IT buzzwords can be a double-edged weapon. They can help us keep up-to-date and keep on top of the latest trends. However, they can become too common and not have a clear meaning.
It’s crucial to be able understand the real benefits of IT and not just marketing fluff. This article will help you understand the most popular IT buzzwords for 2019.
5G
5G, the next generation of cellular technology, has gained popularity in recent years. News about 5G is everywhere, from fears that it could be harmful to the promise that it will revolutionize tech. There is a lot of hype around 5G. There’s so much hype that a fake 5G network was created to capitalize on the hype. OpenSignal’s study found that AT&T’s 5G E was slower than 4G by competitors.
Marketing fluff aside, 5G tech is real. 5G promises speeds that are orders of magnitude faster then 4G LTE. 5G will be able to enable other buzzwords such as virtual reality (VR), self driving cars, and IoT.
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Although Start trainingPhone offers 5G plans, it is not yet the norm. Expect 5G networks to grow in the future. For a deeper dive into 5G, see our 5G Rollout: What To Expect post.
DevOps
Google Trends shows that DevOps has been gaining popularity in 2019. This is impressive considering that DevOps was also one of the most popular buzzwords in 2018. For example, DevOps Engineer topped LinkedIn’s 33 most recruited jobs list in 2018.
If you think about it, DevOps is a buzzword that has all the potential to become a popular term. It has the potential to have a significant impact on business operations, driving investment and market demand. It’s also unclear enough that the Internet can debate what it is or isn’t every day. DevOps Engineer is a very popular job title. However, many people argue that it is not a job.
This helps to stimulate discussion and debate about the topic. It allows marketers to have a field day using the term. As an IT professional, you need to remain focused on the things that work and not get distracted by marketing fluff or arguments about semantics.
No matter what your opinion is on the term, there is no doubt there is substance to the hype. Automation, infrastructure as code, collaboration culture based on communication and shared responsibility all have real benefits.
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Cloud Native
Cloud native is a complement to DevOps, which was popularized in 2019. Cloud native is about enabling cloud services to be delivered dynamically, scalable, and resiliently. Cloud native is a growing industry trend. This includes microservices and public & private cloud, as well as APIs (application programming interfaces).
Many of the most prominent tech players, including AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, Cisco, and Apple, have joined the Cloud Native Computing Foundation. This is quite impressive. It’s clear that there is something to it, if nothing else, the buy-in of Microsoft, Apple, Google for the same technology. Cloud native is also popular among the grassroots. CNCF has over 65,000 contributors, and more than 125,000 CNCF members.
CNCF’s upside for IT professionals is that they seem to be focused on value delivery. They have defined cloud native in a way which makes it easier to quantify. It could be misused or overused, making it very confusing. You should still be vigilant.