Digital India dream will take yet another step towards realization in 2020 and the IT Industry’s technocrats have a concrete wish list for the year.
It’s 2020 but superpower India is far from reality. However, while not much is being talked on the Digital front, the Indian IT industry is a stakeholder at the forefront of the development taking place in the country.
From public service rollouts and smart city solutions to highway modernization and online ecosystem, technologies like IoT, AI, Robotics and Cloud will be everywhere. As a byproduct of this digital revolution, cybersecurity threats will also amplify.
Heads Up! Industry Speaks on Digital and IT forecast for 2020.
- Sukanya Mandal, IEEE Member and Data Science Professional
- Dr. Hardik Pathak, IEEE Senior Member, IEEE Industrial Application Society
- Vikas Bhonsle, CEO, Crayon Software Experts
- Sunny Nandwani, Founder, Managing Partner- Acuver
- Ashutosh Garg, CEO & Co-founder at Eightfold
- Ashis Guha, CEO at RAH Infotech
- KT Prasad, Country Sales Director- Zendesk
- Aditya Agarwal- Co-founder, Wealthy
- Klaus Gheri, VP, Network Security, Barracuda Networks
- Padmanabhan Iyer, Managing Director and Global CEO, 3i Infotech
Here’s what the technologists of India desire from 2020.
Sukanya Mandal, IEEE Member and Data Science Professional

“I think extended reality, 5G Networks and AI as-a-service would see more light in the year 2020, but it comes with its own challenges such as the following :
- Extended reality although is existing for quite some time but it was mostly prevalent to the gaming industry. It needs to get its way through other industries as it has significant benefits. Also without mass adoption, the cost to create such applications are high!
- 5G Networks: Billions of devices are getting connected but that poses a serious constraint on bandwidth and challenge to the security in terms of how things are managed over the network. Also, speed is another factor that remotely connected sensor hub demands.
- AI as-a-service: While most companies have started to explore AI, but owning and maintaining such systems is the biggest challenge cost-wise!
Dr. Hardik Pathak, IEEE Senior Member, IEEE Industrial Application Society

“ I believe that the 3 biggest challenges ahead in 2020 would be the implementation of Electric vehicle usage, harvesting solar energy and meeting power demands in the country.”
There are various opportunities ahead for India in 2020, as we look forward to getting efficient and economical solar infrastructure, minimizing the power losses to compensate the power demand. Moving forward we also await to see how there would be more employment opportunities created in diversified sectors.”
Vikas Bhonsle, CEO, Crayon Software Experts

“With newer technologies such as AI & IoT, tech innovations are moving at a speedier pace than expected.”
Cloud technology which was considered cutting-edge a few years ago is now a mainstream for many businesses. 2019 was more about laying the groundwork for these massive tectonic shifts in the IT industry.
2019 was more about laying the groundwork for massive tectonic shifts in the IT industry.
We shall all agree to the fact that the revolution in digital space has encouraged and led organizations to innumerable innovations & improve business outcomes. These new innovations are becoming more mature and are driving advancements and creating new paradigms across all sectors in an interconnected world.
Sunny Nandwani, Founder, Managing Partner- Acuver

“The supply chain industry has perhaps the most to gain from implementing innovative solutions and technologies.”
Supply Chain Visibility (SCV) is no longer just a great thing to have for companies looking to digitize supply chain; in 2019, it was a prerequisite — and in 2020, it needs to take another step forward to becoming real-time.
Another technology trend that we witnessed in 2019 was a dramatic rise in smart tech for tracking purpose in last mile delivery.
Ashutosh Garg, CEO & Co-founder at Eightfold

“In 2020, AI will continue to improve workplace operations and create efficiency and productivity.”
Artificial Intelligence has paved its way into all the major sectors, improving the standard of living. AI is playing a great role in automating and improving traditional processes, whether in security, manufacturing, design, or other areas, and we are now seeing this effect from AI in the world of talent.
Ashis Guha, CEO at RAH Infotech

“As we look forward to 2020, wireless technology will be accelerated to its highest potential.”
The year 2019 saw a huge technological impact on the IT industry. From Blockchain to Virtual Reality (VR) & Augmented Reality (AR), businesses were focused on a wide variety of new technologies to gain the upper hand in the competitive market.
Some of the technologies that 2020 will see are mentioned below:
- 5G networks will continue to be the talk of the town. As we look forward to 2020, wireless technology will be accelerated to its highest potential.
- Cloud Computing has seen incredible growth over the past few years and it has become a mainstream now.
KT Prasad, Country Sales Director- Zendesk

“Looking into 2020, customers will continue to expect more from businesses, regardless of whether they are digitally native.”
In line with this, more companies will recognize the power of adopting an omnichannel CX strategy to give their customers an increasingly seamless experience. I also expect to see a higher adoption of AI and self-service, particularly amongst millennials and Gen-Zers who, according to our data, are more comfortable finding solutions online via FAQs and help centers.
Messaging apps like WhatsApp have had a sweeping influence in India, and brands such as 1MG, a healthcare ecommerce platform, and Milaap, a crowdfunding platform, were seen as some of the earliest adopters these tools to make their support experiences faster and easier than ever before.
In 2020, we will more companies integrating messaging solutions like WhatsApp into their CX strategy.
Aditya Agarwal- Co-founder, Wealthy

“An emerging trend we have observed in the FinTech industry, is how technology is enabling individuals.”
Technology has made the financial industry more accessible and comprehensible to regular users.
With just a smartphone, individuals with a good understanding of the sector can be empowered to offer advice and counsel to those in their circle and can also choose to offer their services on a FinTech platform at a professional level.
A Wealth Manager’s service is key to bridging the trust gap that a customer may face while using a Wealth Management app/platform and also provides the individual with a flexible job with a steady source of income.
Klaus Gheri, VP, Network Security, Barracuda Networks

“The most serious threat which we envisage proliferating in 2020 is a completely new one.”
It has emerged as a side effect of moving to the public cloud, as more and more companies are embracing serverless platforms to integrate cloud applications and reduce costs.
“In 2020 the biggest security threats in this area will be created by the network’s continuing proliferation, movement to the cloud and extension to critical infrastructure and industrial control systems. To make matters worse, the advent of 5G will allow attackers to siphon data out of compromised devices at a speed not imaginable before. All of the above will push the cyber security skills gap beyond a threshold that is acceptable to business operations. Not solving this serious issue will have a deeply profound impact on the business bottom line.”
Padmanabhan Iyer, Managing Director and Global CEO, 3i Infotech

“The security features on cloud have become promising and it is becoming a priority to safeguard and protect application data and infrastructure.”
With digital transformation gaining traction and the acceleration of next-gen technologies such as Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML) and others, organisations are becoming future-ready.
Hybrid Cloud Computing – adoption moving to newer areas
Global cloud computing spending is predicted to almost double by 2022. Hybrid cloud adoption saw a big rise in recent years, with an expected CAGR of 17%.
Industrial Robotics – a strong use case in ERP
Strong growth of the e-commerce industry in India and of logistics subsequently has pushed automation to keep up with high throughput requirements. ERP could not be better automated without robotics forming part of most manufacturing automation.
CATCH UP
This Volkswagen Robot Drives To Your Electric Vehicle To Charge It
India’s Financial System Remains Stable Despite Weak Growth But Risks Persist: RBI
