The latest market research from Cloudflight identified 12 major technology trends for the current year, with a radical shift in cloud adoption and an acceleration toward digital. Five of these trends are driving competitive advantage today and tomorrow: data becoming the differentiator beyond software algorithms, Europe embracing various cloud scenarios, hybrid-cloud being the dominant choice, cloud-native taking off with innovative enterprises, and digital twins becoming cloud drivers in many industries. These trends highlight the importance of building software around data and leveraging cloud-native data management to drive innovation and stay ahead in the field.