Strategic network investments will be a major focus point for savvy CIOs in 2015, as companies seek to make sense of big data, transition to the cloud and monetize the Internet of Things (IoT), according to Verizon Enterprise Solutions’ list of top enterprise technology trends for 2015. In the coming year, enterprise organizations will also adopt technologies that drive business innovation and provide a strong platform for future growth.
“In 2015, it’s all about the power of the networked connection,” said Chris Formant, Verizon Enterprise Solutions’ global president. “We believe our enterprise and government customers will be looking to focus on connecting technology innovation on a global scale. They understand the potential of the Cloud, or the Internet of Things, but realize that these technologies cannot be viewed in isolation. Rather, they must be fully embedded into global business operations if their potential is to be realized. We believe CIOs will refocus on the fundamentals in 2015, securely embedding innovation in their global network in order to make sense of big data outputs and fuel business growth.”
Here are the key trends Verizon believes will drive change for enterprises and government in 2015:
- Network Reliability, Innovation is Key to Business Success:
Enterprises will concentrate on strategic network and IT investments in 2015, as the communications network is recognized as the foundation for successful business growth. The growing demands of data, cloud, video and mobile solutions require enterprise networks to become more agile and scalable, without compromising performance. CIOs must ensure their networks are capable of distributing increasing workloads among multiple data centers as applications move to the cloud. Leveraging technology innovation including virtualization, automation and optical network technology (100G, 200G and LTE), to improve network efficiency and reliability, will be critical in enabling networks to handle massive growth. - Internet of Things Adoption Gains Momentum Downstream:
In 2015, adoption of technologies and services related to IoT will rise, particularly within the small and medium business markets, and larger organizations that were not early adopters. Industry consolidation is a key driver for wider IoT adoption, especially as market participants — via strategic alliances — work to define standards across the value chain. Also, enhanced tools in cloud computing, big data and analytics — combined with more rigor on IoT cybersecurity — will begin to decrease Machine-to-Machine complexity. These developments will drive user confidence and lead to new business models, better outcomes (e.g., enhanced customer experience) and ROI that is more clearly defined and understood. - Predictive Analytics Will Make Sense of Big Data:
Data — the ability to gather it, manage it and make sense of it — will enhance business performance and impact how we act and live. Harnessing big data for unprecedented insights into how products and services are being received and how assets are being used will be a key priority for the C-suite in 2015. Companies that integrate advanced and predictive analytics programs into their connected infrastructure will be best positioned to improve operational efficiencies, identify new revenue streams and better serve their customers in the data economy. - IT Will Direct the Cloud:
Enterprise IT will control enterprise cloud deployments in 2015; it will act as a ‘cloud solutions broker’, help identify needs, outline technology requirements and manage the various technologies and service providers used. Cloud solutions will be purpose-built to support key business initiatives, such as improved customer interaction, operational transformation and technology compliance. There will be less discussion about public versus private cloud, virtual machine count, etc. and more priority will be placed on building cloud solutions that solve specific business needs — regardless of the technology configuration. This deeper strategic understanding of cloud services, directed by the CIO, will support greater migration of mission-critical workloads to the cloud. - The Game is Changing in the Fight Against Cybercrime:
Device proliferation, machine-to-machine connections, an increasingly complex threat landscape and extended computing environments will make network security more complex — and more important — than ever in 2015. A holistic, integrated, multi-layer security strategy will be critical for mitigating risk and establishing trust between devices, networks, people and systems. But what will be even more important is the adoption of a proactive risk management strategy aimed at detecting crimes — quickly and efficiently — using advanced big data analytics. This will be a make or break proposition for enterprises safeguarding their data in the coming year.
Formant concluded: “We believe our customers’ future business success will be built on the network, powered by the cloud, and most importantly, secure. Networked connections will be instantaneous, highly available and scalable and will open up a world of business opportunities – and this is why their network investment strategy is so important. Our job in 2015 is to help our customers translate technology talk into action so they make innovation a reality.”
Verizon Enterprise Solutions is a leading provider of advanced IT and communications services to enterprise and governments around the world. Visit Verizon Enterprise Solutions for more information.
Verizon Communications Inc, headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to consumer, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America’s most reliable wireless network, with more than 106 million retail connections nationwide. Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America’s most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers in more than 150 countries. A Dow 30 company with more than $120 billion in 2013 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of 178,500. For more information, visit www.verizon.com/news/.
