Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2022. Read them in this 14th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.
Trends to Watch in Enterprise Communications
By Wendy Tullo, Product Marketing, Oracle
Communications and Douglas Tait, Director Product Marketing, Oracle
Communications.
2021 was another year of rapid
change for traditional enterprise networks as more businesses moved to the
cloud, began applying advanced technologies like artificial intelligence and
machine learning into their operations and amped up their capabilities to
support remote work. The pace of change is showing no signs of slowing down,
and forward-looking organizations are re-architecting their enterprise networks
and leaning on their partners for help. With that mind, here are shifts we expect
to see in Software Defined Networks(SDN), security, call center operations and
MSP partnerships.
-
SDN. In 2022, more enterprises will embed SDN
into cloud-based solutions to ensure high network quality, reliability and
security. We'll also see a shift towards centralized SDN administration and
analytics for all devices and users, including the adoption of a standard
policy across large and highly dynamic networks. Advances in AI/ML from the
cloud will support improved network visibility and provide a more secure, high-quality
experience.
The pandemic
accelerated the adoption of fluid workforce location situations, and in 2022,
workforces are likely to be in work-from-home or work-from-anywhere
environments. While applications continue to migrate to the cloud, most
organizations still have on-premise resources that users need to access. As a
result, employees typically access a combination of cloud and on-premises
applications and data as a part of their normal daily routine. Innovation in SDN
technology is required in 2022 to ensure that regardless of where the user,
application or data is located, a robust network infrastructure that is easy to
deploy and manage is available to meet users' quality of experience
demands.
Over the last few years, digital transformation has led to a proliferation of
IoT devices, and many of these applications are considered business critical. A
2021
Oracle survey on IoT adoption found 90% of enterprises describe their IoT
projects as ‘fundamental' or ‘very important' to their core business. Organizations
with mission critical IoT applications, such as health care, will adopt SDN to
ensure secure and reliable connections. Another new area SDN technology will be applied
is 5G network slices. As more carriers offer businesses their own dedicated ‘slice'
of 5G connectivity, SDN technology could be applied to address the higher
session management needed within a 5G network. It would also offer the glue to connect 5G
networks securely to non-5G or legacy networks.
-
Security. 2022 will be the year enterprises will
leverage AI and ML technologies to get a complete view of their network, prevent
fraud and investigate security breaches more rapidly. With these technologies,
businesses will also be better positioned to fight back against the high level of
breaches, including ransomware attacks and extortions, that have been
disrupting businesses and resulting in huge losses and brand tarnish. Businesses
will be able to detect attacks earlier with real time analytics, and in 2022,
more security breaches will be detected from the cloud.
As hybrid work environments persist in the new year, we can also expect to see
a rise in a universal footprint, similar to today's VPN, comprised of
traditional SD-WAN delivered on-premises and in the cloud using network
appliances and deployed on popular desktop and mobile operating systems. Zero
Trust Authentication will be more broadly deployed out to the edge and to the
end-user of the network to ensure security in today's flexible work
environment.
-
Customer
service and call center. In 2022, we'll start to see more businesses' call
center operations take advantage of the massive volumes of data generated by
connected devices and sensors by feeding and training that data into AI/ML
algorithms. This will drive automation and ultimately result in a better, more
streamlined customer support experience. Call centers will also increasingly
circumvent inflexible business support systems (BSS) implemented around
traditional organizational structures as a way to keep up with today's rapidly
changing telecommunications environment.
- MSP
partnerships. As the work environment continues to be in flux, security
concerns remain top of mind for businesses globally. Customers will rely more
heavily on their managed service providers (MSPs) to support security measures
and educate their employees on how to recognize security risks.
The cloud will also continue to be a top opportunity
driver for MSPs in 2022. According to a Datto
Global State of the MSP Report, 93% of managed
service providers (MSPs) expect their clients to have
at least half of their workloads in the cloud in the next three years. Covid-19
was a catalyst for enhanced UCaaS, CCaaS and CPaaS services with the hybrid
work force demanding richer multimedia. In effort to leverage the cloud's feature
rich offerings and lower price point, we will see an uptick in small and medium
sized businesses shifting from on-prem equipment to subscribing to an MSP's
cloud offerings. However, in the near
term, MSPs will have to grapple with the challenge of tracking
increasingly complex and distributed assets, including a diverse
set of products, customer data, multiple data silos and hybrid environments.
Ultimately, forward-looking organizations will continue to re-think
their enterprise networks in the year ahead. MSPs and other technology
providers have the tools and expertise needed to help accelerate this transformation
in 2022 and beyond.
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Douglas Tait, Director Product Marketing, Oracle
Communications, Networks
Wendy Tullo, Product Marketing, Oracle
Communications
