India, like the rest of the world, is witnessing profound digital transformation in business – and networks play a key role in enabling this transformation. So, it is in your organization’s best interests to evolve your network to make it smarter and faster.
As we head into 2024, let’s explore 10 network trends that are shaping the digital space.
1. Intent-driven networking
You should align your applications closely with your business objectives to ensure they deliver what you need. But the performance of your applications depends hugely on the strength of your network: a better network means faster and more valuable output from your applications.
This is why more adaptive networks are in demand, and wide-area networks (WANs) are becoming software-defined so that they can be controlled from a single location and use automation to self-adjust as needed.
Not all traffic is equal, after all: you want to be able to specify which kinds of traffic, which applications and which users to prioritise. By setting performance parameters and rules, you can guarantee a certain level of network speed and capacity for particular applications.
2. Edge computing
In industries like manufacturing, the drive towards Industry 4.0 – and talk of 5.0, where people work alongside robots and smart machines – is creating demand for smarter factories, shop floors and devices.
Edge computing, which brings computing closer to the user – be it a computer, a human or an IoT device – is a key solution in this context.
But to gain the full benefits of edge computing, you need an adaptive network with low latency and high performance. Private 5G and similar technologies complement this shift.
3. Software-defined networking
Network intelligence takes centre stage with software-defined networking giving administrators centralised control through a single interface. This makes it easier to adapt the network to changing business requirements and allows for more dynamic and flexible configurations, as well as the automation of network tasks and workflows.
It also facilitates network virtualisation, allowing you to create multiple virtual networks on the same physical infrastructure, and offers improved visibility into network performance and traffic patterns.
The expectation is that a significant portion of the world’s networks will be software-defined in the coming years.
4. AI and machine learning
As organisations seek to reduce manual intervention and improve efficiency amid an escalating volume of network data, there is a rising focus on automation – which requires a certain amount of intelligence.
AI and machine learning have become imperative for swift decision-making, and present a new avenue of data analysis for organisations that have reached a certain level of network-infrastructure maturity after years of digitalization. It’s a natural next step along the digital transformation journey, together with finding uses for generative AI.
The degree to which an industry will adopt AI depends on the use cases developed for that industry and the maturity of its underlying infrastructure.
5. Cybersecurity
As networks become more software-defined with centralised control, having robust cybersecurity measures in place becomes critical – especially when you add edge computing, hybrid working and IoT devices into the mix.
Software-defined networks simplify security implementations, making it easier to protect data at all levels with less reliance on human intervention.
6. Network automation
Automation in network management is about increasing speed and reducing errors in response to the need for quick, proactive responses to network failures.
Manually monitoring all aspects of a network has become impractical, making automation a key component in remediation and proactive responses.
7. Open networking technologies
Open networking technologies have gained prominence because organisations need interoperability among diverse network components for better adoption and expanded use case..
This greatly lessens the need for a range of application programming interface integrations along with isolated network components.
8. Network visibility, the cloud and security: dealing with complexity
Visibility refers to constantly monitoring parameters such as traffic performance and security across your network. It’s a key requirement, but getting it right can be complicated.
And when you’re also adopting cloud-native applications, you introduce new traffic patterns that necessitate adjustments to your network configuration. Add to that the convergence of the networking and security domains, with security now an integral part of network design, and the complexity just keeps increasing.
This emphasises the need for organisations to collaborate with managed service providers (MSPs) with expertise that spans networks, cloud, security and more.
Step into 2024 with expert help
As technology adoption accelerates, it’s clear that the greatest challenge lies in managing and deriving real benefits from these innovations despite a scarcity of skilled resources in the market.
It’s no surprise, then, that India’s digital landscape is poised for a significant emphasis on managed services. In 2024, leave it to the experts and focus on making your business a success.
