Businesses are good at collecting data, and the Internet of Things is taking it to the next level. But, the most advanced organizations are using it to power digital transformation. The latest research from MuleSoft identifies hyper-automation, hybrid experiences, distributed environments and explosion of data as some of the new challenges and opportunities facing all businesses. The research points to an accelerated digital transformation in business for 2022 and beyond with seven key trends. Trend 1: The future of work will be built on connected, hybrid experiences.

Although virtual assistants have been around for a while, and most consumers are used to dealing with them, the application is limited and the experience can be poor. However, there is a whole new level of virtual assistance on the way called advanced virtual assistants, which are capable of functioning as virtual billing agents, virtual AI/VR agents or even virtual driver/car agents. The impact will be substantial in industries, organizations and consumer interactions. But advanced virtual assistants are just one of 23 of the most impactful technologies featured on the Gartner Emerging Technologies and Trends Impact Radar for 2021. Let's look at some of the technologies that I find especially interesting. I'll examine a few that are right around the corner (e.g., advanced virtual assistants) and one that is further out (AR cloud).