2022 Canadian Tech Predictions: From Collaboration to Virtual Desktops

Despite the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, net tech employment in Canada was expected to increase 1.3% last year after falling for much of 2020. Meanwhile, IDC forecasts that tech spending in Canada is forecasted to reach C$132.6 billion by 2025, led by cloud computing, core business applications, security and customer experience.

But how will we get there? What near-term trends should MSPs, solution providers—and all tech companies—be aware of for 2022? We asked members of CompTIA’s Canadian Business Technology Community their thoughts for what to expect this year. Here’s what they had to say. Note: These predictions are the personal opinions of the individual council members and do not represent the views of CompTIA, the AI Advisory Council, or the members’ respective employers.

More U.S. Firms to Outsource Canadian Tech Talent

“Americans are going to outsource even more to Canadians for their technology needs because Canada is home to some incredible tech talent. As the year progresses the economy will strengthen, people will get back to work and together we will all be moving forward in a more positive direction.” – Barb Paluszkiewicz, CEO, CDN Technologies

Gig Economy Expands Across All Sectors

“I believe we will see an expansion of the gig economy across all sectors, impacting staff management, workflow planning and technology support and innovation.  As a growing trend pre-pandemic among senior level executives who wanted more control over the balance in their lives, the past two years have introduced the concept of remote, project-based work to a broader group of resources.” – Jeff Dawley, president, Cybersecurity Compliance Corp.

Virtual Desktops Will Take Hold with Business Customers

“More and more companies are looking to buy hardware directly from vendors. It will be important for businesses to reduce the time to get hardware to remain agile and take advantage of opportunities. Also, I think 2022 will be the year of virtual desktops. I believe many desktop/laptop needs will move to cloud-hosted services. Cloud desktop hosting will help reduce costs, maintain standards and security, and provide a better remote work experience. Lastly, one thing to watch out for is insurance companies dictating software and services that are allowed for use in a business or by a service provider.”  – Sandy McGrath, operations manager, Final Frontiers

Poor Password Policies Plague Personal Protection, Privacy

“In 2022, companies are going to continue to use poor passwords and in doing so will, in doing so, support threat actors in their shady actions.” – Tracie Orisko, director of sales development, Huntress

Codification of Privacy Standards Will Happen

“Will the collapse of Bill C-11 last year, 2022 will be the year Canada starts taking privacy seriously in an effort to catch-up to the EU. Since the EU’s adoption of GDPR in 2018, the rest of the world has been slowly playing catch up. This year we will see Canada join the EU in codifying privacy standards, at least at the provincial level. The Quebec National Assembly adopted Bill 64 in September, BC has proposed six new changes to PIPA (the Personal Information Protection Act) and Ontario released a white paper last summer entitled Modernizing Privacy in Ontario laying the groundwork for their own legislation.” – Mike Tedesco, COO, Kobalt.io

Collaboration, Communication Improvements for Remote Workers

“I think the hybrid workforce on a global scale is here to stay. Several companies are planning ways where the entire workforce can be productive for remote and on-site employees. Prior to 2020, several companies had policies in place whereby office workers reported daily to a local office. Very few employees worked remotely. After March 2020, companies realized that productivity, creativity, and the company culture continued to exist as the entire workforce worked from home.

“One thing to watch out for is to ensure that once offices begin to reopen, in-office and at-home employees continue to collaborate and communicate effectively.  Currently, with employees communicating via Zoom or Teams, there is a level playing field for sharing content and the ability to hear all attendees clearly. I suspect companies may have to invest in Zoom or Teams-ready conference rooms which allow workers at home to be able to collaborate when a portion of the team are in the office.” – Cynthia Mooney, global sales account manager, HP Inc.