Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2019.  Read them in this 11th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.

Contributed by Daniel Okine, Senior Director of Product Management, Adaptiva

IoT Threatens the Network While AI Becomes Practical and the Blockchain Bubble Grows... then Bursts

In 2019, IoT will move from a nice-to-have for early adopters to something with far more widespread applications that will touch nearly all aspects of our everyday lives. While this will be extraordinary on many levels, it will present unprecedented security challenges for corporate IT departments.

IT teams are already contending with the constant threat of cyberattack-attacks that will dramatically increase in 2019 and beyond. Now, add to that all of these IoT devices being plugged into corporate-issued phones and laptops. As if the IT environment had not been challenging enough, network security will very quickly be presented with an entirely new range of vulnerabilities. Threats will multiply, coming in from the general internet to every device in every pocket. The importance of locking down and maintaining proper system hygiene, therefore, will become more important than ever.

This will require innovative solutions that can efficiently scale and assess what is going on at any given endpoint in real time. Real time is essential because if data is not current, the potential exists for a system, machine, network, or device to be compromised-and no organization can afford that.

Separately, 2019 will be the year that AI moves from hype to reality. We'll see more real-world applications, whether coming in the form of better self-driving cars or an expanded knowledge base for doctors treating patients.

AI will be replaced on the hype train by blockchain. 2019 will be a year in which money will continue to flow into startups that don't have any real plan for how to actually use blockchain, other than putting it into their marketing materials. But, before the year ends, the ever-bulging bubble will pop as VCs realize that the majority of companies aren't much more than smoke and mirrors. Wheat will be separated from the chaff, and developers that align technology with purpose will prevail while the broader segment will shrink considerably.

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About the Author

Daniel Okine, senior director of product management, is responsible for setting product vision and roadmap at Adaptiva, using data from market trends and opportunities, competitive landscape, and customer needs to develop a global strategy for the company's endpoint management platform and products. Daniel drives the technical priorities and programs at Adaptiva in collaboration with key stakeholders in engineering and marketing. For more information on Adaptiva, the market leader in modern endpoint management and security, please visit www.adaptiva.com, and follow the company at LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.