack of knowledge, technical skills, or simply aversion to change or risk—will hold businesses back from trying to automate everything,” he says. “Instead, IT will identify low-risk, smaller scale projects to get their feet wet with automation. This is a great way to test and refine the process before tackling larger, customer-facing projects that have greater repercussions if something goes wrong. It also enables businesses to glean quantitative data to analyze internally and identify where the biggest cost and time savings exist within their business.”