By Executives from Accedian

2020 Will Bring New Opportunities to Stay Connected

The 2010‘s were the decade of connectivity. New devices and platforms brought businesses and communities closer together, seemingly at a faster rate with each passing year. In 2020, expect businesses to continue investing in digital experiences which will spur new opportunities and challenges. Between evolving cloud platforms, to excitement around where 5G will and will not measure up to the hype (and how to ensure data protection in the face of this faster network), our networks will continue innovating in existing tech spaces, driving new opportunities for enterprises and further connecting us globally. 

5G Will Expand the Gaming Universe

The hype around 5G continues, but not every scenario needs the speed or latency guarantees of 5G. However, there are some industries that won't be able to thrive without it, like real-time cloud gaming, which relies on a speedy, flawless connection - so it won't be long before gamers will be asking for 5G. Think about it; decisions parents make about technology are often decided by the teenagers that live in their home. Once gamers understand that 5G can offer lower latency than their in-house WiFi connections, they'll be begging their parents for an upgrade. With this demand, expect the emergence of gaming service providers in 2020, independent providers selling what we're calling "universe as a service" (UaaS) offerings. Instead of parents having to update their service provider packages, "universe as a service" providers can augment existing network agreements by partnering with gaming studios to provide 5G connectivity solely for playing purposes. 5G might be a buzzword, but don't be late on adding UaaS into your arsenal. - Richard Piasentin, Chief Strategy Officer 

The Role of the CIO is Moving Tech-First to Customer-First

The CIO's role is changing, and many now feel responsible for taking a significant role in providing quality customer experience. This is a huge shift from a decade ago, when CIOs and IT teams were simply responsible for ensuring IT architectures properly supported the business. But now, because of the way consumers and enterprise customers use new technology and services, the digital experience can make or break a company's reputation and revenue. As an example, if a consumer has a negative online shopping experience with a retailer, they likely won't return to that site or spend money with the retailer, representing significant potential revenue losses. The role of the CIO will continue to change as more companies undergo digital transformation, and CIOs will need to consider new factors such as automating IT to ensure positive digital customer experiences. - Sergio Bea, VP Global Enterprises and Channel Sales

The Emergence of 5G-enabled Cybercrime 

As the availability and reliability of 5G slowly rolls out, new cybersecurity challenges will emerge as opportunistic hackers look to profit off of the proliferation of IoT data. In the impending 5G enabled world, attack surfaces will be larger than they've ever been before, providing more opportunities for consumers and business to be hacked. In addition, ultra high bandwidth will empower criminals to launch much larger botnet and DDoS attacks that could cripple entire enterprise networks. With attackers conducting cyber warfare in "low and slow" stealth mode, having a granular and comprehensively sufficient data set to detect breaches will be imperative. - Michael Rezek, VP Cybersecurity Strategy

##