COMMENT
I
n 2015, enterprise IT teams went
through one of the biggest transitions
in a decade as enterprises go hybrid
and implement software-defined
networks. Industry watchers from Gartner
to Harvard Business Review state that
more than 70% of companies are now
leveraging cloud computing and most
have hybrid IT models.
To meet the complexity associated
with increased cloud usage and to gain
control of the data centre, CIOs are
responding by harnessing technologies
that can differentiate their business,
provide a better customer experience
and ultimately help them gain a
competitive edge.
Technology is finally in a place that
enables IT to help the business how it
wants to be helped, not the other way
around. Instead of implementing systems
and applications with the sole objective
of meeting IT’s operational goals,
technologies like software-defined wide
area network (SD-WAN), which connect
the data centre to all remote locations
and to various cloud-based services,
enables other business leaders – including
the CIO, CFO and COO –to understand
how they can use technology to help
them achieve their own business goals.
Before we look ahead at what awaits the
industry in 2016, let’s first review some
of the biggest trends that shaped IT
networks through this year:
Trends for 2015
• IT efficiencies in the data centre such
as hyper-convergence, softwaredefined data centres, automation
and orchestration were adopted by
mainstream enterprises. Resulting in cost
efficiencies, greater span and control, and
faster data centre operati ۜ˂