It’s hard to believe that 2010 will soon be coming to a close, and even harder to believe that 2011 is almost upon us. Before ringing in the new year, let’s take a brief look into what I see as the emerging market and technology trends that will shape network IT in the year ahead.
Device ownership – With tablets, eReaders and the latest iPhone/Pad/Pod sure to be hot gifts this holiday season, device ownership is going to be a major issue starting as soon as people return to the office on January 3rd. IT will have a lot of questions to contend with, regardless of whether the device is corporate or end-user owned: How much control can IT have? Who’s responsible for device performance? What is authorized (personal and professional) to be on it?
Supporting global business – International business is nothing new, but it’s becomes increasingly common in today’s post-recession economy. This means two things for IT: there needs to be network infrastructure to connect with businesses overseas—such as clients and partners—and there also needs to be enough bandwidth to support remote, branch and small offices that exist outside the U.S. Furthermore, IT needs the security and visibility to manage all of this effectively.
Cloud computing and virtualization – Of course these are nothing new, and they have proven to be trends that have staying power long after 2010. As cloud-based computing and virtualization technologies become more common within day-to-day business, the network needs to be faster and more reliable than ever since it’s the fabric upon which all these activity will occur.
From crack-down to control – In the days where social media and streaming content were strictly personal, IT’s job was primarily to crack-down on such end-user activity since it cut down productivity levels and often sucked up critical bandwidth. Now, as these activities are becoming more engrained in business operations, IT’s role will move from watch dog to enabler. They will need to know what the specific activities are so they can effectively manage and allocate bandwidth around it
Are you seeing the same trends emerge within your organization, or are there others? Your comments are welcome below.
