Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2021. Read them in this 13th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.
Four Trends that Will Shape Networks in the Year Ahead
By Sally Bament, Vice President of Cloud & Service Provider
Marketing at Juniper Networks
The
COVID-19 pandemic placed a huge responsibility on service providers around the
globe to deliver not just connectivity, but also a seamless service experience
to subscribers as traffic patterns shifted and hit peak levels. With recent studies showing that the number of employees permanently working at home across
the globe is expected to double in 2021, service providers will need to prepare
networks for more prolonged traffic shifts that will become the norm for
longer-term remote workers.
Delivering a
seamless and assured service experience that supports the workforce of the
future - whatever it may look like - is essential for service providers next
year and beyond. Here are a few key trends we will see take shape as COVID
continues to make an impact.
COVID
aims the spotlight on preparing networks for the unknown
The
COVID-19 pandemic shifted our world from physical to virtual literally
overnight, placing enormous responsibility on service providers to deliver
seamless real-time and near real-time experiences at peak traffic levels.
Traffic patterns shifted from mobility to Wi-Fi and broadband networks, as work transitioned to the home and the lines between
consumers and enterprise users blurred - causing long-term changes in how
service providers architect and manage their networks for the "enterprise-at-home." Next year, we will see more focus on ensuring networks
are ready for the "unknowns," with service providers accelerating investments
in open, agile network architectures built on cloud principles, elastic
on-demand capacities, and automation and security for an assured service
experience. And with a heightened focus on service experience, we can expect
automation, service assurance, AI/ML and orchestration technologies to take on
an even more significant role in service provider network operations,
guaranteeing service quality and simplifying operations as networks get bigger,
more dynamic and more complex.
COVID
accelerates the value of the edge
Networks have never been more
critical than they are right now. Business, education, telemedicine,
social, all have moved from engaging in person to engaging virtually, and
multi-participant video calls have become a fundamental part of our daily
lives. Massive consumption of streaming media and an all-time high in online
gaming have driven CDN growth. Service providers have
responded fast to manage the surge in traffic while avoiding lagging,
downgraded quality and slower speeds. Next year, we'll see service providers
double down on investments in edge cloud, moving applications and data closer to
users and connected devices to enhance the user and application
experience, support new emerging low-latency applications, and make more
efficient use of network transit capacity.
COVID
drives network security
While
security has often taken a back seat to make way for faster network speeds, the
pandemic has proven that bad actors will take advantage of crises for their own
gain. Next year, we'll see service providers take a holistic, end-to-end
security approach that combines network, application and end-user security to
deliver a secure and assured service experience. This is especially important
as many regions experience another wave of lockdowns and working at home
becomes the new normal - presenting an enticing attack surface for hackers. In
2021, we'll see companies investing more in Enterprise-at-Home solutions with
security at the forefront, ensuring that all endpoints in the network are
secure, wherever they are.
5G
hype fades as monetization opportunities skyrocket
Despite
the pandemic shifting operational priorities, causing some 5G roll outs to
slow, service providers have still been heavily investing in and deploying 5G
networks. With over 100 commercial networks
launched across the globe, and many more expected in 2021, 5G is now real,
bringing new monetization opportunities for operators. With massive speeds,
huge connection densities and ultra-low-latency experiences, we expect to see
progress in new consumer applications (e.g., gaming, AR/VR/MR), 5G for industry
verticals, consumer broadband with content bundling, enterprise broadband and
cloud-managed services and fixed wireless access services in 2021.
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About the Author
Sally Bament, vice president of cloud &
service provider marketing at Juniper Networks, is responsible for leading and
executing the company's marketing plans to drive awareness and demand for
Juniper's industry-leading networking solutions. Sally brings more than 25
years of experience in management, program management, marketing, sales and
business development in the networking and telecommunications industries.