Virtualization and Cloud executives share their predictions for 2017. Read them in this 9th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.
Contributed by Marie Hattar, chief marketing officer (CMO), Ixia
Rethinking Network Infrastructure, Visibility and Security in 2017It's become painfully apparent that organizations will have to rethink network infrastructure and security if they're going to stay up and running in 2017.
As part of this process, we will likely see more cloud adoption across the United States, network visibility will become a standard, AI and machine learning will reshape security, and IoT-based hacking campaigns will continue to rise. Let's dive in a little further and see what we can expect in the coming year.
The Cloud Saga Continues
Cloud computing is not done yet, it's just matured. Businesses will continue to move to cloud-based networks, especially smaller companies who couldn't afford the risk of being an early adopter. Even with this obstacle, about 78 percent of small businesses in the U.S. will have fully adopted cloud computing by 2020.
The reason for this continued growth is that the cloud has made itself such a crucial tool for organizations of all shapes and sizes. From cost-efficient elastic scalability to agility while reducing costs in 2017 and beyond, the cloud has changed the game. We can expect the second cloud wave to focus on analytics and security-new players will emerge and an organizations will more readily "bet their business" on the cloud.
Seeing Through the Fog
Migration to cloud-based environments will mean organizations will have to account for the associated security and control risks. According to a recent Ixia survey, 67 percent of respondents deploy business-critical applications on the public cloud. That can no longer be the case when organizations' operations are dependent on an environment that is inherently opaque.
Fortunately, steps are being taken to keep data secure. Throughout 2017, there will be an increased focus on network visibility. By 2018, about 60 percent of enterprises deploying the appropriate network visibility tools will experience a third fewer security failures.
Smart Tools Will Change Everything
AI has been the end of year's media darling, and with good reason, as it generates strong insights and drives faster business decisions in all areas from marketing to product management. In fact, Forrester predicts investment in artificial intelligence will grow 300 percent in 2017. It will be the secret weapon to shore the gaps in much of our technology, especially the issue of unused data. AI in security, particularly, is will gain momentum- underpinning systems that can identify, analyze, learn, anticipate and adjust to cyber security threats in real-time with minimal human intervention.
IoT Risks Have Become A Reality, and this will continue in 2017
The security of the Internet of Things (IoT) has always been tenuous at best. But IoT offers opportunities that cannot go untapped for the sake of security concerns alone. With practical planning and secured implementations that take industry concerns into account, organizations can move their IoT visions forward with confidence. Doing this properly will be crucial in stopping IoT-powered attacks, like those conducted by the Mirai botnet. Hackers will most likely continue exploiting IoT vulnerabilities in 2017.
Ultimately, organizations will reach maturity in the cloud and IoT will be a well-established aspect of all businesses despite hacking threats. All companies will benefit, as long as they do so effectively.
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About the Author
Marie Hattar, as chief marketing officer (CMO), is responsible for Ixia's brand and global marketing efforts, including product and solutions marketing, corporate marketing, field marketing, corporate communications and partner marketing. She drives Ixia's corporate positioning, messaging and communications to both internal and external audiences. She has more than 20 years of marketing leadership experience spanning the security, routing, switching, telecom and mobility markets. Before joining Ixia, Marie was CMO at Check Point Software Technologies. Prior to that, she was Vice President at Cisco where she led the company's enterprise networking and security portfolio and helped drive the company's leadership in networking. Marie also worked at Nortel Networks, Alteon WebSystems, and Shasta Networks in senior marketing and CTO positions. She received a master's degree in Business Administration in Marketing from York University and a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Toronto.
