8 Tech Buzzwords and Acronyms Business Executives Need to Know in 2023

The tech world evolves quickly and each year brings new advances. It can be difficult to keep up with the latest trends and technologies, but if you don’t keep up, you risk falling behind and your competitors will take the lead. You may have heard many of the latest buzzwords and seen the acronyms, but do you know what they are and how they can help your business?

At CloudG, we aim to connect you with the technologies and tools that will make your business run more efficiently and give you a competitive advantage. The first step is knowing what’s available and trending in the market. Here is our high-level overview of the top 8 technology buzzwords and acronyms you need to know in 2023. 

#1. “As-A-Service”

In the past, you purchased hardware and equipment for your office, but thanks to cloud computing, today’s tech world is largely subscription-based. As more and more businesses move to the cloud, there is no longer a need to purchase hardware, or even software. Instead, you use “on-demand” infrastructure, networks, applications, and software that are centrally hosted and accessed through your web browser. A main advantage of as-a-service delivery models is that you can stay up-to-date with the latest releases without purchasing and installing new equipment.

#2. Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI is the ability of software or machines to make decisions and learn over time from experience. Popular forms of AI include Machine Learning, which involves leveraging data to make predictions or decisions without being explicitly programmed to do so, and Deep Learning, a broader family of machine learning processes based on artificial neural networks. But enough of the technicalities. What you need to know is that AI is the foundation of many cyber security tools that can help detect and prevent cybercrime or cyber attacks.

#3. Cybersecurity Mesh Architecture (CSMA)

Speaking of cybercrime or cyber attacks, the newest development in fighting off hackers in our data-sensitive world is a cybersecurity mesh architecture. This collaborative network uses multiple security controls between intrusion points and your sensitive data to help prevent hackers from exploiting parts of a network. Working quickly to discover and resolve security issues in both cloud-based and non-cloud-based environments, CSMA can protect core/internal infrastructure and remote working networks.

#4. Distributed Cloud

This dynamic data form of cloud computing protects and manages computer vision data (detailed information extracted from visual images) and intelligence. It is the fuel behind cloud-based business intelligence, cloud-based services linked to a 5G or mobile carrier service, and more. There is no doubt that you will be hearing more about this advanced technology in 2023 and beyond.

#5. Metaverse

If you’re like most people, you’ve heard that Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, has invested heavily in the Metaverse, but you still may be fuzzy about what it is. To put it simply, the Metaverse is a combination of multiple technologies that create a digital ecosystem or world in which economic and social activities are carried out. Transactions and activities take place in the virtual world rather than in the physical world. Powered by Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) technologies, users can interact with businesses and other users in this virtual world. Numerous industries—fashion, music, video, real estate—have embraced the concept, offering products, services, and experiences in the Metaverse.

#6. Extended Reality (XR)

While VR and AR have been in use for several years, the newest addition to the virtual realm is Extended Reality. XR takes VR and AR to the next level, simulating face-to-face interactions for extended periods of time. XR uses headsets, high-definition cameras, and other tools to allow people to conduct business that would otherwise require face-to-face interaction. XR provides a safe and secure environment for such activities as scientific experiments, medical testing, and other services and gives consumers the opportunity to have up-close and personal experiences with products from their homes or offices. 

#7. Hyperautomation

Hyperautomation leverages AI, Machine Learning and Robotic Process Automation (RPA) to develop robots or “bots” to perform repetitive processes across organizations without human intervention. This not only allows businesses to improve processes, but frees an organization’s human assets (people) to work on more complex tasks.

#8. Sustainable Technology

As more and more businesses prioritize sustainable business practices and take responsibility for the environmental impact of their actions, Sustainable Technology is becoming the next big buzzword. In the digital world, sustainable technology refers to the optimization of energy and material usage. Not only does that mean using digital means for such things as business literature (rather than paper) or bringing people together (virtual meetings), but reducing your carbon footprint through more efficient use of email technology (compressing files and using links uses less energy than sending attachments) and reducing e-waste by using technology assets for as long as possible.

There is no doubt that some of these technology concepts can be confusing or difficult to understand. You may be asking how your business can benefit from these tools, especially since some of them are still in their infancy stages. That’s where CloudG comes in. To determine how these, and other technologies, can help you win in your competitive marketplace, contact us.

A Look at a New AI Technology: ChatGPT

At CloudG, we go to great lengths to keep our fingers on the pulse of the IT and Cloud services industry. This includes watching and learning about the latest technologies and innovations that can transform our clients’ businesses. One potential new disruptor that’s making the news is a chatbox that was released in November 2022 called ChatGPT. 

A tool developed by OpenAI, a San Francisco-based artificial intelligence research lab, ChatGPT uses information from the internet to answer questions in a conversational manner and can build on previous questions in a given thread to create a dialogue.

What is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is a “cousin” of the popular GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) language prediction model—that’s the Natural Language Processing (NLP) tool that uses initial text as a prompt to produce text that continues the prompt. Its ability to generate human-like text in a variety of languages and domains allows ChatGPT to conduct natural, back-and-forth conversations with users for an extended period of time. This has the potential to revolutionize the customer service industry.

 

The tool can also generate high-quality content, such as that used in social media articles and posts. For businesses looking to create marketing materials and thought leadership content with limited staffs and budgets, this tool has the potential to be a game-changer.

 

Maybe the best part about it—and the most impactful—is that it can be customized for specific tasks and used to generate personal responses based on user input. This capability makes its potential unlimited.

 

A Note of Caution

While the possible benefits of ChatGPT are innumerable, there are some potential glitches, as noted by the creator. The tool, which recognizes patterns in massive amounts of text from the internet and delivers conversational dialog based on human training, is only as good as the information that feeds it. That means that the answer to the question you ask or the content you create may sound knowledgeable but be entirely wrong.

 

The Bottom Line

Despite its potential drawbacks, ChatGPT has the potential to revolutionize the chatbox space. We will continue to track its successes and gauge its potential for use at CloudG.