Top Trends 2023 - Networking Technology

The health of an enterprise network directly affects how successful the business is. Without 24/7 uptime, real-time data transfer or impeccable network management, businesses will struggle to get basic tasks done. We mean, can you go even a day without using emails or sharing data across the enterprise network? #HeckNo

Recently, networks are moving towards software-driven management, reducing the reliance on hardware components. This means there are several exciting trends, disruptions and innovations making waves. The aim is to constantly improve networking technologies so your workforce can be more productive, collaborate across regions and time zones as well as deal with the increasing complexity and volumes of data. Last year, we explored networking technology trends such as SD-WAN, 5G, Wi-Fi 6.0 and edge networking. If you want to innovate and stay on top of your game this year too, check out the top 5 Networking Technology Trends of 2023!
 

Trend 1: Fiber-Optic Network Technology Will Address The Need For Speed

As businesses continue to demand faster and more reliable Internet connections, fiber network technology has emerged as one of the top solutions in the industry. By using fiber-optic cables, businesses can transmit data at incredibly fast speeds. We're no mind-readers but we bet you just asked: how fast? Well, fiber networks can transmit data as fast as 70% of the speed of light, offering speeds of up to 940 Megabits per second (Mbps). #FasterThanFlash

Needless to say, fiber networks will offer organizations a major advantage in speed and bandwidth over traditional cables and networks. Moreover, fiber networks are more resistant to interference and signal degradation, making them ideal for businesses that rely on VoIP (Voice-over-Internet-Protocol) or other applications that need real-time data delivery. Some businesses have already started leveraging fiber optic modems (FOM) to create fiber-optic networks. It not only improves data transmission speeds but also offers better security as fiber networks enable jam/ hack-proof communications. Although the upfront cost of deploying a fiber network can be significant, the long-term benefits will make it an increasingly popular option for businesses of all sizes.

TechDogs’ Opinion: As the digital ecosystem keeps growing, both businesses and consumers will demand a flawless Internet connection. Fiber network technology will be the most effective solution to enable higher speeds and bandwidth across various applications. With the integration of fiber-optic cables, businesses will be able to share data up to 1,000 times faster than current networks allow. This will influence a range of industries as sharing and uploading data, loading websites, streaming online, etc. will become faster. The biggest advantage will be an uninterrupted and seamless user experience.
 

Trend 2: Businesses Will Focus On Wireless-Value Realization

Businesses work with several types of data, which is why they also need to deploy and manage various sub-networks. For example, more critical applications that require real-time delivery are routed to high-bandwidth networks. On the other hand, tasks such as sending emails or automated data mining are relegated to lower bandwidth and speeds. Hence, network managers need to effectively support a vast spectrum of networks; from office Wi-Fi to LTE to Local Area Networks (LAN). Businesses will focus on deriving maximum value from their various enterprise network deployments this year.

A study by Gartner predicted that by 2025, 60% of enterprises will be using five or more wireless technologies simultaneously. Hence, businesses will be more prudent about analyzing the network performance as they want better value for their networking technology investments. The fact is business networks no longer serve the simple function of connectivity.

Networks that can deliver more information quickly and accurately will directly correlate with higher business revenue. The trend of wireless value realization will drive companies to improve the ROI on existing enterprise networks through technological innovation and integrations. Moreover, businesses will be keen to invest in newer networking technologies to replace outdated legacy hardware.

TechDogs’ Opinion: Networks of all kinds will remain critical for business operations. We recommend that the trend of wireless-value realization should not lead to businesses eliminating networks that are less commonly used as they may also provide value. Instead, they need to focus on improving existing networks that support day-to-day operations in terms of speed, bandwidth and reliability. Moreover, network managers are expected to shift focus towards optimizing network loads across the enterprise for maximum value. With more complex and bandwidth-hungry network applications being deployed, businesses will need to re-evaluate their existing network infrastructure for true value realization. #LookForValue
 

Trend 3: Next-Generation Networks Will Take Us To The Next Level

With the previous trend in mind, businesses also spend a lot on maintaining various networks with discrete functionality. For example, businesses deploy different networks for telephony, Internet connection and cellular services, each with its own set of complex protocols. An emerging technology called Next-Generation Networks aims to solve this issue by consolidating services into a single network! #OneNetworkToRuleThemAll

The goal of Next-Generation Networks (NGN) is to create a unified network capable of transporting all types of data. It provides generalized mobility to businesses by transmitting data via IP packets (similar to those used on the Internet). Therefore, every service that currently relies on discrete networks, whether wired or wireless, will be able to switch to an NGN. Although it sounds quite futuristic, Japan is already developing a next-generation network that will offer speeds of up to one Petabit/sec or 125,000 Gigabytes per second! Next-generation networks will be able to support more connected devices (up to 100 billion) simultaneously. Moreover, its power consumption will be much lower than that of existing networks as they feature low-power, standby and hibernate modes.

