Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2018.  Read them in this 10th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.

Contributed by Mike Puglia, Chief Product Officer; Dana Epp, Chief Technology Officer; Miguel Lopez, SVP and GM, Kaseya

Corporate Networks, GDPR, Cloud and More

On Corporate Network Evolution

Cloud Computing Changes the Traditional Office Landscape

Especially with small to medium sized businesses, the prevalence of cloud computing in 2018 will turn traditional business offices into places for congregation and interaction versus housing critical business units. Because of the acceptance, and use of cloud applications and cloud infrastructure, there is very little-other than an employees computing device-needed in a physical office. Accounting will work out of Netsuite, sales out of Salesforce.com and the service department out of Zendesk, for instance. We will see a huge shift in the New Year where SMB workers will no longer be confined to physical borders when operating their technology, and thereby lead to great operational efficiencies for companies of all sizes.

Network Fluidity

Anywhere access to almost any device will redefine the modern corporate network. From a security standpoint it isn't about a traditional firewall protecting the IT system inside the network anymore. In 2018, the new and evolved corporate network will be an "always connected" universe where we have even more fluid security perimeters that follow both users and applications, rather than the more traditional thinking of protecting the actual networks themselves 24/7. Networks will not go away, they are being redefined, and as such IT teams will need to evolve in order to safeguard them.

On GDPR Adoption

May 25 will be Anti-Climatic

Executives in businesses affected by GDPR understand there are important steps to take to ensure compliance, and avoid fines levied if they fail to do so by May 25. But similar to HIPAA many years ago, there will not be much movement until GDRP fines are actually levied and sink their teeth into companies that have failed to comply. There will be a few "shots sent across the bow" so to speak that will send a message that GDPR compliance and fines are for real. That said, actual fines will not happen until the end of the year, maybe even into early 2019. Expect a high-profile fine to raise awareness, but it will be many months after May 25.

Fine Enforcement Controversy

Part of the problem with enforcing GDPR is the Information Commissioners Office in the UK, which has only around 500 workers right now. They plan to hire 300 more over the next three years, but the fact remains that office will be severely understaffed in 2018. So when they go after that high-profile case to make a statement, it will end up being controversial and likely tied up in court as the understaffed office will have the burden of making a compelling case against the targeted company. There will be fines levied and also a lot of controversy at whether the fines are justified or not.

On AI Adoption

Artificial Intelligence Moves Deeper into the Enterprise

In 2018, AI will move from its present consumer-dominated use cases-Siri, Alexa, etc.-deeper into the enterprise. You see Microsoft as an example, using cognitive services to tie into apps like Skype, creating the ability to have communications and meaningful dialog with software. Moreover, AI will drive deeper business analytics, allowing IT to actually take advantage of the information they are collecting. For instance, next year businesses will use AI to add intelligence to everyday desktop management tasks, such as software patching. New network intelligence will allow IT to patch faster and cleaner, with much more automation involved.

On Cloud Computing

Cloud Security Matures

2018 will be the year organizations finally realize the cloud is actually more secure than storing critical apps on-premises. Amazon, for instance, has hundreds of employees working on a single service in its cloud with the goal of maintaining that service's security. In general, the cloud is more secure when considering the investments companies like Microsoft, Amazon and Google have made in order to deliver the type of service their customers need. 2018 will be the year that IT leaders will stop asking if the cloud is safer than on-prem, the question will become obsolete as cloud security permeates the enterprise.

On the MSP Market

Rise of the "Super MSP"

This coming year we will see a growing trend of more super MSPs showing up in the market. The MSP market used to be defined by local competition, made up of smaller niche firms-much like local competition with a "mom and pop" hardware store. In 2018, this market will get turned on its heads as more super MSP powerhouses-the Lowes and Home Depots of the hardware store world-set up shop in the North American market. This has already begun, but next year the impact of super MSPs will be even more acute. These super MSPs are the result of M&A activity among smaller players. The MSP market will see much consolidation in the coming year, leading to the rise of the super MSP.

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About the Authors

Mike Puglia, Chief Product Officer

Mike Puglia brings over 20 years of technology, strategy, sales and marketing experience to his role as Kaseya's Chief Product Officer. He is responsible for overall product strategy, management and development across Kaseya's solutions. He most recently served as the company's Chief Information Officer. 

Dana Epp, Chief Technology Officer

As Kaseya's Chief Technology Officer, Dana Epp is responsible for driving the company's technology strategy with a focus on accelerating innovation, product development and R&D. He most recently served as the company's Principal Architect for Security, Identity & Access Management, focusing on the architecture and security of the next-generation identity and access management platform for cloud-based IT management.

Miguel Lopez, SVP and GM

Miguel Lopez brings over 20 years of experience to his role as SVP and GM. In this position, he consults daily with Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to help them solve their clients' business problems with technology solutions. Prior to joining Kaseya, Miguel served as the director of consulting services for All Covered, a nationwide technology services company that is a division of Konica Minolta Business Solutions USA Inc.