The 2024 Technology Trends Report Trending technology areas A note on our data presentation: Throughout this report, you will see a data visualization method known as a Diverging Stacked Bar Chart. This visual will be used to report on Group Ranking, Grid Ranking, and Drag & Drop Ranking questions. Each item is aligned with one another, and compared to a neutral midpoint, with color coding delineating each rating. This chart provides a clear comparison between our top technology trends. For more details regarding our survey methodology, see page 13. Choose the solution sets that you think are trending or have the greatest impact on customers. Security and/or Network Security 80% Customer Experience (Conversational AI, CCaaS, Automation) 70% Data Centers/Colocation/Hybrid Colo+Cloud 60% Cloud/Managed Hosting Services 35% Connectivity 30% IoT 20% BPO Outsourcing 5% MSP Services 5% The top technology area: According to our advisory partners, Security and Network Security were the most critical areas of technology. This is Security and/or Network probably no surprise to the reader. The threat landscape is dynamic and expanding, giving bad actors an asymmetrical Security advantage in the battle over the enterprise IT network. The result of a bad outcome in a security contest is also an outsized risk. Security breaches can lead to stolen customer data, brand rep- utation damage, stolen intellectual property, data loss, and even sanctions by governing bodies for lack of regulatory compliance. As is indicated later in the report (UPSTACK Advisory Partners Insights Question section), Security is also an area where talent is in the most demand. This has led to a talent and skill gap due to the demand for security resources outpacing the supply of qualified resources. Finding the right mix of vendors to close gaps and optimize your defenses is the most cost-effective and robust way to solve this problem. The breadth of the security topics that IT leaders have to be aware of is extremely wide-ranging. Check out the Top Security Trend to see where to focus your efforts to secure your IT network in 2024. UPSTACK © The 2024 Technology Trends Report | 3