Trends such as globalisation, digital transformation, business automation and resilience, and sustainability are shaping the requirements for a new kind of network.
The evolving technology landscape-emerging cloud -native models, internet of Things, artificial intelligence (AI), mobile, cybersecurity threats, and immersive applications are dramatically impacting IT networking architectures and operations.
According to Gartner by 2023, over 60% of enterprises will deem networking as core to their digital strategies, up from less than 20% today, deeming networking as a strategic enabler.
Globalisation
According to the World Economic Forum, we are now entering a new, digital driven era of globalisation referred to a "Globalisation 4.0." In this era, digital goods and services, enabled by digital capabilities and artificial intelligence, are the leading exports.
Network impact - As the connections between systems, people, processes, locations, and devices get more distributed and complex, the economic value of the network the organisation will increase, while securing and managing the network will become more strategic and more difficult.
Digital Business Transformation
More and more businesses are using digital technologies such as analytics, mobility, cloud solutions, and the Internet of Things (IoT) as the foundation for transforming their business. According to the IMD and Cisco Digital Vortex 2019 report, 88% of the executives believe that digital disruption will have a major or transformative impact on their industries, compared with only 27% in 2015.
Network impact - The inherent unpredictability of business requires a network that can quickly adjust to evolving requirements to enable new services, processes, and models.
Business Automation
The use of automation and robotics in the coming years will continue to surge as companies look to improve quality, workforce productivity, customer satisfaction, and more.
Network impact - Because of automation of processes is time sensitive and mission critical, the network needs to ensure that packets are delivered reliably and on time.
Business and Operational Resilience
Because of globalisation and digital transformation, today's organisations are dependent on an increasingly complex web of technologies, systems, processes, supply chains, and infrastructure. Effective business resilience requires continuously and proactively assessing operational risks, establishing and auditing contingency plans, and administering incident response training.
Network impact - An agile, resilient, and secure network architecture is paramount for safeguarding employees, customers and partners and is vital to recovering data and quickly re-establishing services and access.
Sustainability
As our worlds grow more interconnected, organisations are being challenged to grow in environmental sustainability. In addition to the standard metrics, organisations will be judged on how well they reduce greenhouse gas emissions, preserve biodiversity and natural resources, and design products to minimise or recycle waste.
Network impact - Advanced networks offer the promise of greater efficiencies in virtually all aspects of business, from energy consumption to resource usage to emissions reduction.