Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2021. Read them in this 13th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.
Ten Predictions for Applications and Application Delivery in 2021
By Scott Grebe, A10 Networks
We've become an application-centric
society. We use apps to help us do our work, to communicate, to stream
entertainment, to monitor our health, and to do a whole lot more. Over the
years, the number of desktop and mobile apps has grown dramatically. Where we
deliver them from has changed too. The cloud has played a huge role as we move
away from strictly on-premises data centers to a hybrid cloud and multi-cloud
approach. And, of course, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on
how we built, delivered, and consumed our applications in 2020. But what will
2021 bring? Here are 10 predictions for applications and application delivery
in the coming year.
- With
the COVID-19
pandemic stretching well into 2021, we will see the rise of new
videoconferencing apps that compete directly with Zoom and WebEx as employees
and students continue to work and learn remotely.
- Similarly,
with more employees working from home due to the pandemic, organizations will
continue to see growing demand for cloud
application delivery. For some, the pandemic is accelerating their plans
to use public
clouds and private clouds, while others will adjust their
original plans to meet the growing demand.
- Migration
to the cloud will continue to grow and over 90 percent of enterprises will have
adopted a hybrid
cloud strategy by the end of 2021.
- Microsoft
365 will remain the most widely used app. However, HR tools such as Workday
will close the gap.
- In
2021, the number of apps available in the Apple App Store and Google Play will
exceed 5.5 million as consumer appetite for apps continues to grow.
- 83
percent of enterprise workloads were expected to be in the cloud in 2020. That
number will grow to over 90 percent in 2021. This will drastically increase
secure application delivery and load balancing needs.
- With
the growth in the number and use of essential business apps for online work and
shopping, organizations will spend more budget on web application security to
prevent cyber-attacks
directed at vulnerable applications.
- Looking
to streamline the application development and delivery lifecycle, more
organizations will adopt a DevOps approach in 2021, generating greater interest
in automation tools which will fuel market growth.
- Due to
significant investment in data center hardware, more organizations than
expected will take a hybrid cloud approach instead of "cloud only" for
application delivery.
- The containerization
of applications has become more popular. By the close of 2021,
40 percent of enterprises will have containerized half or more of their
applications.
Life
changed dramatically in 2020 due to the pandemic. Many of us spent our days
working from home. Students went online for school. Online shopping and app-based
restaurant ordering and delivery dramatically increased, as did telehealth. All
of these shifts were made possible by applications. We can expect to see these
trends continue in 2021 and well beyond as the global economy settles into
changes that may indeed become permanent.
We
can also expect to see more cyber-attacks as bad actors look to take advantage
of the increase in users accessing applications from many distributed devices
and locations. Taking steps to secure our apps and networks is vital
and it will be imperative for organizations to fortify their application
delivery infrastructures now. Better times are coming. Advancements in the
development and delivery of applications will improve our work and personal
lives. Innovation is just around the corner.
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About the Author
Scott Grebe is a senior product marketing manager for application delivery controller (ADC) solutions at A10 Networks. He has over 20 years of product marketing and product management experience working for high tech companies including Sophos, SonicWall, Apple, and SGI.