Getting ahead and staying ahead of your competitors and market challenges means having the ability to see ahead, to predict what’s coming. To that end, these are the trends I see in enterprise networking, the trends defining our increasingly dynamic workforce. Adopting technologies and strategies that work alongside these changes will shape an enterprise’s IT infrastructure to meet the needs of the future.
The 6GHz Spectrum
The 6GHz spectrum and the devices that can utilize it – currently 6E devices and soon WiFi 7 devices – will move from being the technology-of-choice for early adopters to being a mainstream technology.
This is a change in and of itself. It will require:
- Updated network designs: The 6GHz frequency band uses shorter wavelengths than the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. These wavelengths struggle to travel long distances and experience greater degradation from interference like dense walls and metal doors. A network may need to be redesigned using a site survey or another solution in order for 6E devices to work reliably and optimally.
- Upgraded infrastructure and client devices: Enterprises must have both 6E or 7 capable Access Points (APs) and 6E/7 devices in order for their offices to support the 6GHz frequency band.
In addition to these changes, the widespread adoption of the new band means we’ll start seeing new features for the mobile workspace flooding the marketplace.
Those who manufacture such devices, tools, and solutions will want to take advantage of the greater efficiency offered by the 6GHz band, as will those who purchase the technologies. The promise of higher performance, lower latency, and faster data rates offered by 6GHz make compatible devices very attractive.
These features can deliver great benefits to enterprise networking, but only when they are assimilated as part of an overall growth strategy. Enterprises must look carefully at their specific network needs in high-density environments to identify the devices that will meet those needs and resolve challenges.
The result should be an enterprise with streamlined operations that are unlikely to be upset by fluctuating market conditions.
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IoT Explosion
The State of IoT – Spring 2024 report shows that:
- The IoT market is $236 billion
- IoT remains a top-three corporate technology priority
- Combining AI and IoT is now a priority
Just as with the 6GHz spectrum, the IoT trend means more connected devices in enterprise networks. These include everything from furniture sensors, to building automation systems, to vending machines.
Most of these IoT devices depend on WiFi. It’s this network that allows them to be positioned anywhere within an enterprise, and moved wherever (and whenever) a need arises.
The benefits provided by these technologies, and their exploding adoption, therefore places an increasing demand on the WiFi network. We must have real-time, comprehensive visibility into network and device performance to support the digital experience.
Cloud Computing
Cloud computing has been growing and scaling for many years, but there are a number of enterprises still going through the migration process. One reason for this initial slow adoption is that many organizations had concerns about data privacy and security. However, we are now seeing even these highly-security conscious organizations move to at least a hybrid cloud environment as cloud security improves.
This trend is driven and will continue to be driven by others. This includes:
- Edge computing, which makes cloud computing more accessible for all applications, including those that need low latency and real-time processing.
- New cloud technologies such as multi-cloud and hybrid cloud environments
- Interest in wire-free workplaces (although there will continue to be a need for wired connections for APs)
- Software-Defined Networking (SDN): SDN uses software-based controllers and APIs to communicate with network infrastructure and direct traffic on a network. Its design allows it to direct both traditional networks and virtual networks. It is this technology that allows it to support cloud computing.
- SASE (Secure Access Service Edge): SASE is a cloud-based architecture that delivers a number of capabilities, including cloud native security functions, to enterprise organizations. Enterprises interested in these functions must invest in cloud computing.
The extension of our networks beyond our office walls and into the cloud is one of the technologies that has supported a mobile workforce. We will increasingly depend on its flexibility to support growing remote work.
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The Hybrid Workforce
The normalization of the hybrid workforce will continue.
The ease offered by this trend to most working professionals is a necessary one as our world grows more connected.
Employees who can work from home or a restaurant while waiting for a business meeting, in a train or on an airplane, or in a foreign country keep productivity high. We have phones and laptops, video conferencing, and the cloud to keep us connected with our colleagues and sensitive business information from anywhere with a strong WiFi connection.
What we need now is the technology to connect our devices in a new way – not so we can work with one another, but so that IT can troubleshoot the technical problems of a hybrid workforce.
While traditional offices still have an onsite IT team, many mobile professionals don’t have the benefit of that support. This can be because they are at home, but it can also be because they work at a remote site that doesn’t have a permanent IT presence.
The next trend I want to discuss is changing this. It makes IT present, even when they aren’t.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence means a lot to a lot of different people. While generative AI’s adoption has been front and center in today’s news, there’s another aspect of AI that is shaping the next generation of IT infrastructure. It is AI-driven network automation.
What does this mean? It means intelligent automation. Automation tools and solutions that can be put to work, and then walked away from, as IT professionals trust that they will do what they are meant to do. It means solutions that learn how something works – a certain business process, machine, or even the network itself – and then use that knowledge to monitor and improve performance.
It is this trend that makes the adoption of the others successful.
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Why? Review the other trends on this list.
- 6GHz spectrum: Successful adoption and ROI requires in-depth analysis of current network needs and post-adoption performance changes.
- Cloud computing: IT professionals need constant insight into the performance and security of cloud applications. They require proactive alerts at the first sign of any problems.
- IoT explosion: IT cannot monitor hundreds or thousands of connected devices in real-time. And yet, it is real-time monitoring that is required if WiFi networks are to be truly problem free, providing reliable service to all technologies.
- Hybrid workforce: As we alluded to above, a hybrid workforce needs an IT team that is not restricted to a company’s physical location.
AI-powered automation makes it possible for different tools and solutions to deliver:
- Real-time and historical network analytics from the device level: These analytics can both reveal exactly what users are currently experiencing and highlight long-term performance trends. With this information, enterprises can better determine what technology adoptions they need for improved operations and ensure that adopted technologies deliver the needed ROI.
- Proactive alerts based on individual network and device performance: Thanks to AI, automation tools can actually learn to recognize normal and abnormal behavior and performance. At the first sign of something abnormal, they can proactively alert IT teams.
- Remote, automated troubleshooting: These solutions can both monitor devices from any location, delivering IT remote insights into performance, and allow IT to push through troubleshooting resolutions should there be identified issues. With this support, IT’s need to travel to remote sites is greatly reduced. This means that users don’t have to wait for IT to arrive before issues are eliminated.
For these reasons, I see AI-powered automation as a crucial trend for the growth and adoption of other next-gen technologies.
Also Read:Â Master Data Management (MDM) in the Cloud Era
The Future
When it comes to technology innovation, our future is full. These trends will lead to more robust business continuity and improved operational efficiency for every enterprise that strategically adopts them.
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