Deltek Culture

2021 Technology Trend Predictions

January 14, 2021
Deltek, Inc
Deltek

In 2020, the global pandemic forced us to look at the world in an entirely new light, from how we go to work each day to how we stay connected. While no one could have envisioned how it would all unfold, the lasting effects have forced organizations to not only adapt but re-evaluate how business gets done.

With 2021 upon us, we asked members of Deltek's Leadership Team to share their thoughts and predictions to which technology trends will influence this year and beyond.

Five Trend Predictions From Deltek's Leadership Team

 


Ed Hutner, SVP of Human Resources  

Trend Prediction: Companies will embrace the remote workforce, even post-pandemic  

“At the end of Q1 in 2020, many companies scrambled to get operational in a virtual environment due to the pandemic. Luckily for Deltek, we already had the structure and tools in place, as well as nearly a third of our staff already working remotely full-time. The technology and tools need to be in place – emails have to work, getting on video has to work – and we have had success with our IT, HR and other teams collaborating to stay productive. I think we will see companies use remote work as a flexible benefit to offer to their employees, in addition to taking advantage of the ability to recruit talent where the talent resides, instead of looking in specific geographies.”


Ronda Cilsick, CIO and Group VP  

Trend Prediction: Technology leaders will take a more measured approach to trendy tech 

"When the pandemic first hit, COVID-related apps and tools were popping up left and right. The market was flooded with contact tracing apps, wearable social distance monitors, and a large variety of other health tech devices. However, as people have adjusted, investors have stepped back from chasing the latest and trendiest new tech. In 2021, we’ll see startups and innovators take a more measured approach. Instead of jumping to execute on any idea that serves a current need, they’ll consider the lifespan of the potential product, service beyond the pandemic, and measurable business value. This will result in a more sustainable wave of innovation in the coming year."


Warren Linscott, SVP of Product Strategy  

Trend Prediction: Software solutions will speed up product evolution, not slow down, due to the pandemic 

"While many industries – including industries we serve – were forced to slow down during 2020, software and solutions companies like Deltek experienced quite the opposite. The needs of our customers changed overnight and we felt it was our responsibility to pivot our innovation roadmap as the pandemic unfolded. Our guiding principal on purposeful innovation is to add value to our customers, as the pandemic forced them into new ways of working and managing their business so to did our innovation strategy need to change putting our customers accelerated digital transformation front and center. I don’t see this trend slowing down in 2021. Deltek will continue to develop innovations in Software as a Service (SaaS), application Platform as a Service (aPaaS), integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS), Robotic Process Automation (RPA), AI, Natural Language Processing and industry automation across our portfolio, to be aligned with where our customers need us to be in a current and post pandemic business world. Software providers and the industry will need to embrace this speed of evolution to meet customer needs as 2020 has shown us all that macro-environmental and economic impacts can change the industry landscape very rapidly. This past year put project-based businesses on alert, they need to be more agile and adaptive, and as a trusted business partner Deltek has to deliver for them."


Caleb Merriman, CISO and VP  

Trend Prediction: Companies will have a greater awareness of cybersecurity and a heightened investment in cybersecurity  

“With remote working and hybrid work models here to stay, one of the challenges companies face is keeping their data secure while providing new technology and tools for its employees and customers. That is something we take seriously at Deltek: the protection of our customers; information and business operations is essential to the Deltek brand and our viability as an organization. With more operations moving to the cloud, information security is an increasingly critical part of our business and our products. But it's not enough to simply operate securely; I believe we will see companies have a greater awareness and invest more in cybersecurity. Firms will need to prepare so they can effectively demonstrate their capabilities through assessments, audits and certifications, providing their customers with assurance that they can be trusted to protect their data.”


Brian Daniell, SVP of Customer Care  

Trend Prediction: Omnichannel support will continue giving customers better access to value-add content and a more personalized customer support experience 

"After the pandemic shifted the way we all work and interact in 2020, Deltek quickly realized that having more phone and video communications, versus the typical email and chat interactions, was critical for our customer support to thrive in this new environment. Additionally customers wanted access to more online learning content, to extract more value from our solutions. More personalized channels allow us to have humanized conversations when there is so much happening already through written communications. But offering multiple ways for our customers to get the real-time service they need is essential. I believe we will see the omnichannel trend continue in 2021 and beyond in the customer service industry, regardless of the location people are working from."


 

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Deltek, Inc
Deltek