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

Contributed by Robert McBride, Head of Product Marketing, Versa Networks

Software-Defined Networks Advance Simplicity, Context, Security, and Streamlined Control

Enterprise networking is finally getting a moment in the spotlight. Innovation and implementation has been happening at breathtaking speed in agile development, cloud-native business models, mobility, and IoT. We're asking more from our networks than ever before, and managing more information security risk. Digital transformation, the advancing consumerization of technology, and global security and regulatory responsibilities are driving the current migration to multi-cloud/SaaS and hybrid WAN.

As enterprises get further along this journey, we expect that:

• Integrated Security will be a MUST for all enterprises. While security is already top of mind for all enterprises, the cost and complexity of current approaches will not meet the needs of the market. Additionally, enforcement of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the EU is likely going to ripple to other parts of the world. This will make a multi-layer and full security implementation in the network a MUST.
• Consumerization of IT in enterprise networking and WAN Edge. Over the next 24 months, we anticipate the need for a radically simpler user and administrator experience. We expect enterprises will want the same simplicity of setup/configure/manage/operate that smart home routers (the popular eero, for example) provide to consumers today.
• Micro-Segmentation will be needed across the entire network. We anticipate that the need for isolating different users and applications will be needed from the LAN to the WAN to the Data Center.This will be driven by multiple factors. First is the need to reduce the risk zones not just from external threats but from internal threats. Secondly, the need to consolidate disparate environments into a single network. The ability to deliver different lines of business (or IT and OT) across the same infrastructure while maintaining isolated management and control is key to streamlined networking.
• Dynamic, Contextual Visibility and Control will become crucial.We are hearing from enterprise thought leaders that evolved IT infrastructure should allow differentiated delivery based on users, location, application and other variables. For example, a CXO travelling across multiple offices may require a different experience than the global policy implemented for an application.Current solutions require stitching multiple tools together, and don't meet enterprise thresholds for speed and agility.Over the next 24 months, we anticipate that enterprises will look for a simpler way of implementing and enforcing contextual policy that cuts across the entire network, not just the WAN.

It's no wonder there's a lot of energy and focus around software-defined networking solutions. We're demanding more speed, reliability, visibility and control at the same time that the volume of traffic and connected endpoints is surging. Add to that our rising expectations for automation, integrated security, scalability, and easy deployments. It's not much of a gamble to say that 2019 will be a busy, productive, and innovative year of growth in the field of enterprise networking.­ 

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