
Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2019. Read them in this 11th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.
Contributed by David Richards, Chairman, President, CEO & Co-Founder, WANdisco
Data Tech Gets Realistic
In 2018, the tech scene boasted extensively and, as it turns out,
prematurely, about the potential of revolutionary technologies like blockchain
and AI to finally deliver us into the future. With the hindsight of the
real-world applications of these technologies, however, 2019 will take on a
more realistic approach to the infrastructure needed to make those lofty
ambitions happen.
We'll question the viability of blockchain
More
enterprises looking to handle their workload will move past the idea of
blockchain in its earlier iterations. Because the two predominant blockchains,
Hyperledger and Microsoft's Ethereum, do not prove to be scaleable due to their
centralized cores, we'll be seeing more innovative solutions.
We'll talk more about data and less about "AI"
Many in the data community question if AI, as it's currently
branded, even exists yet. Many argue that, at least in the coming future, it
will remain a niche technology as long as data technology, its fundamental
infrastructure, remains under construction. Enterprises will need to unify
their strategy on everything from hybrid data management to data application
before leveraging it for products like self-driving cars or assistive robots.
Cloud will be all about migration and multi
Rather
than advocating for large companies to be present on every public cloud, the
cloud engineering community is advocating for a more individualized multi-cloud
strategy with the simpler aim of reducing dependency on a single cloud. The
capability to migrate vast amounts of data remains a daunting task, as will be
the need for multi-cluster solutions that will allow businesses to move data
from data center to data center.
Social media will (finally) be subject to regulation
With all the controversy surrounding Facebook and social media
companies farming and selling personal data to third parties, the data world
will finally need to get more serious about data security and privacy in order
to retain their customers.
Make no mistake: the
potential for AI, blockchain and other technologies that trended in 2018 is
huge, however, there's much to be said about being realistic. 2019 will be a
year when companies take a hard look at the work that needs to be done to fully
realize these technologies and the benefits they can deliver.
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About the Author
DAVID RICHARDS - Chairman, President, CEO &
Co-Founder
Since co-founding WANDisco in Silicon Valley in
2005, David has led the company to rapid international expansion, opening
offices in the UK, Japan and China. David spearheaded WANdisco to a successful
listing on London Stock Exchange (WAND:LSE) and shortly afterward brought about
the acquisition of AltoStor, which accelerated the development of WANdisco's
first products for the big data market. David holds a BSc in Computer Science
from the University of Huddersfield. In 2017, David was awarded an Honorary
Doctorate by Sheffield Hallam University in recognition of him being a champion
of British technology and a passionate advocate of entrepreneurship.