Five drivers of IT monitoring tech expected this year

Data centers, IT/OT convergence, unaddressed IoT cyber risks, cloud-first and distributed architectures are expected to stir innovations in monitoring technologies

Ever wondered what 2023 brings in terms of IT monitoring trends? Here are some key forecasts contributed  by Paessler.

Firstly, the firm notes that while industries are clamoring to address all the challenges that have arisen with the rising convergence of IT and operational technology (OT), it is also equally important to consider the monitoring of the ecosystem.

A major challenge in 2023 is to bring multiple metrics and diverse monitoring systems into a single pane of view. There will be an increased focus on IT monitoring tools that enable organizations to keep track of the changes in the ecosystem and provide a consolidated view of data collected, simplifying the data analysis and decision-making process.

As we stretch the limits of IT/OT convergence, we will need solutions that can improve monitoring of these devices and infrastructures.

Monitoring in data centers

As multinationals continue to relocate their data centers (DCs) to South-east Asia (SEA), there is little doubt that the region has become a hotspot. Singapore’s government has already lifted its moratorium on data center construction. Also, with the Satu Data Indonesia (SDI) 2022-2024 action plan, the Indonesian government is also focusing on expanding the implementation of data structures such as data centers. Meanwhile the Thailand data center market is expected to be worth US$1.03bn by 2027.

With the growth of DCs and the related infrastructure and devices that are often spread over multiple geographic locations come the challenge of monitoring them to ensure efficient operation and minimize downtime.

As the DC sector continues to play a major role in multiple industries and across SEA, so will the monitoring solutions. 

More remote monitoring from the Cloud

An important aspect of cloud migration is strengthening cloud-first strategies by ensuring that various applications and IT processes can be incorporated into a cloud computing environment. 

Additionally, monitoring services being offered from the cloud are increasing. And this is applicable to monitoring cloud-based components such as websites, cloud-services, and cloud-based applications. When it comes to on-premises monitoring, solutions from the cloud may face some issues as they are reliant on a superfast and stable internet connection to avoid false monitoring results due to time lags in data transmission. It is important to take this in account, and organizations will need to go with the right mix of cloud-based and on-premises monitoring tools.

Renewed focus on IoT security

Given the significant rise in cyberattacks and related scams and crypto heists, it is no surprise that businesses across the globe are turning their attention to further strengthening their cybersecurity initiatives and strategies.

However, one noticeable gap in all of this is the Internet of things (IoT) security gap. Any device that is connected to the internet is susceptible to some form of cyberattack. Apart from the fact that IoT devices inherently have very little built-in security, and that patch management can be difficult because of their physical nature, the interconnectedness of these devices and their complex environments poses grave security threats across the network.

Monitoring is a vital part of every security strategy, ensuring that all classic security tools like firewalls, unusual detection systems or privileged access management tools work flawlessly. However, this is especially critical in the IoT domain. Suitable monitoring solutions can ensure physical security by integrating door locking systems, security cameras, smoke detectors or temperature sensors into a centralized function in 2023.

Distributed architectures will go mainstream

With concepts of hybrid working, remote offices and work-from-home arrangements becoming common, organizations are storing data in the cloud instead of having centralized data infrastructures, thereby moving toward networks using Software as A Service and Software-Defined WAN.

With such distributed architectures gaining ground, it will be critical to have the right distributed monitoring strategy in place.

Given this scenario, there will be a high demand in 2023 for solutions that will provide organizations with a unified overview of multiple IT infrastructures, providing benefits in network performance, troubleshooting, simplifying the transition to the cloud and reducing bandwidth requirements.