OPINION
THE FUTURE OF INNOVATION Fred Crehan, Area Vice President Growth Markets at Confluent, lists out five GCC trends for 2025 that will pave the way for a new era of real-time data-streaming
H
indsight is 20/20” is a phrase often used to absolve oneself of responsibility for paths not taken. Such cynicism is absent in the Arab Gulf region, where 20/20 hindsight is replaced with 2030 foresight. Vision 2030 (2035, in Kuwait) is the touchstone for innovators across the region, and technology has been the means to that end. In 2024, we found this toolbox come alive in ways of which we could previously only have dreamed. Generative AI continued to astound us and pervade more and more everyday applications and devices; we talked more about high-performance computing, foreshadowing next decade’s possible debut of quantum computing; and we saw the AR and VR tools move ever closer to becoming everyday realities for the masses. Against this insatiable appetite for innovations, the need for real-time datastreaming platforms (DSPs) has never been so acute. Agility can only come from insights, which requires having the right data at your fingertips around the clock. It is the tool of constant vigilance. So, let’s examine the 2025 trends that underpin this reliance on DSPs.
IN THE ABSENCE OF JITTERS, TECH INVESTMENT WILL INCREASE As global economies stabilise, the alreadysteady GCC business environment can take advantage of new opportunities. The region led in 5G rollouts, and it has long been predicted that Internet of Things use cases would take many regional industries by storm. Ericsson’s most recent Mobility Report, published in Q4 2024, predicts the GCC will have the world’s highest 5G consumer penetration by 2030, beating Western Europe and North America. Other technologies like GenAI and VR- and ARpowered solutions can also benefit from 5G. Confidence in emerging technologies is becoming more concrete, and when this confidence is combined with the renewed sense of optimism in global markets, we will see an uptick in technology investment across the GCC. Digitalisation budgets will increase as businesses seek to introduce greater efficiency
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into workflows and trim cost-heavy practices. Many of these activities will rely on real-time insights that can only come from data-streaming, so we can expect to see a significant portion of 2025 investment go towards DSPs.
CULTURE SHIFTS WILL BECOME THE NORM TO ACCOMMODATE DSP INVESTMENT The region’s awareness of data streaming increased in 2024. Its potential is now widely known. However, business adoption remains in its infancy even as proof-of-concept projects gather steam. A widespread assumption is that data access is already working well, so why disrupt the business to introduce something new just for the sake of change? Some of those legacy systems include batch processing, which means insights come periodically, if at all. DSPs, conversely, not only decrease the lag between datagathering and actionability; they can enable new technologies, such as AI and IoT, and they can democratise data access, allowing more employees to contribute to innovation. This cultural transformation can lead to real-world opportunities – new customers, new revenue streams, new cost savings. DSP investment is therefore strategic, and as awareness of its value grows, cultures will be reshaped to make way for it.
THE RELATIONSHIP OF CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE WITH PROFITABILITY WILL DRIVE DSP ADOPTION Minimise costs and maximise revenue growth to optimise profitability. The more things change, the more they stay the same. The tech toolbox may be humming with new additions, but companies will still look to the customer experience as the best way to succeed. However, the pace of change, more than anything else, is what challenges today’s business leaders in their pursuit of traditional goals. Real-time data streaming has become a
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