It's that time of year again to gaze into the crystal ball. Below are 5 predictions from tech experts on what's to come with the IoT, security, drone automation, MSP cybersecurity and the role of AI in supply chains. How do these predictions compare to yours? 

1.  The IoT infrastructure scales in 2020

"IoT has been a hot topic in recent years, but there are not as many mainstream applications today as some forecasters predicted a few years ago. Yet, with the rollout of 5G over the next few years, the number of connected devices and mainstream IoT applications will finally reach scale. We will see IoT infrastructure scale in 2020 as environments from homes to businesses will use more sensors and computer vision technologies. Wireless charging technology can also enable the development of the IoT ecosystem as energy can be distributed from transmitters to smaller devices in the area." - Anis Uzzaman, CEO of Pegasus Tech Ventures 

"Traditionally, enterprise infrastructures have been centralized around their own, on premises data centre. This has made securing their environments somewhat less complex, as organizations could effectively manage all of their internal workloads in one place. But if you've read anything about IT management over the past decade, it's clear that this traditional network architecture is evolving. It's transitioning toward a decentralized model where enterprises can tap cloud providers, SaaS platforms and proprietary data centres, which makes for a far more distributed architecture. And, as organisations think about their more decentralized architectures and the requirements for seamless connectivity across platforms and environments, rethinking their security strategy as part of that will be critical. To have a successful distributed architecture, enterprises need a security strategy that combines physical and network security with robust encryption key management to mitigate threats without inhibiting performance." - Patrick Lastennet, Director of Enterprise, Interxion

"While the drone industry in general will grow in 2020, the technology will also continue to evolve with more capabilities becoming available through drone automation. Companies will be able to leverage advanced AI and ML capabilities in their technology that will help generate more accurate results from utility inspections conducted by drones. On top of that, updated drone batteries and FAA regulation will allow for more drone use. As for hardware, the sensor market is experiencing a shift in sensors becoming cheaper and lighter while still retaining high power. These changes are sure to lead to higher fidelity data, more accurate results and actionable insights." - Ilkka Hiidenheimo, CEO Sharper Shape

"In 2019 we started to see a significant increase in the number of attacks on managed service providers, with 74 percent of MSPs suffering a cyberattack, and 83 percent reporting that their SMB customers suffered one as well. While this pattern will not be new in 2020, the exponential growth in this method of attack, as well as the accountability of the service provider, is something we expect will continue in the next year. As cybercrime continues to evolve and become more complex, it will be more important than ever in 2020 for both sides to work together to take a proactive, collaborative approach in the upcoming years to protect themselves from cyberattacks. This will involve education and increased investment in cybersecurity training programs so that MSPs and SMBs stay in tune with in the IT landscape. " - Brian Downey, Vice President Product Management, Continuum

"Uncertainty and complexity are the name of the game in 2020. We anticipate that many manufacturers will face a working capital squeeze. This will be driven by the dual-edged sword of high inventory carrying costs and shareholder expectations for investments in sustainable and leaner supply chains. As a result, many manufacturers will have to turn to the debt markets to raise capital, sometimes amidst choppy market conditions. Improvement to working capital is just one of the many reasons that manufacturers will raise debt. Every CEO and supply chain leader must:

• Recognize that the prevalent systems (e.g. ERPs) are not only failing to mine actionable intelligence across the supply chain but also introducing bias in decisions.
• Become a student of AI and machine learning to understand the math and science behind it; and how it translates to your business" - Amit Saini, Vice President of Enterprise AI Services, Noodle.ai