19 March 2021

Gary Duggan, VP technology solutions in EMEA at Riverbed Technology

These transformations are now being solidified by the continuation of lockdowns across Europe. Lockdowns that have made returning to the office environment a distant prospect. As such, organisations need to maintain their support of the remote workforce, and double down on work-from-anywhere models, to ensure business success over the coming year. Having strong, scalable networks – that connect every individual and device across the company’s digital infrastructure – will be key to achieving this.

Gary Duggan, VP technology solutions in EMEA at Riverbed Technology, shares his top networking predictions for the coming year. Along with guidance on how companies should continue to evolve and set the cornerstones for the post-Covid-19 future.

1. The time for cross-vendor visibility has arrived
End-to-end visibility over the network is essential for managing capacity, identifying pressure points, and delivering strong user experience, particularly while workers are operating remotely. As work-from-anywhere continues to be the norm this year, visibility will remain an essential component of network performance management.

However, companies will no longer just be focusing on their own applications. Instead, solutions will be developed that deliver cross-vendor visibility. This will mean that network managers can build a complete picture of what is happening across their whole IT estate; covering every application and piece of software, regardless of vendor. Armed with this information, IT managers will have an improved ability to tackle issues quickly. It will also mean employees can enjoy strong network and application performance, and businesses can reap the rewards of their productivity.

2. Application performance will be key
As companies work to ensure employees remain connected and productive while working remotely, application performance will also be a top priority. However, the way in which the networks deliver applications has evolved. In 2021, organisations will increasingly turn to client-to-cloud acceleration to tackle the slow running of solutions experienced as a result of increased pressure on applications.

Tools, like Riverbed’s SaaS Accelerator, will empower network managers to optimise application performance; side stepping degradation that could occur between the data centre and employees’ home devices. This means that businesses can provide the same, smooth and seamless experience, irrespective of whether it’s at the data centre or using apps like Salesforce or Office365.

3. Technology will be built and implemented with remote working in mind
Beyond thinking about how remote working can be optimised for the present, 2021 will be the year that employees and businesses alike embrace the work-from-anywhere model as the future. This will be reflected in IT’s approach to building and implementing new technology. Rather than continuing with static development, developers will focus on remote working scenarios when building their code. By adapting their thinking to address the fact that each and every endpoint is now a microbranch, developers will make sure that user capabilities are optimised. What’s more, they will enable network managers to control applications and services from a single point; allowing the IT team to take leaps forward in securing the work-from-anywhere network.

4. Predictive operations will take centre stage
During 2020, Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) were key tools for network monitoring, delivering the visibility required to improve performance. This year, organisations will continue to adopt these technologies for operational and security purposes. For example, using real-time analytics, powered by AI and ML, to recognise and tackle any threats the network may face.

Beyond using the technology to resolve existing breaches, network managers will also use it to predict threats and faults before they occur, and analyse how the issues may develop over time. This will empower them to bolster security and minimise the chances of network disruption. Network managers will be further aided in this process through the adoption of rank analysis. This technique sees threats ordered according to the likelihood of them happening. As such, it will inform educated operations and resource management choices, thus ensuring that assets are targeted at where they’re needed most to protect data and guarantee good network operability.

5. The SD-WAN market will continue to be consolidated
As we’ve seen, the shift to remote working, triggered by the pandemic, has accentuated the need for capacity, low latency, and instant applications. This has put increasing market pressure on smaller SD-WAN players who are no longer able to compete. As a result, many of these businesses are, and will continue to be, pushed into acquisition deals with larger enterprises. Cisco, Juniper and HPE will all take advantage of these opportunities; buying up smaller players to expand their SD-WAN capabilities. This will be a vital step in keeping their customer base content in a challenging environment.

2021 will be a year of evolution
Over 61% of leaders plan to make additional technology investments over the next year, according to Riverbed’s Future of Work survey. These investments will see organisations embrace smarter approaches to application acceleration and network management, that focus on the value of visibility. By welcoming dynamic operational models, companies will bolster their IT infrastructure so they can effectively lead their workforce through the challenging times ahead and achieve both business growth and success.