Covering Disruptive Technology Powering Business in The Digital Age

While no one could foresee the disruption caused by COVID-19 in 2020, we anticipated early on how it would affect the tech world. Moreover, the CEO of HPE, Antonio Neri, foresaw that the pandemic would have the effect of accelerating the calendar of technological evolution, an opinion since shared by other technological companies’ leaders. Making predictions is always a perilous exercise, especially in a complex context as the one we live in. However, here are a few to give an overview of what 2021 will be like.

5G adoption will be determined by commercial applications

5G is much more than faster downloads for individuals, which cannot be the source of the billions of dollars needed to deploy 5G networks. Therefore, operators will rapidly deploy 5G services for businesses in 2021, a source of much greater revenue, and will develop new innovative professional services.

5G represents an excellent opportunity for operators to provide new cloud services at the edge of the network, especially since certain applications are particularly suitable such as video analysis, virtual reality or even games. Those applications that require low latencies, optimised bandwidth or special security requirements can be hosted on a cloud infrastructure close to the user. If we take the example of a connected car communicating with a traffic light; low latency is critical, so this data does not need to be transferred hundreds of miles into a data centre or even stored there because the information is only required for 30 seconds.

We will also see the emergence of 5G core networks in 2021 that will allow operators to virtually cut the networks. This will have the effect of exploiting the full power of 5G while guaranteeing very low latencies and better invoice (or even more) the companies that will use this technology.

Leverage exascale technology in data centres

The first exascale system will be available in 2021. This is the next leap forward in the field of supercomputers and will deliver performance five to ten times that of today. Simulation and modelling at the exascale scale will make it possible to consider an even larger volume of complex data and transform them into more reliable and relevant digital models. However, 99% of companies will not need an exascale system for their analytics, AI, engineering, data science, or modelling work.

In contrast, we believe all businesses in the future will have systems that use the same technologies designed for supercomputers to support their data-intensive applications. With a single server, companies will be able to work with even more complex and advanced algorithms to enable their digital transformation and accelerate innovation. Technologies in this ‘exascale era’ will push the boundaries of science by accelerating drug discovery or refining extreme climate predictions, but also allow every business to better leverage its data to make better business decisions.

The hybrid cloud will make the concept of “cloud everywhere” a reality

The notion of “cloud everywhere” is a natural evolution that stems from the first implementations of data centres defined by software, the evolution of IaaS based on the open-source community, and platforms’ rise. Public cloud and current container platforms. Cloud everywhere suggests that the business values ​​and benefits of public cloud service models can now be available in an on-premises environment, leveraging all the benefits of on-premises IT for security, compliance and compliance. improved latency. These cloud services are part of an on-premises solution, designed to deliver innovative capabilities, available in a consumption model and deployed anywhere, from the edge to your data centre, through a colocation facility. This is the very essence of “cloud everywhere”, made possible by the development of hybrid cloud.

The hybrid cloud approach was previously seen as a stepping stone to a cloud implementation. Today, companies are finding that a hybrid approach makes more sense, both strategically and economically. According to IDC, 70% of business applications and data remain outside of the public cloud. Due to data latency, application entanglement, or for security and compliance reasons; more and more organisations in all industries want to keep their data in place. At the same time, public cloud providers sometimes impose data egress fees or lockdowns that restrict the possibilities for businesses. With that in mind, 2021 will see even more companies take a hybrid approach.

With the hybrid cloud, companies will more often adopt a strategy focused on the “as a service” model in order to be able to monitor and adapt the way they consume technological resources. Beyond the benefits of a pay-as-you-go model, CIOs want the on-premises cloud experience and want the ability to monitor their infrastructure and usage through advanced counters, real-time analytics, and cost analyses. From 2021, more organisations will promote these measurement capabilities, cost transparency and the existence of a cloud-like user interface in their service activities.

New opportunities for the Channel sector

In 2020, distributors were able to respond quickly to the needs of their customers while adapting their own organisations to the “new normal”. Vendors like HPE have made available to their channel partners a wide range of virtual sales certifications, virtual learning and sales certifications, demos and empowerment opportunities to continue the dynamics of distance selling. In 2021, channel partners will leverage these resources to hone their expertise and take advantage of business opportunities.

MSPs will continue to experience increasing demand, especially as more and more customers adopt a hybrid cloud model. Compared to large public cloud providers, service providers often offer in-depth knowledge of the specifics of businesses and local governance (especially in regions where data sovereignty is a concern). In many cases, MSPs also provide a more personalised customer experience.

The SME and middle market segments are expected to be a priority for technology distributors during the year 2021. SMEs are increasingly interested in investing in information technologies in order to accelerate their digital transformations, leverage data and improve the employee experience. This will make them more competitive and help them recover from the pandemic. Many SMEs also needed specific technologies and quick fixes for their infrastructure in early 2020 to adapt to changing business demands following the global COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, they will reassess the solutions really needed for their long-term infrastructure.

(0)(0)