What Tech Trends Will Affect Enterprises Most In 2020?

Those numbers—2020—already come laden with meaning. We talk about hindsight being 2020. Perfect vision is described as 2020. It can sometimes be a fool’s errand to predict what will happen with technology. Yet past experience and perspectives offer foresight into what’s to come. Let’s predict what’s ahead in the New Year. Learn more about the opportunities and challenges these trends present.

1. The Diverse Architecture Of The Edge Dominates

The edge is becoming more powerful and sophisticated through an increasingly interconnected mesh of things (IoT), sensors and devices. Compute and storage capabilities push closer to the location of need and further from centralized data centers. In fact, what we typically envision as a data center is no longer the center of data. Computing and storage power are being driven from the center and increasing our dependence on networks. Upload/download speeds, stable connections, a broad coverage area—these are the things people will demand from network providers to support edge architecture. Connectivity within homes, businesses and cities, and between mobile devices and the IoT will need distributed and unstructured networks that can collect and transfer data seamlessly and quickly. The result will be reduced latency, distributed traffic and near-real-time processing.

2. The Skills Gap Matters Less

Yes, there will still be a dearth of experience among tech pros skilled in cloud, analytics, big data, machine learning and AI. In 2020, that will matter less for two reasons.

• First, managed services will become more sophisticated and also more in reach for businesses of all sizes. Just as the rise of cloud services meant businesses no longer had to overbuild and maintain on-prem data centers, so too the rise of managed services means businesses no longer have to maintain large IT teams. Managed services providers can be called in as needed. They can fill skill-set gaps, supplement internal IT resources and execute specific strategies that require specialized knowledge.
• Second, creators and providers of complicated technologies continue to simplify execution. That simplification makes extensive training less necessary. Just as software and computer components eventually became plug-and-play, executing complicated technology is becoming drag-and-drop. Intuitive GUIs, logic-driven models and automated processes allow IT professionals with varied levels of experience to successfully perform complex tasks.

3. Security Is The Trend That Never Ends

More touch points—IoT, sensors, devices and mobile tech—create more security vulnerabilities. Threats multiply as compute and storage power move toward the edge, as business functions decentralize across different cloud types and as more devices and sensors tap into networks. Businesses and end users will demand to work with companies and vendors that treat security as a top priority, not something worried about after a breach happens. “Security is an inherent ingredient in networking today,” says Chris Betz, CenturyLink CSO. “It must be baked in at the beginning, not added on in isolation. For example, it doesn’t make sense to deploy an antivirus solution for each new IoT device. You need an integrated security strategy from the start.” The coming year will demand connected security strategies that work across existing networks and extend protective visibility to every corner of the enterprise.

4. Managed Multi-Cloud Comes For Everyone, In Step With The Hybrid Cloud Reality

It’s rare to find a business these days using a single cloud provider or environment. Most use a mix of cloud vendors, as well as hybrid public and private cloud and on-prem environments. As cloud options grow, so too does the burden of managing them. The trick in 2020 will be learning how to manage multi-cloud, either internally or as a service, so that any workload can move anywhere without lapses in security and access policies. Businesses need simplified governance that places controls over data and information sharing, no matter the environment. Multi-cloud management also includes cost controls. Too many businesses have been surprised by how quickly cloud costs can escalate. They want a way to right-size and automate cloud spending and consumption. This includes finding, and regularly evaluating the best hybrid cloud mix. Finally, successful management includes full visibility into the enterprise environment that tracks use, costs, trends and opportunities to optimize.

5. The Age Of NoOps Gains Ground

The rise of DevOps reduced friction between development and operations teams. The purpose was to deliver higher-quality improvements much faster. In essence then, NoOps is when DevOps reaches its frictionless state of Zen. The theory is that NoOps occurs when AI and automation remove all need for IT teams to manage the operations of any cloud environment. Few believe true NoOps is achievable, at least in the short-term. Rather, they view it as a continuum, with LessOps being a more accurate name than NoOps. Most recognize that automation and serverless tech are removing much of the pain and monotony of operations tasks. If zero friction and reducing busy-work for ops teams are the goals, part of the NoOps solution may include managed network services. Outsourcing network and even cloud solution development functions to service providers offers a complementary pairing to AI and automation.

How prepared is your enterprise to confront these 2020 trends present? You don’t have to face this journey alone. See how CenturyLink can partner with you today to create business strategy success.

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