In 2018, Information and Communications
Technology (ICT) trends ranged from companies
enhancing their products, services, and experiences
digitally to anticipating policy changes that would
disrupt ICT and BPO markets. It was a year where
VR/AR experimentation, technology adoption,
cybersecurity, and data-centrism played key roles in
companies’ efforts to level up their digital
transformation.
This year, becoming a digital-native enterprise is
the next major step for Philippine organizations
that want to be successful in a very global digital
economy. To become a “digital native enterprise”
(DNE), their technology and data must be built on
an advanced digital business platform.
Development towards becoming a DNE, however,
doesn’t just lie on internal factors – it must also
consider how they are affected by external factors
that occur in the industry. As such, it is vital that the
trends for the Philippines’ ICT industry should still
be monitored to best position your company this
year and beyond.
Trends for the Philippines’
Information and Communications
Technology (ICT) for 2019
 Out-of-the-Box Think Tanks
In the next three years, disruptive CIOs, who are
out-of-the-box thinkers, will set the tone of the ICT
development in the Philippines. Tech leaders are
actively researching Artificial Intelligence (AI) and
machine learning (ML), but organizations are
prioritizing tech investments in security and data
tools.
 Upscaling Jobs through ICT
With the exponential rise in the advancement of
technology, the pace of which has become difficult
to keep up with, the companies’ ability to adapt has
become a critical competitive advantage. By 2021,
the demands of the new borderless economy will
push enterprises to manpower reskilling and
upscaling jobs through ICT. Skills in areas such as
artificial intelligence and machine learning, data
science, software-as-a-service (SaaS) in the cloud,
and cybersecurity have become globally in-demand
this year, and will continue to be so.
 Authentication and Trust
By 2019, 20% of CIOs will shift their cybersecurity
focus towards “authentication and trust” to better
handle business risks. This is directly connected to
the 2018 ICT trend of prioritizing cybersecurity – a
phenomenon that arose due to several reports of
cybersecurity incidents, such as phishing and
hacking. And with the rise of mobile devices and
applications come the heightened attention of many
cyber criminals and terrorists groups to exploit this
medium.
 Workspace 360
By 2019, the rise of digital natives and the influence
of digital-native mindset on enterprises will push
novel workspace trends. It is a result of increased
mobile access to the internet, which results in
increased demand for work not limited by location
and with openness to collaborations.
As an example, Yondu’s office space, which
was given a new look last September 2017, follows
this rising trend to better show the digital-native
mindset it has.
 Digital Empowerment: Non-
Disruptive Digital Disruption
In the next two years, the country’s continuing
journey towards digital transformation will pave
the way for retail and financial technologies and
services that integrate seamlessly into the daily
lives of the local community. Examples include the
BGC App developed to guide users through the
bustling business hub, and the “Makatizen card”
which uses NFC for local government units (LGUs)
to quickly identify residents and act as a mobile
wallet that allows residents to use it for digital
platform-based transactions.
  Personalization is the New new customers, measuring data-driven marketing
Standard ROI, and targeting individual market segments.

In the next 12-24 months, utilizing digital-driven,
customized, and personal approaches to customer
intimacy and talent acceleration will become a
standard practice among Philippine enterprises.
This is possible through customer intimacy strategy.
Armed with customer data, the idea behind a
customer intimacy strategy is simple: Identify high-
value customers that are most likely to accept an
order and tailor a campaign around the messages
they’ll find most compelling. This not only ensures
your offer is getting in front of those most likely to
take advantage of it, but also demonstrates an
interest in forging a closer connection with them.
 Digital Economy Tipping Point
In the next 12-36 months, enterprises are headed to
a different higher level of maturity when it comes to
DX adoption. In the same manner, clearer digital
vision for the country should be seen, as the
government barrels up its ICT initiatives. The
country’s ICT development has been showing
significant progress from both the public and
private sector domains. The combined efforts of
these two stakeholders will usher a period of rapid
and robust technology adoption.

 Future of Payments

By 2019, the country will continue to witness

creative and Philippine-centric payment and
remittance innovations, driven by the country’s
unbanked sector and the ongoing rise of
remittances from overseas Filipino workers
(OFWs).

 DX in the BPO Industry

By 2019, as digital transformation shakes up the

BPO market dynamics, BPO providers that align
their DX plans with the changes in the industry will
gain competitive edge in the market. Because the
outsourcing industry is now being threatened by
the rise of artificial intelligence, which may take
over 40k to 50k “low-skilled” or process-driven
jobs, it should now move to higher-level skills and
higher value-added services such as big data
analytics, app development, and related fields.

 Analytics-Driven Marketing

In the next five years, Philippine enterprises that

incorporate analytics and customer insights into we lay down 10 trends that we should anticipate
their marketing will see a commanding lead over this 2019
competitors in customer retention and profitability.
Top goals in data-driven marketing include
personalizing the customer experience, acquiring