CIOs cannot afford to ignore disruptions in technology. According to Gartner, these are the 7 future disruptive technologies that CIOs should be aware of:

1.    Quantum Computing

Quantum computing is expected to profoundly revolutionise computing in 10 to 15 years. One of the primary applications of quantum computing is to break down workable solutions into practical workloads. Although CIOs need to be wary of too much hype, they should start thinking about quantum cloud and hiring the data scientists.

2.    Real-time language translation

The age-old problem of language barriers will be solved once and for all, and human translators will become obsolete. This technology is expected to enter the market as soon as 2023.

Enterprises can start by applying “experimental real-time translators” for international jobs and establishing “multilingual disciplines” to help employees seamlessly move across languages.

3.    Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology is the discipline of handling atomic level and smaller matter. It promises great potential for applications in self-healing materials, contact lenses and organic 3D printing.

4.    Swarm intelligence

What is Swarm Intelligence? It is the behaviour of a decentralised, self-organised system. Hundreds of robots working together, without human interference, in a warehouse or a factory are just one among many promising applications of this technology.

5.    Human-machine interfaces

Human-machine interfaces may progress to the point where users can move the cursor with their thought. But such technologies will not likely to become fully mature before 2032.

Improving disable access using BCI (Brain-computer Interface) is one particular area that may soon see real-life applications.

6.    Software marketplaces

CIOs should expect more transformation and reinvention by 2022. In the meantime, continuing to monitor the software marketplace is the best place to start for disruption preparation and "test drive marketplace software images.”

 7.    Smartphone disintermediation

Currently, smartphones play a critical role in accessing information, and connectivity. And they are expected to go through a significant reinvention around 2023. But a post-mobile world is coming soon.

Other smart devices like Alexa and Apple Watch are increasingly serving as a point of communication. Wearables will also play a bigger role in enterprise mobility management.