Adaptiva Forecast for Enterprise IT in 2014 is Food for Thought

By

It is that time of the year where predictions fill the air and the Internet.  And, while I was working on mine (to be published soon), I started reviewing prognostications from a variety of sources that included, industry and financial analyst, bloggers, other members of the media, and a number from companies I follow. 

I have always been hesitant to reproduce or comment on the predictions of others for fear of opening the floodgates for requests.  However, I am going to create an exception to that rule. Seattle, WA-based Adaptiva, a leading IT systems management company and Microsoft Gold Partner, is out with its forecast for enterprise IT in 2014 and it goes not against many prevailing views, but makes such a sound case for their views that I thought they need to be shared. 

Adaptiva has focused on three big trends it sees—BYOD, infrastructure convergence and what to do about security problems with Microsoft’s popular Windows XP software. What they see in each area is something you should be looking at as well.  With its software deployed on more than 2 million devices in over 14 countries, and deep Microsoft enterprise solutions expertise, the views are not those of a company looking to just be contrarians, but are grounded in their customer engagements.

Image via Shutterstock

Three big trends to watch

As context for the predictions Deepak Kumar, Chief Technology Officer and founder of Adaptiva, stated that: “Compared to last year, IT worldwide has gained a more solid footing due to opportunities offered by emerging technologies and practices that have became a mainstay in today’s business technology environment. IT is now challenged with how to implement and leverage these emerging technologies in the most efficient way possible, without alienating the traditional tools and methodologies that are still effective today.”

So what lies ahead?  First, In 2014, Adaptiva believes large-scale global IT will struggle with the convergence of technologies and infrastructures, particularly as Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), desktop and infrastructure virtualization, and a need to manage global networks as efficiently as possible strain IT department ingenuity and resources. As noted above, they also think  enterprises will also struggle to migrate from Microsoft XP before its end of life in April 2014 deadline, and thus will be open to serious security and compatibility issues. 

Rather than paraphrase, below are the predictions in their entirety:

 BYOD will fail to Live up to the Hype

The idea that BYOD will replace Desktop virtualization is becoming more farfetched by the day. With software development issues and a limited number of work-based applications for employees to leverage, the phenomenon once praised for the innovation it would bring, will not be able to replace core productivity tools as was once believed. As the capabilities of a mobile device have yet to fully impact a business’ general bottom line, they will not be a primary work tool for those in the enterprise IT and infrastructure management fields. Organizations will continue to leverage desktops and laptops as the key devices, using mobile only for an additional support or value-add.

 Limited WAN Bandwidth will Stifle IT Infrastructure Convergence

According to the InformationWeek 2014 Next-Generation WAN Survey, 68 percent of respondents see demand for WAN bandwidth to increase over the next year, leaving it poised to outpace the growth that was originally expected in the enterprise sector. This will cause serious issues for global organizations that already deal with poor infrastructure in parts of the world where it is not available. Over the next year it will be imperative for organizations to find ways to streamline these global processes in order to avoid extra costs and send data across global networks as efficiently as possible.

XP Will Cause Significant Security Issues

With it still being the second most popular Microsoft OS in use, it is clear that a significant amount of enterprises will fail to make the jump from XP by the April 2014 deadline. With that, we will see many organizations leaving themselves open to significant security issues because of it. With Microsoft no longer patching the software’s vulnerabilities, cyber attackers will have an easier time victimizing organizations whose computers will still be running Windows XP.

Combine this with the fact that many antivirus software providers have said they plan to stop providing security for the product after April 8, 2014, and the risks and costs of handling these potential breaches far outweigh the time and resources it takes to upgrade an OS across large-scale global networks, leaving enterprises susceptible crippling effects if they are not properly prepared.

As I stated at the top, this is the season for predictions.  Many are going to contain a consensus view on major industry trends.  It is important to understand why the consensus is the consensus, but it also important to understand those areas which can produce surprises. Adaptiva has provided some insights that hopefully mean you will not be surprised if they become an issue for your enterprise in 2014. 

 
Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. [Free eNews Subscription]
SHARE THIS ARTICLE
Related Articles

Can Science Outsmart Deepfake Deceivers? Klick Labs Proposes an Emerging Solution

By: Alex Passett    3/25/2024

Researchers at Klick Labs were able to identify audio deepfakes from authentic audio recordings via new vocal biomarker technology (alongside AI model…

Read More

Top 5 Best Ways to Integrate Technology for Successful Project-Based Learning

By: Contributing Writer    3/19/2024

Project-based learning, also popularly known as the PBL curriculum, emphasizes using and integrating technology with classroom teaching. This approach…

Read More

How to Protect Your Website From LDAP Injection Attacks

By: Contributing Writer    3/12/2024

Prevent LDAP injection attacks with regular testing, limiting access privileges, sanitizing user input, and applying the proper encoding functions.

Read More

Azure Cost Optimization: 5 Things You Can Do to Save on Azure

By: Contributing Writer    3/7/2024

Azure cost optimization is the process of managing and reducing the overall cost of using Azure. It involves understanding the resources you're using,…

Read More

Massive Meta Apps and Services Outage Impacts Users Worldwide

By: Alex Passett    3/5/2024

Meta's suite of apps and services are experiencing major global outages on Super Tuesday 2024.

Read More