IT's role is more critical than ever in a world that's increasingly dependent on digital. Organizations are under increasing pressure to stay competitive and create connected experiences. According to Salesforce MuleSoft Connectivity benchmark report, IT projects are projected to grow by 40%; and 82% of businesses are now holding their IT teams accountable for delivering connected customer experiences. Research from MuleSoft proprietary research and third-party findings highlight some of the top trends facing CIOs, IT leaders, and organizations in their digital transformation journey. You can download all of the articles in this special report in one PDF (free registration required).

The company of the future will be a new type of symbiotic organization of autonomous technology and autonomous humans, working effectively together, accelerating the flow of value, as and when needed, to our customers and all other stakeholders in the ecosystem. Your next company is designed like a Tesla. The power of automation and autonomy will define the purpose of digital transformation for businesses in the next normal. The benefit of automation will be the ability for organizations to implement design thinking principles of flow, powering individuals and teams to create value at the speed of need. The seven principles of Flow by Design will guide digital business transformation initiatives for a more sustainable paradigm of success.

Organizations need to solve for increasing pressure on IT to open up bandwidth for delivering connected, personalized experiences for their consumers-from customers to partners to employees to developers.

In November, in a dive into what is driving enterprise interest in the Internet of Things (IoT) we found that, for the moment at least, enterprises are still wrestling with the problems the IoT poses rather than harvesting the benefits that it offers. There is nothing unusual in this given that the IoT is still a relatively new phenomena and there are considerable -- and justified -- security fears dominating enterprise strategies around the IoT.

Mobile operators are integrating AI-enabled applications and edge-cloud computing with their 5G networks to accelerate enterprise digital transformation and unleash new business opportunities. According to the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), IoT, artificial intelligence and 5G networks are among the emerging solutions offering the greatest business and financial opportunities in the digital age. These technologies have the power to transform the business landscape and how enterprises operate on a daily basis, and they could transform the productivity and growth speed of small or large corporations. These emerging technologies must process and transmit massive quantities of data in real time, something only possible with 5G and AI. The increased speed and capacity of 5G networks enhanced by artificial intelligence will enable the development and spread of technologies such as autonomous vehicles, smart cities, and virtual reality.