Although 2024 has only just begun, it is already shaping up to be an active year. Across industries, powerful tech trends are emerging that will impact both today and tomorrow. With this in mind, it is crucial to stay informed, be proactive, and invest in your own development. Doing so ensures you bring the most current thinking and best engineering practices to your workplace and career.
To help, here are several top tech trends of 2024, shared by leading experts, along with targeted IEEE course programs to support your continuing education journey. Stay ahead, and let IEEE guide you toward a productive year.
Data Privacy
First, data privacy remains a growing concern. A 2023 Pew Research Center study found that 67% of respondents had little understanding of how companies use their data, while 81% expressed concern. As personal data is increasingly collected, sold, and exposed to breaches, mechanisms to protect privacy are more important than ever.
IEEE Resource: Protecting Privacy in the Digital Age (Four-Course Program)
Brought to you by IEEE Educational Activities in collaboration with IEEE Digital Privacy, this four-course program provides a framework on how to operationalize privacy in an organizational context, how to make it usable for end users, and how to address emerging technical challenges to protecting digital privacy. Learn More>>
Internet of Things (IoT) Security
Next, IoT security is critical. With 15 billion devices connected worldwide—expected to double by 2030—each smart device becomes a data endpoint. As a result, protecting networks and hardware through IoT security techniques has never been more urgent.
IEEE Resource: All About IoT Security (Six-Course Program)
Developed by IEEE Educational Activities with support from IEEE Internet of Things Technical Community, this six-course program is designed to provide learners with a broad overview of IoT security. It starts with challenges such as malware and botnets followed by vulnerabilities, network monitoring, setting up of testbeds, and application of blockchain in IoT security. Learn More>>
Energy Efficiency/Sustainability
Experts agree that the continued development of sustainable electricity sources will not only contribute to energy efficiency goals but ensure greater accessibility to energy worldwide. According to Liz Centoni, EVP, Chief Strategy Officer and General Manager, Applications at Cisco, “the fast-emerging category of energy networking, which combines the capabilities of software-defined networking and an electric power system made up of direct-current microgrids, will contribute to energy efficiency [and optimize] power usage, distribution, transmission, and storage.”
Microgrids (local, self-sufficient energy systems designed to support a defined community of users), as well as minigrids (smaller-scale microgrids designed to distribute electricity generated by such renewable sources as solar panels, wind turbines, battery storage, hydropower, and diesel generators), will be especially critical for the estimated 750-800 million people worldwide who currently have no access to electricity. Two-thirds of this number live in sub-Saharan Africa.
IEEE Resource: Minigrids in Africa (Four-Course Program)
In this training, learners will explore the context and roles for minigrids in Africa, as well as appropriate technologies, maintenance, sustainability, operational considerations for connecting to national grids, and regulatory and policy considerations. Learn More>>
High-Performance Computing
Though high-performance computing has been used for decades in academic and government settings, the recent proliferation in the quantity of data that’s become available and shared across an increasingly expanding number of hardware and software touchpoints is driving the demand for greater computing power. Thanks to the broad range of mission-critical applications for high-performance computing— including weather forecasting, healthcare/drug development, quantum mechanics, climate research, and more— experts confirm that there will be an ongoing need for data to be processed at incredibly high speeds of quadrillions of calculations per second and even faster.
IEEE Resource: High Performance Computing Technologies, Solutions to Exascale Systems, and Beyond (Five-Course Program)
This course program, developed in partnership with IEEE Future Directions, focuses on high-performance computing, how to address challenges and solutions in the Exascale era, the leading edge of HPC research, and more. Learn More>>
High-Efficiency Wi-Fi
According to telecom expert Shaun Carlson of Arvig, “the sixth generation of Wi-Fi networks— dubbed Wi-Fi 6 and technically known as [IEEE Standard] 802.11ax— promises major improvements in the capacity and capability of wireless networks” relative to the previous generation. Benefits of Wi-Fi 6 include up to 40% faster connectivity/speed for supported devices, increased network capacity through the use of multi-user, multiple-input, multiple-output (MU-MIMO) technology, and greater efficiency that conserves battery power. “As more Wi-Fi 6-certified devices hit the market – from routers to laptops and more,” said Carlson, “it’s a good time for businesses to consider how their networks can accommodate Wi-Fi 6.”
IEEE Resource: IEEE 802.11ax: An Overview of High-Efficiency Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi 6) (Two-Course Program)
In this training, learners will gain an overview of the features and optimizations introduced by IEEE 802.11ax to the Physical (PHY) and Medium Access Control (MAC) layers, which led to these improvements. Learn More>>
Configuration Management
The growing threat of cyber attacks involving ransomware, malware, computer worms, and other nefarious forms of software continues to rise to the point where an attack now occurs every 39 seconds at a cost of US$6 billion globally (and potentially over US$10 billion by 2025). Experts report that 95% of cyber security breaches are a result of human error and the action of users who unknowingly view or interact with bad actors/sites and expose their system(s) to malicious code. As a result, configuration management— an IT process that establishes configuration standards for each asset in a company’s network, automatically alerting business leaders of any issues that require updates, reconfiguration, or patches and promoting consistency across the network— is becoming an increasingly standard approach that companies are employing to reduce their vulnerability to cyber threats.
