OPINION
Internet of Things
With connected homes becoming more of a
normality in 2015, and the growing popularity of
products such as smart fridges, smart meters and
thermostats, we can expect to see the Internet of
Things really evolve in 2016. As products continue to
develop and become more affordable, devices used
in connected homes will become integrated into
the business landscape with the uptake of mobile
devices. With this we can expect to see more frequent
performance bottlenecks, periods of downtime and a
level of sub-standard service across many businesses,
as IT and network managers struggle to keep up with
changing infrastructure requirements.
Managed Service Providers
With the increased adoption and understanding of
next-generation technology such as cloud, BYOD and
the Internet of Things in 2015, we can expect to see
even more channel partners move into a managed
service provider role in 2016, which will enable
channel partners to reinforce the importance of the
procurement process. This is set to increase revenue
by selling full solutions rather than standalone
products and encourage channel partners to make
significant changes to both the headcount and
skillset of employees.
Adoption of ac
As the number of devices using the wireless network
continues to explode, we can expect to see a much
more rapid increase in businesses adopting 802.11ac
wireless standards. This will accelerate in 2016,
where we can expect to see a downward trend in the
older 802.11n standard devices, as organisations
using 802.11g, make the decision to move directly
on to 802.11ac. We also expect to see the arrival
of multi-gigabit switching, which will become more
important as Wave 2 ac access points arrive to
support Wave 2 clients where speeds greater than a
Gigabit on the switch network warrant higher speed
switching.
Data Integrity
With high-profile cyber-attacks in 2015 such as
that of TalkTalk, and with personal and business
data becoming more digitalised, data integrity
in 2016 will be more important than ever before.
The protection of a businesses data and that of its
customers is crucial. Whether this is due to a cyberattack, human error or a glitch in the system, a longterm and robust business strategy for keeping data
secure is vital for 2016 and beyond.
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