Network Communications News (NCN) September 2016 | Page 5
editorial
COLUMN
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Believe the hype
I
t’s that time of year again,
when the dying embers
of the summer signal the
arrival of the annual ‘Gartner
Hype Cycle for Emerging
Technologies’. It may not
always provide us with a pin
sharp picture of things to come
but it never fails to spark debate
on some of the up and coming
technologies as well as those that
are already approaching the end
of their useful life.
The report aims to ‘distill
insight’ from more than 2,000
technologies and offer some
perspective on the trends that
will help to shape our future.
Sixteen new technologies have
found their way on to the 2016
Hype Cycle and although there
are a number of unfamiliar
concepts making their debuts
(smart dust anyone?!) some of
the watchwords we have become
familiar with over the past few
years are already in danger of
dropping into the infamous
‘trough of disillusionment’.
Software defined anything
appears to be on its way down
but, interestingly, connected
homes, micro data centres and
the IoT platform - three topics
that have seen plenty of exposure
over the past 12 months - already
look to be close to the ‘peak of
inflated expectations’, suggesting
that the buzz surrounding these
widely vaunted technologies may
eventually quieten a little over the
next few years.
According to Gartner,
there are clear indications that
technology will become more
human-centric to the point where
it will introduce transparency
between people, businesses
and things. An intertwining of
technology and the environment
is already coming to fruition
and as technology continues
to improve and evolve this
relationship will be further
strengthened.
Too much hype surrounding
a new technology or concept
can quickly become tiresome but
there is no doubt that the industry
thrives on innovation and the
introduction of fresh ideas - the
Hype Cycle is far from perfect but
it does give us an inkling of what
lurks just around the corner.
*After more than a decade working
on NCN I will be moving on to
pastures new this month. I would
like to thank NCN’s loyal readers
for their continued support and
a big thank you to everyone who
has contributed to the magazine
during my time as editor.*
Switches & routers
The October issue of Network Communications
News will contain a major feature on switches
and routers as well as its regular range of
features and news items.
It will comprise a major article and a
comprehensive product round up which will be
used as a reference point by network cabling
infrastructure installers, integrators and end users.
To make sure you don’t miss the
opportunity to advertise your products to
this exclusive readership,
call Francesca on 01634 673163 or
email [email protected]
Michael Crane
Editor
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