According to Verizon Enterprise Solutions the year 2013 will see greater adoption of advanced technology to meet changing demands of enterprises while increasing productivity and creating new experiences for customers.
The company has identified five business-tech trends for 2013 in the areas of cloud, connected machines, mobility, intelligent networks and security tip the scales of opportunity.
?As companies look to transform their businesses in the year ahead, Verizon is zeroing in on the most meaningful opportunities for our enterprise and government clients worldwide,? says David Small, senior vice-president and chief platform officer, Verizon Enterprise Solutions. He adds, ?Next year, we are continuing to sharpen our focus on harnessing the power of our advanced technology platforms to deliver industry-specific solutions that unlock productivity and value for our clients, their customers and society.?
The five top business-tech trends for the year 2013 as identified by Verizon Enterprise Solutions include:
The forecast is bright for hybrid clouds
Distributed data centers and the intelligent wired and mobile networks that connect them now represent a viable alternative to traditional virtual private network (VPN) methods that long have formed the backbone of distributed enterprise communications for a generation. In 2013, there will be a significant shift from VPNs to public, private and, importantly, hybrid clouds. As per a recent report by the research firm Gartner, by 2013, more than 60 per cent of all enterprises will have adopted some form of cloud computing.
?To keep up with the changing demands of today?s enterprise, the ideal platform needs to be secure and easy to use and configure. In 2013, if you can?t switch workloads between public and private clouds, you won?t be competitive. The year ahead will require a bold approach to embracing change and re-engineering networks in support of cloud-based applications,? says Small.
Examples of recent cloud advancements include those in – health care clouds that have helped the health care industry in addressing the privacy requirements under the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act; clouds that help retail and other business transactions comply with payment card industry standards; and clouds that help the public sector comply with the Federal Information Security Management Act.
The mobile majority is taking charge
Small says, ?Enterprises in 2013 must accommodate and prioritise the new demand for efficiency and productivity, and information technology departments will play a key role in meeting the growing appetite for professional mobility on a personal level.?
As a result, companies will increasingly adopt cloud-based enterprise mobility strategies ? creating ?personal clouds? where employees can use enterprise applications to do their jobs more effectively. In addition, companies will be more proactive in tackling the challenges associated with dealing with the division of employees? personal and professional lives, by using mobile-device management and private application storefronts to create a more secure, mobile work environment.
Connected machines drive new insights
The ?Internet of things? has arrived and it will continue to grow to meet specific industry requirements. According to a Gartner report, ?In 2011, over 15 billion things on the web with 50 billion plus intermittent connections will grow by 2020 to over 30 billion connected things, with over 200 billion with intermittent connections.?
Machine-to-machine (M2M) connections now cover much more than smart energy delivery and smart cars. For example, elaborate networks of sensors with direct M2M connections now underpin connected health care and the first consumer-ready wave of automotive telematics.
?Verizon?s acquisition of Hughes Telematics, Inc. will help fuel this evolution. In 2013, this dramatic growth will extend to retail, finance and manufacturing,? adds Small.
The ability to collect, store and analyse overwhelming volumes of data will define which enterprises extract the best insights and make the most agile decisions, to their competitive advantage. As a result, all enterprises ? both business and government ? will need to work with vendors having strong and global ecosystems.
For example, in Charlotte, N.C., Envision Charlotte Smart Energy Now and Smart Water Now projects, a private-public initiative in which Verizon is participating, illustrates the potential of connected machines to better manage critical resources. Verizon is gathering energy and water-usage data from a network of M2M devices and is transporting near real-time information to kiosks utilising Verizon?s high-speed 4G long-term-evolution wireless network.
Networks will be smarter than you and invisible
According to the Cisco Visual Networking Index an intelligent fabric that connects everything and everyone will render underlying networks invisible to end users, even as overall internet protocol (IP) traffic grows at a compound annual growth rate of 29 per cent through 2016. Small elaborates, ?Improvements in network reliability and resiliency, coupled with intelligent end points, serve as the foundation for connecting smart machines and smarter people. We will see a shift in 2013 to more dynamic networks, pervasive IP connections, and purpose-built networks that serve businesses, consumers and society.?
He further adds, ?From retail transactions to high speed trading to the digital signs that communicate with us on a daily basis, the network is omnipresent in the background. It continues to grow in importance, as well as just how much we take it for granted.?
Security is the new arms race
In 2013, security will move out of the specialist realm and become a mainstream IT must-have. Currently, security breaches span access, infrastructure and applications. They happen on fixed and mobile networks. They impact physical, intellectual and financial capital.
Small, comments, ?We expect identity security to be a much more prevalent issue in 2013. Two-factor authentication is already gaining adherents, but it won?t be enough to counteract the increasing amount and intensity of criminal activity pursuing both intellectual property and financial gain.?
He further adds, ?The race is on to protect every endpoint, every device and everything connected to the Internet. While the Internet affords us countless opportunity it also comes with a price. No longer is strong security an option; it?s a mandatory requirement for all organisations to protect their intellectual and physical capital, customer identities and society at large.?