IEEE Resource: Software & Hardware Configuration Management in Systems Engineering (Five-Course Program)
Developed with the IEEE Computer Society, this course program teaches essential configuration management (CM) core concepts for both hardware and software starting with requirements specified in IEEE Standard 828. Learn More>>
Time-Sensitive Networking
Housed within the family of IEEE 802 Standards, time-sensitive networking enables data traffic of time-critical applications to be carried over a network shared by various kinds of applications. It is increasingly delivering the benefits of speed, accuracy, and reliability to a broad range of industries, from industrial automation and manufacturing to automotive and aerospace, telecommunications, entertainment, and more.
IEEE Resource: New Course on Time-Sensitive Networking!
Virtual Local Area Network Bridging with TSN Enhancements introduces the components of network architecture that play a vital role in time-sensitive networking (TSN), and which provide the tools needed by network architects to properly architect networks to support the delivery of data for time-sensitive applications. Learn More>>
Resources
Law, Marcus. (20 December 2023). Top 10: Technology Trends for 2024. Technology.
(8 January 2024). 20 Tech Experts on The Tools And Trends That Will Dominate 2024. Forbes.
Cozzi, Laura, Wetzel, Daniel, Tonolo, Gianluca, and Hyppolite II, Jacob. (3 November 2022). For the First Time in Decades, the Number of People Without Access to Electricity is Set to Increase in 2022. International Energy Agency.
Mcclain, Colleen, Faverio, Michelle, Anderson, Monica, and Park, Eugenie. (18 October 2023). How Americans View Data Privacy. Pew Research Center.
Vailshery, Lionel Sujay. (27 July 2023). Number of Internet of Things (IoT) Connected Devices Worldwide from 2019 To 2023, With Forecasts from 2022 to 2030. Statista.
Becher, Brooke. (5 October 2023). IoT Security: What It Is and Why It’s Important. Built In.
Carlson, Shaun/Arvig. (26 April 2022). Wi-Fi 6 is Here: The 3 Biggest Advantages of Upgrading Your Business Network. Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.
Boskamp, Elie. (15 June 2023). 30 Crucial Cybersecurity Statistics [2023]: Data, Trends and More. Zippia.
(1 August 2022). What Is Configuration Management and Why Is It Important? UpGuard.
Energy grids provide electricity to millions of homes and businesses via a complex and vulnerable network of power plants, transmission lines, and distribution centers. Ensuring the grids run as intended is a priority for all who work in the power and energy sector. As innovative technologies, new opportunities, and safety issues arise, the National Electrical Safety Code® (NESC®) evolves to address concerns. The latest edition, NESC 2023, protects both the public and utility workers, as it is the authoritative code for ensuring the continued practical safeguarding of utility facilities.
Prevailing Threats & Projections
As the growing number and severity of extreme weather events make headlines worldwide, utilities are wisely focused on grid resiliency. Power outages triggered by major storms have doubled in the past twenty years and experts at Colorado State University predict an above average 2022 storm season with 19 hurricanes.
Also this year, the number of cyber security risks to critical infrastructure have escalated—disrupting or compromising our lives by taking down nuclear, energy, financial, or technology sectors. According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, even a short-lived attack on the power grid could cause substantial interruptions to security systems and important lines of communication.
One of the largest frontiers in the power and energy field today is the development and implementation of smart grid technology and clean energy. The smart grid market is projected to grow US$103.4 billion by 2026, as governments around the world have imposed several supportive policies and mandates that focus on implementing smart grids and spreading awareness about energy conservation.
According to an article from the Union of Concerned Scientists, removing barriers to energy storage is key to a clean energy future. Having enough energy storage will help support the massive number of renewables that will be added to the grid in the coming decades.
Highlights of NESC 2023
Published by IEEE SA and updated every five years to stay current with changes in the industry and technology, the NESC specifies best practices to safeguard the electric supply and communication utility systems at both public and private utilities. The NESC is continuously evolving to embrace new technologies, and the Code reflects potential impact of recent and emerging technologies.
Notable changes to the 2023 NESC include:
- Significant revisions covering batteries, addressing new battery technologies, energy storage, and backup power.
- A new section for photovoltaic generating stations with rules to accommodate large-scale solar power projects.
- The Code further clarifies the use of non-hazardous fiber optic cables.
“The 2023 NESC includes updates throughout, many of which address emerging technologies such as solar and wind energy, distributed energy/microgrids, batteries and energy storage, and wireless small cell networks,” said Nelson Bingel, chair of the NESC Committee.
Stay Current with NESC 2023
Help your company to comply with the latest guidelines. The NESC® 2023: National Electrical Safety Code training is a complete seven-course program NESC program online through IEEE Xplore and on IEEE Learning Network. This course series aims to educate power utility professionals on the rules, regulations, and changes in the 2023 edition of the National Electrical Safety Code (NESC). Presented by industry leaders who helped write the standard, this course program takes an in-depth look at the NESC and covers the Code in its entirety.
Connect with an IEEE Content Specialist today to learn more about this program and how to get access to it for your organization.
Interested in the program for yourself? Visit the IEEE Learning Network.
Resources
BusinessWire. (3 August 2022). IEEE Publishes 2023 National Electrical Safety Code. BusinessWire.
Certec Corporation. (15 August 2022). The importance of critical infrastructure protection in the energy sector. Power Engineering.
Copeland, Mark. (1 August 2022). Innovating Grid Resilience from the Outside In. PowerMag.
MarketsandMarkets Research Pvt. Ltd. (18 August 2022). Smart Grid Market Size Projected to Grow $103.4 Billion by 2026 | at a CAGR of 19.1%. GlobeNewswire.
Pereira, Guillermo. (17 August 2022). Removing Barriers to Energy Storage is Key to a Clean Energy Future. Union of Concerned Scientists.