For starters, we now have more information than ever. A JPMorgan Chase Institute survey revealed that data volumes are expected to jump 42% in one year. Actually, the report concludes that “more data will be produced in the next two years than has been produced from the dawn of civilization through today”. Evidently, humans cannot handle the data flow themselves anymore. That’s why we have databases to structure data and computers to manage it.
In terms of business every year more and more companies are coming to the conclusion that the proper use of analytical systems and processing large amounts of data provides a significant competitive advantage in the market. This creates a great demand for such kind of systems, driving rapid development of the software to manage business data. Hence, new trends emerge as well as the existing ones are reinforced.
Read also: 5 Signs That You Should Move Your Database Management Software Online
TeamDesk experts highlight the most essential trends that will shape or are already shaping the future of the online database industry.
1. Faster migration of business database to the Cloud
Although the Cloud has been here for years, for a business moving a database to the Web still is more a trend than a conventional solution. That’s because many companies approach it with reserve – security concerns and cloud costs are still a barrier for some. But as cloud solutions are becoming more secure overall and continue to drop in price we’ll see more and more databases take up residence on the Web. According to Forbes, as of today only 37% of U.S. small businesses have fully adopted cloud computing. On the other hand, it is expected that this number will more than double by 2020, reaching 78%.
2. Bridging SQL and NoSQL databases
NoSQL databases have been on the radar for quite some time now but haven’t yet become an equal to traditional SQL systems. Nonetheless, the challenge of organizing data coming in many forms, under a unified scheme is bothering database developers. How to build a bridge between both concepts while simultaneously avoiding turning the product into a “data black hole” because of its complexity for a user – this is what the best minds of database industry are struggling with today.
3. Further simplification of database software for business
The simplification of databases has been a major trend among software makers over the past few years. And it will stay like this for years to come, because databases in business are no longer locked away in special rooms, administered only by trained professionals. Web based database software is a self-evident example here. It relieves the customer of the need to mess with anything technical. Simplification affected not only usage of databases but their development as well. Thus, web databases are increasingly developed by experts in the subject area, rather than IT specialists (for example, business client database software).
4. Collecting and transferring information from multiple devices to the database in real time
Yes, we’re basically talking about the Internet of things here. As PwC states, sensors in all kinds of items will be used widely, providing companies with all kinds of information about their customers, employees, and operations. And all this various data needs to be stored, sorted out and put in order in real time. That’s where online database for business step in, ensuring instant data management.
5. Automated analysis of data in real time
Data itself is just a set of symbols and numbers. You have to know what to do with the data. That’s why the next step after sorting the data out, is analyzing it. Before, analysis was the sole responsibility of humans. But huge volumes of information make this impossible. So real-time data analysis is and will be shifting to computers, apparently becoming another function of business data software. This will allow companies to improve engagement, sales, productivity, safety and much more. Instantly.
6. Predicting & automated decision-making
In the course of further database technology development, along with the rush towards business performance improvement, putting data in order and enabling its real-time analysis will inevitably lead to automating decision-making process. Moreover, it’s not a far step for organizations to start predicting and/or forecasting under specific conditions. If it sounds much like artificial intelligence to you – well, it is. Connected to an online database, analytics-enabled decision-making processes are very likely to become the norm.
7. Big Data will generate Clean Data
Database software both for small and large business will be more widely operated as a tool to transform Big Data into Clear Data – the sorted data sets ready to be used like an out-of-the-box product. For example, in advertising this will be pre-selected segments of the target audience, which will demonstrate greater efficacy compared to disparate data.
8. Shift to mobile
Today users are constantly connected to the Web across different platforms and multiple devices. The role of mobile computing is increasing exponentially, motivating vendors to find new ways to access and work with data over smartphones and tablets. This, of course, implies that a mobile device needs an active and quite fast network connection to access database through a browser or a dedicated application. At the same time, a simple, convenient and reliable application that is fully functional even when no network connection is available is yet to be developed.
9. An increased focus on database security
Data security isn’t really a trend, but the ability to access data from any and all devices from virtually anywhere, of course, will increase security concerns. The future will see expanded efforts by database administrators and their IT colleagues to better ensure the security of databases and make the Cloud a more protected place to store sensitive information.
Keep Up with the Times with TeamDesk
Big Data is so-called because of its huge volumes. But sooner or later a quantitative shift should lead to a qualitative shift. Today we see the signs of this transformation having started. Custom online database software is the harbinger of new business tools that will be able to manage staggering volumes of data, automatically structure it, analyze it and make decisions in real time.
TeamDesk keeps track of the latest trends and discoveries in the industry. We’re sure that business success can be as simple as knowing how to harness data and transform it into a much-desired positive customer experience. That’s why we constantly implement new solutions to make this possible for our clients. And with each innovative technology – be it “zero coding” simplification or instant mobile access – we bring the future closer, one step at a time. Join us to be a part of this fascinating journey into the world of tomorrow!
