Digital trends for 2023

Digital trends for 2023 that will help business leaders make the right moves. By Uday Shankar Kizhepat, Vice President and General Manager- Middle East and Africa Region, WSO2

It is fair to say that in 2022, as with the previous two years, digital investments have driven business outcomes across the GCC. Digital transformation is no longer just something the IT professionals do. Leaders across all functions are paying attention to tech trends. In 2023, we can expect more of the same and there are some great opportunities ahead for those that make the right moves.

Digital disruption will determine who survives 2023

With the oldest millennials now in their 40s, we live in a digital-native world. The region’s businesses must contend with that. Digital user experiences for smartphones and Web browsers are now the norm for the acquisition and retention of customers. Across the UAE, in every industry, we saw examples of this. Those that did it well, survived and thrived. Those that did not, did not. In 2023, expect to see pressure mount on businesses to leverage digital experiences to compete for consumers with less disposable income.

Somewhere between 65% and 75% of established businesses’ workloads continue to rely on legacy mainframe backends. In 2023, they must move to the cloud and refactor their digital offerings into cloud-native microservices to achieve the scale, agility, and reliability required for always-on digital experiences that can compete with digital disruptors like Amazon.ae.

We will see a need for consumer digital consent management

In 2022, we saw the rollout of the UAE’s federal data privacy law. From banking to healthcare, this regulation will continue to have great impact in 2023. Any organization that holds personal information on its customers must adopt a culture that confers appropriate ownership rights on those customers. This will affect different industries in different ways. For example, in healthcare, where we are seeing growing demand for apps, wearable devices, and telemedicine, the industry must move toward a scenario where data is only accessed with explicit consent from the patient.

Consent management is not just based on some vague digital signature. Customers must have the opportunity to grant or deny access to a specific application and put time limits on that access.

Next-gen apps must be cloud native

The region’s lack of skilled developers persists, even as initiatives such as the UAE’s National Program for Coders get underway. A recent IDC study predicts that the global developer shortage will reach 4 million by 2024. And developers with cloud-native skills are in even shorter supply. This will have a severe impact on cloud migration, which will remain a top priority for IT teams given the need for them to deliver on business agility and digital experiences.

WSO2’s Reprogramming the Enterprise Survey found that almost two in three (65%) IT decision-makers (ITDMs) believe cloud-native development is their organization’s most sought-after skill because of its established link to the pace of innovation. And more than half (54%) of ITDMs polled indicated that the shortage of developers has led to delayed projects and reduced productivity. Such bottlenecks to progress must be overcome in 2023 to deliver the right experiences at the right pace to appease digital-native consumers.

Cloud-native services and platforms are certainly desirable as they allow development teams to do more with less. But while building them may be a quicker process than legacy development lifecycles permitted, learning to build them takes time. And keeping up with the fast-changing tools and practices behind cloud-native development takes even more time. Instead of more developers, organizations can seek better tools. In 2023, we can expect these tools to take the form of cloud native, low-code and no-code development platforms (LDPs) that raise the level of abstraction at which developers interact with development environments to make them more productive. LDPs also allow for non-technical or “citizen” developers to be upskilled and take the burden off the coding team. Extensible LDPs are out there. They allow platform vendors find the sweet spot between standardization and customization.

An API-first strategy will be a must for accelerating innovation

Application programming interfaces (APIs) allow innovation to hit a pace that individual organizations cannot reach on their own. Businesses that have an API-first strategy can be from any industry, but APIs are of particular use to highly regulated sectors where compliance with privacy and other standards is of prime concern. For example, banks could produce APIs for resilience, agility, and scale. They could accelerate their migration by standardizing ways for cloud-based applications to interact with existing internal systems and the sensitive data they hold even before banks transition those systems to the cloud.

Any enterprise that has adopted API-first strategies will soon reap the benefits of faster innovation and more strategic partnerships. Developing API capabilities early in the cloud migration process makes it easier to develop or adopt new applications across more of the organization’s services as migration continues. Returning to the FSI industry as an example, according to a joint survey by American Banker and Arizent, 48% of financial institutions offer banking as a platform via a third-party application. Fintech providers are a great way for banks to partner on digital experiences and get them to market quickly. But such opportunities exist for other industries. The organization that establishes the customer relationship retains that relationship and maintains privacy through an API while partnering with a trusted third-party provider to roll out much-needed digital experiences.

The road gets smoother

We have become accustomed to rough years where our business operations are pummeled by external factors against which there seems little defense. But tough times have a tradition of turning soft coal into diamonds. The region has endured, its economy has survived, and we are poised for success if we only adopt the right digital strategy and investments. There are decisions ahead, but also fortunes for those who make the right moves.

To read more news and exclusive features see our latest issue here.

Never miss a story… Follow us on:
LinkedIn Security Buyer
Twitter logo @SecurityBuyer
Facebook @SecbuyerME

Media Contact
Rebecca Morpeth Spayne,
Editor, Security Portfolio
Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823 922
Email: [email protected]

About Security Buyer

Security Buyer is the leading authority in global security content, delivering expert news, in-depth articles, exclusive interviews, and industry insights across print, digital, and event platforms. Published 10 times a year, the magazine is a trusted resource for professionals seeking updates and analysis on the latest developments in the security sector.

To submit an article, or for sponsorship opportunities, please contact our team below.

Rebecca Spayne picture 2025

Rebecca Spayne

Managing
EDITOR

Georgina Turner image

Georgina Turner

Sales
Manager

Afua Akoto image - Security Buyer

Afua Akoto

Marketing Manager

Read the Latest Issue

Follow us on X

Follow us on X

Click Here

Follow us on LinkedIn

Follow us on LinkedIn

Click Here

Advertise here

Reach decision makers and amplify your marketing

Advertise here

Click Here

Related News

OneLink

Product Spotlight – Gallagher’s OneLink

Gallagher Security presents, OneLink – the product that is elevating remote security through the power of the cloud 
Pinaccle systems

Pinnacle Systems further supports Installers and System Integrators

Pinnacle Systems has launched the Pinnacle Partner Programme, a new initiative designed to provide enhanced support for installers…
Stephen Tickle

Comelit-PAC Appoints Stephen Tickle as Regional Sales Manager

Comelit-PAC has appointed Stephen Tickle as its new Regional Sales Manager.  Stephen will focus on supporting PAC’s access control…
Intersec Saudi

Intersec Saudi Arabia returns with record exhibition space

Intersec Saudi Arabia, the premier industry platform for security, safety and fire protection, will return to the Riyadh…
Abloy UK

Abloy Academy breaks attendance records

Abloy UK has achieved record breaking attendance at its Academy, with more professionals than ever attending its…
Hikvision

Hikvision Introduces X-ray Baggage Inspection System

Hikvision India has recently introduced X-ray Baggage Inspection System with AI- enabled Intelligent Recognition Capabilities…
GBV

IFPO Column: The Quiet Signals of Danger

Yoyo Hamblen of IFPO and Gary Simpson, Nonverbal and Behavioural specialist discuss the important topic of Gender-Based Violence..
Doorbird Carousel

Product Spotlight – Door Communication for the “Neue Wallufer”

 A customised solution case study for a residential complex is presented by DoorBird and CompuNet Systems GmbH 
suprema

Suprema Achieves EN 60839 Certification

Suprema, a global provider of AI-powered access control and security solutions, has achieved EN 60839-11-1:2013 Grade 3 certification
ASSA ABLOY

Electric locks are a vital component in digital access

To protect the important openings in their buildings, organizations need locks they can trust. This means more than just strength…
Scroll to Top