What are the near-term trends Canada’s MSPs, solution provider–and all tech companies –should be aware of in 2022? We asked CompTIA’s Canadian Business Technology Community members their predictions for the year. Here are their thoughts. After falling for most of 2020, net tech employment in Canada is expected to rise 1.3% last year, despite the continuing impact of the COVID-19 epidemic. IDC predicts that tech spending in Canada will reach C$132.6 billion by 2025. This is due to cloud computing, core business apps, security, and customer experience.
But how do we get there? What are the near-term trends that MSPs, solution providers, and all tech companies should be aware of in 2022? We asked CompTIA’s Canadian Business Technology Community members their predictions for the year. Here’s what they had. Note: These predictions represent the opinions of individual council members and not the views of CompTIA or the AI Advisory Council.
More U.S. Companies to Outsource Canadian Tech Talent
“Americans will outsource more to Canadians for their tech needs because Canada has some amazing tech talent.” As the year progresses, the economy will strengthen and people will return to work. Together we will be moving forward in more positive directions.” – Barb Paluszkiewicz CEO, CDN Technologies
Gig Economy Expands Across All Sectors
“I believe there will be an increase in the gig economy in all sectors. This will have an impact on staff management, workflow planning, technology support, and innovation. Pre-pandemic, this trend was growing among senior-level executives who wanted more control of their lives. The past two years have seen remote, project-based work introduced to a wider range of resources.” – Jeff Dawley.
Virtual Desktops will be available to business customers
“Increasing numbers of companies are choosing to purchase hardware directly from the vendors. Businesses will need to cut down on the time it takes to get hardware in order to be agile and take advantage opportunities. Virtual desktops will also be a big trend in 2022, according to me. Cloud-hosted services will be the most popular choice for desktop and laptop users. Cloud desktop hosting will reduce costs, provide better remote work experiences, and maintain security standards. One thing to be aware of is the possibility that insurance companies may dictate software and services that can be used in a business or by service providers.” – Sandy McGrath operations manager, Final Frontiers
Poor password policies can cause problems with privacy and personal protection
“In 2022 companies will continue to use poor passwords, and in doing so will support threat actors in shady acts.” – Tracie Olisko, Huntress director of sales development
Codification of Privacy Standards will Happen
“Will Bill C-11 collapse last year? 2022 will see Canada take privacy seriously in an attempt to catch up to the EU. The rest of the world has been playing catch-up since the EU adopted GDPR in 2018. Canada will join the EU this year in codifying privacy standards at least at the provincial level. In September, the Quebec National Assembly passed Bill 64. BC also proposed six changes to PIPA (the Personal Information Protection Act). Ontario published a white paper last year entitled Modernizing Privacy in Ontario, which laid the foundation for their own legislation.” – Mike Tedesco COO, Kobalt.io
Collaboration and communication improvements for remote workers
“I believe the hybrid workforce is here to stay. Many companies are looking at ways to make the entire workforce more productive for both remote and on-site employees. Many companies had policies that required office workers to report daily to their local office prior to 2020. Few employees worked remotely. Companies realized that productivity, creativity and company culture were not lost as all employees worked remotely after March 2020.
“One thing to be aware of is to ensure that when offices reopen, both in-office employees and at-home employees continue their collaboration and communication. Employees can communicate via Zoom or Teams and there is an equal playing field for sharing content. All attendees can also hear each other clearly. I think companies will need to invest in Zoom and Teams-ready conference rooms that allow workers at home to collaborate even when some of their team is in the office.” Cynthia Mooney, global account manager at HP Inc.
Get more information about the tech expectations for Canada in 2022 by joining CompTIA’s Canadian Business Technology Community. Connect with industry leaders