2022 technology industry outlook

Laying the foundation for future growth

When the pandemic began two years ago, it catapulted many organizations into the future, rapidly accelerating digital transformation. Work environments changed overnight as remote work became commonplace and market demands evolved. Deloitte urged technology organizations to upgrade their supply chains for greater transparency and resiliency and to embrace cloud, everything-as-a-service (XaaS), and edge intelligence to ramp up their transformation efforts.

As 2021 began and many supply networks struggled, we advised technology industry leaders to reexamine where and how manufacturing happens and to focus on improving transparency, flexibility, and resiliency. We also suggested that organizations reorient and reskill their workforces in order to optimize remote work capabilities and take full advantage of advanced technologies such as AI.

At the start of 2022, many of these issues remain front and center for technology companies, with one important difference: Leaders now have an opportunity to address these challenges more deliberately and purposefully. Instead of managing an immediate crisis, they can lay solid foundations for future innovation and growth.

Some of the specific themes we see playing a foundational role in 2022 and beyond include:

• Taking cloud and everything-as-a-service to the next level. As more companies embrace cloud and service-based IT to drive innovation and transformation, and as XaaS providers multiply, more work will be needed to manage the technical and operational complexities of hybrid, multi-cloud approaches.

• Creating the supply chains of the future. As technology companies continue to recover from pandemic-induced supply chain disruptions, they will start proactively preparing for future uncertainty and other systemic risks. To do it, they’ll build systems with better visibility and resiliency.

• Building the next iteration of the hybrid workforce. With more experience utilizing a hybrid workforce under their collective belts, tech companies will evolve their cultures, accelerate experimentation with collaboration solutions, and develop better approaches to managing tax implications.

• Leading the charge to create a sustainable future. Although the tech industry is working to address critical sustainability issues, growing pressure from stakeholders and potential changes to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting rules will incite tech companies to heighten their focus on reducing and reversing environmental impact.

Download the full report to learn more about the impacts of technology industry trends, key actions to take, and critical questions to ask.