As 2018 comes to a close, many CTOs will approach the new year with optimism and a bit of ambiguity around how emerging technologies and innovations in networking will impact their bottom lines. The implications of widespread adoption of connected devices, automated networking processes, and other new technologies remain hazy.
In 2019, that will change. The coming year will be a time for clarity for both enterprises and end-users. The year will bring its share of shake-ups, scares, and challenges, but it will also foster a better understanding and integration of the technologies that are shaping our hyper-connected society.
Here are three predictions for 2019:
#1: Expect IoT Security Breaches
In 2019, we’ll see widespread security breaches that will, in large part, stem from lax security across a range of IoT devices. The widespread and rapid adoption of Internet of Things devices – whether fitness bands, home appliances or Internet-connected security systems – is built on the low-cost affordability of many of these devices.
To keep production costs low, device manufacturers have sacrificed the advanced security technologies that would provide greater protections – but also would have led to a price-point that hinders adoption. Now, with an abundance of unprotected devices transferring valuable end-user data, conditions have become ripe for large-scale breaches.
How widespread will the breaches be? We anticipate that they’ll be large enough and damaging enough to create a shift in attitude about IoT across the spectrum of end-users, developers and device manufacturers. First, there will be a wake-up call and the realization that there is no quick fix to the security breaches – only smart security investments and re-engineered devices.
Looking ahead, developers will prioritize security over ease of access. And while that may bring a slowdown to the rapid development and adoption of IoT devices of all shapes and sizes, it will prove to be crucial to the long-term success of the technology. On the other side, these same breaches and a search for solutions to help combat future threats will give other technologies, such as Machine Learning, a boost.
#2: Automation to the Rescue
Faced with an unprecedented volume of data and security risks from a range of previously innocuous devices, there will be greater demands on technologies that are both evolving and emerging to do the heavy lifting of data monitoring and threat detection.
Automation and Artificial Intelligence, through machine learning, will advance to the point that it becomes a viable option for businesses in 2019. Likewise, software-defined networking, or SD-WAN, will quickly become recognized for the flexibility and adaptability that will be needed for automation solutions to address security issues.
To remain relevant and effective leaders in 2019, CTOs will need to develop a solid knowledge base around AI, ML, and automation and how the technologies can best be leveraged in long-term IT strategies. It will be a change in mindset and practical strategy that will take more than the next twelve months to effectively realize, but solutions already exist that organizations will turn to in the wake of a serious data breach.
Chief among these is software-defined networking in a wide area network, or SD-WAN. SD-WAN will quickly become the solution of choice for many enterprises because it features built-in automation. The need to quickly respond to threats will make ready-to-deploy automated systems enticing and that means we’ll see adoption of SD-WAN at scale, across all major industries.
Will it solve the problems overnight? It’s unlikely – in part because organizations will continue to use automation for detection, rather than a full threat-protection solution. It will take time and further innovation in AI for IT teams to confidently allow automated systems to take charge and shut down individual devices that have been marked as compromised.
#3: Companies will double down on Digital Experience Management (DEM) and next-gen infrastructure
One of the biggest challenges customers face is the ability to measure the effectiveness and ROI of their digital transformation initiatives, which are absorbing a significant amount of their budgets. Digital Experience Management (DEM), without a doubt, can provide customers with the quantifiable results they need to address key business savings, growth opportunities and outcomes on digital investments.
Riverbed’s DEM portfolio provides the ability to justify the value and significance for customers to enhance and accelerate their network and app performance, setting the groundwork for additional next-gen infrastructure offerings like Riverbed’s SD-WAN solution, which plays a paramount role in optimizing the delivery of digital services to the end user.
Bigger Challenges, Deeper Integration
Every year, we recognize that technologies will evolve and that the demands of business will drive adoption rates. When we look ahead at 2019, we recognize that technologies like Artificial Intelligence, software-defined networking and the actual connected devices will converge. But we also recognize that it won’t happen naturally.
The forces of large-scale IoT breaches, which seem to be inevitable, will force companies to take notice and take action. For as much as the breaches will prompt costly mitigation efforts and raise deep security concerns, they will also cause a shift in perspective among enterprises. That, in turn, will spark further innovation and result in even more solutions to address the challenges of a hyper-connected age.
