New and emerging technologies are transforming the workplace, helping organizations manage and optimize performance amidst profound cultural shifts that are changing the way people think about where and how they work. As a result, the workplace is more technology-oriented than ever before, but challenges related to the integration of information and process efficiencies remain significant hurdles for many (if not most).

Will this evolution continue in 2019? If so, what’s waiting on the horizon? Here are the four technology trends that I predict will shape the workplace in the year to come:

• Enterprises will prioritize using technology to create exceptional experiences.
  2019 will be the year of “exceptional experiences” in the workplace, and beyond. By that, I mean that organizations will be seeking out new approaches to display and collaboration software in order to improve employee and customer experiences, both inside and outside the office. They’ll be eager to find advanced solutions that offer simplicity and intuitiveness, and the goal will be to establish interactive, content-centric experiences in high-value spaces as a way to spark creativity, accelerate business decisions, and propel organizational ROI.
• Technology purchases will be driven by the need for complete solutions.
  2019 enterprise purchasing decisions will focus on unified, all-in-one technology solutions that provide the experiences now required in today’s workplace. From AV to the boardroom, it’s no longer about siloed technology purchases; instead, organizations are looking for fully backed platforms that combine hardware and SaaS capabilities.
• The workplace smart everything will gain traction.
  Consumers are growing increasingly accustomed to the smart everything world – Amazon even sells a voice-controlled microwave oven. Watch for this trend to intensify, especially in the workplace. One of the most intriguing innovations in this space is identity access management, which enables an employee’s profile and preferences to automatically appear on displays and other equipment as soon as they enter a conference room.
• Decisions will need to be made faster and be more data-driven.
  Going forward, all strategic decision-making will need to rely on data. Today’s technology solutions can make the aggregation of information easier, helping you to analyze and actually “see” the relationships you can leverage for better performance. That’s important because the people determining company directives are typically pressed for time and impatient in their requests for evidence. At some level, all data is valuable. But data that’s presented in a way that prompts meaningful discussion is the most valuable of all.

By embracing these trends in the year ahead, enterprise leaders can advance a more holistic approach to workplace technology while enhancing efficiencies and improving both the employee and the customer experience.