Are your teams grappling with greater volumes of connected IoT and edge data in your cloud infrastructure? Tackle this inflection point!
As the world evolves alongside connected technologies, every industry will reach an inflection point, where enterprise applications will require low-latency connection to elevate performance and function at peak efficiencies.
To realize the full potential of these new operating dimensions, firms need to adopt more a more progressive outlook where critical emerging technologies such as data, IoT and private 5G networks are not only integrated into operations but also woven together through the cloud and the edge.
This year, implementing 5G capabilities with the help of private wireless services will become a foundation for digital acceleration, where high-speed, high-capacity, low-latency private connectivity can transform how companies manufacture and distribute.
Merging cloud with the secure edge
Looking ahead, the pervasiveness of new workplace and business models will also see heightened demand from customers and employees for enhanced and personalized digital experiences. Edge computing, with the ability to bring decision-making capabilities closer to the point of digital interaction, will improve automation for a wide variety of IoT use cases such as factory robotics, self-driving vehicles, and retail touchpoints. Hence, the intelligent edge will also be another foundational element for firms looking to transform even further through low latency connectivity.
For future-proof and successful deployment of edge networks, distributed computing architectures are critical, and that will require deep network management expertise coupled with operational and performance excellence.
As cloud-based networks evolve further, new core capabilities will also emerge, such as the Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) architecture where both security and networking functions are merging together.
With remote- and hybrid- working becoming pervasive and with a growing number of applications connecting to the network, standard perimeter security is no longer sufficient. With new security models like SASE, network traffic can be examined in real time and leveraged to prevent, detect and mitigate threats through AI, analytics and automation.
Also, as organizations contend with data sprawl, services that can help firms leverage SASE and facilitate other solutions to secure access to data and applications will be expected to increase exponentially. At the same time, challenges will be inevitable as organizations adopt a greater volume of intelligent, connected IoT and edge use cases, such as balancing the different needs of DevOps, operational technology, and IT teams. Such internal complexities can be overcome by sponsorship from the C-level, and also via expert counsel from trusted partners that can provide enhanced oversight and assessment into how the cloud and edge can transform the business.
Technology cultural inertia is another persistent pain point. The preference for certain technologies and working styles is a factor that makes or breaks operational productivity. Business and technology leaders must understand the level of maturity of their teams and engage and collaborate closely with key technology partners to ensure how these new investments are integrated into existing or new operations.
Leverage strategic partnerships for pole positioning
Once an organization fully understands its core capabilities, strategic collaborations with technology partners can help accelerate the value of the emerging cloud-native and open platforms. These third parties can provide invaluable expertise on seamlessly unifying previously disparate enterprise functions to interact and interoperate. When designed correctly, networks can be sliced to meet the most stringent latency budgets, while concurrently connecting and serving edge compute services to millions of low-cost, low-power sensors.
Ahead of the expected enhancements to 5G edge cloud standards that will arrive over the next year, organizations should already be planning out their strategies and roadmaps to integrate and converge emerging technologies. Those that start this journey now may have a higher chance to place themselves in pole position to benefit from this next wave of digital evolution: simultaneously building on existing infrastructures without disrupting current operations.
