Top five enterprise technology trends for 2015
What technological trends can we expect to shape the enterprise in 2015?
According to predictions released by US carrier Verizon, strategic network investments will be a top priority for chief information officers (CIOs) working in the corporate world next year, as more and more companies seek to make sense of Big Data, profit from the internet of ihings (IoT) and make the transition to the cloud.
In the coming year, now perhaps the worst of the recession is behind us, companies will also begin to adopt technologies that drive business innovation and provide a strong basis for future growth.
Chris Formant, Verizon Enterprise Solutions’ global president commented:
In 2015, it's all about the power of the networked connection. We believe our enterprise and government customers will be looking to focus on connecting technology innovation on a global scale. They understand the potential of the cloud, or the internet of things, but realize that these technologies cannot be viewed in isolation.
The first key trend Verizon believes will drive the enterprise next year is network investment. The growing demand for data, cloud and both video and mobile solutions will force the need for stable, reliable communications networks, and CIOs must "ensure their networks are capable of distributing increasing workloads among multiple datacenters as applications move to the cloud," according to the US carrier.
The technologies expected to benefit the most from increased enterprise investment are virtualization, automation and optical network technology, such as 100G, 200G and LTE.
The IoT market reared its head in Verizon's predictions last year, and we have seen an increase in interest from companies worldwide over 2014 — ranging from the connected car to Google's Nest thermostats. Verizon believes that in the following year, IoT will gain more momentum, particularly within the small and medium business markets.
Verizon also says that in 2015 there will be less discussion about public versus private cloud, and instead, priority will be placed on building cloud solutions that solve specific business needs. Cloud solutions are predicted to become customised for specific needs such as improved customer interaction, operational transformation and technology compliance.
In the wake of continual high-profile cyberattacks that have been levied against businesses worldwide, cybersecurity must become a priority investment for the modern-day corporation. The increasingly complicated security landscape is expected to prompt multilayer security strategies, but the adoption of a proactive risk management strategy aimed at detecting crimes before too much damage is done is predicted to be the most important priority of 2015. In particular, leveraging big data analytics can help companies detect malicious activity and prevent persistent threats from gaining access to networks.
See also: Feds 'covered up' Chinese hack on US weather systems
Big data is not only a tool for cybersecurity specialists; rather, the ability to gather it, manage it and make sense of it remains important in enhancing business performance. The use of big data analytics can identity key customer purchase patterns and trends, improve operational efficiencies, and identify new revenue streams — all of which are important for companies competing on a global platform.
“We believe our customers' future business success will be built on the network, powered by the cloud and, most importantly, secure," Formant said. "Networked connections will be instantaneous, highly available and scalable and will open up a world of business opportunities — this is why their network investment strategy is so important. Our job in 2015 is to help our customers translate technology talk into action so they make innovation a reality."
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