TechDogs’ Opinion: Businesses looking to leverage innovative networking technologies should definitely add next-generation networks to their shopping list! These networks will help you switch to a packet-based network, which has several benefits over the traditional Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN). Moreover, they can enable the provision of services that rely on multiple broadband technologies in one consolidated network. Businesses will see lower transmission costs, greater power savings, less reliance on hardware and reduced maintenance expenses. We think that a next-generation network will also allow businesses the ability to offer a wider range of network services at faster speeds and better reliability.
 

Trend 4: Businesses Will Adopt Software-Defined Networking (SDN)

Another emerging trend that more businesses will adopt in 2023 is that of software-defined networks (SDN). Although not a new concept, software-defined networking is an approach to network management that enables dynamic and efficient configuration through software. Not only does it reduce the reliance on hardware (routers, firewalls, repeaters, etc.), SDN improves the overall network performance, monitoring and analytics. Think of it as cloud-based provisioning for networks, rather than the traditional hardware approach to network management. While NFV (Network Function Virtualization) helps virtualize network components, SDN will offer higher-level management to orchestrate overall network operations.

SDNs will help businesses speed up service delivery and enhance agility as they will be able to manage both virtual and physical network components from a central location. The best part is that SDNs can be scaled up (or down) depending on network volume and workload based on real-time visibility into the network performance. Additionally, an SDN approach will help cut down the operating costs of wireless networks to offer better value (Trend 2).

TechDogs’ Opinion: One of the major downsides of hardware-based networks was the cost of operating, maintaining and replacing components. Now, network administrators can rejoice as SDNs will help them provision, monitor, analyze and manage enterprise networks efficiently through software. It will result in lower operating costs, better server utilization and higher control over virtualized components. We expect SDNs to be used by enterprises with a focus on information security for compliance and improved authorization. Network security functions such as firewalling, intrusion detection, access control and network segmentation will be moved from hardware to software, allowing security policies to be centrally programmed. #ItsAllOnTheCloud

Trend 5: Artificial Intelligence Will Automate Network Management

Artificial Intelligence has been one of the most transformative technologies of our time. Not only does it show more potential each year but it has already revolutionized how businesses operate across domains and industries. This year, AI will enable enterprise networks to become smarter and more self-reliant.

Network managers and IT teams have started realizing that managing complex networks with increasing endpoints and devices than ever before cannot be possible without automating certain tasks. Hence, AI-integrated networks will enable components to self-diagnose for maximum uptime and resilience. Network managers will also be able to gain real-time insights into the network operations to make necessary manual changes. Additionally, AI-driven networks will be better (and faster) at predicting issues and bottlenecks. For example, Artificial Intelligence models can create adaptive systems that use real-time feedback to optimize network loads to prevent throttling and outages.

Moreover, if network outages or crashes occur, AI will help businesses speed up troubleshooting and issue identification by automatically analyzing data. With AI poised to take over predictive duties, enterprise networks will see 24/7 uptime, quicker issue resolution and improved analytics. AI will play an important role in allowing businesses to expand their network to more endpoints while ensuring real-time functionality.

TechDogs’ Opinion: It was only a matter of time before Artificial Intelligence was integrated into networking technologies. Using AI will allow businesses to automate tasks such as security provisioning, network analytics, predictive modeling, etc. Artificial Intelligence will help maximize network efficiency and functionality by identifying areas of improvement – be it operational, security or technological. Understanding where the enterprise network needs modifications will provide business agility and improved response to network issues. Most of all, it will enable automated network management, which can result in better performance and ROI. #AutomationEverywhere
 

Summing It Up

Networking technology is the core of business communications and information transfer. Without efficient networking technologies in place, no business can hope to use accurate, real-time insights. These trends will help you optimize, improve and automate enterprise networks, resulting in higher uptime, reduced threats and better business outcomes. Focus on hardware trends such as fiber-optic networks and next-generation networks to enhance network speeds and bandwidth. Software-defined networking (SDN) and Artificial Intelligence integrations will provide you with improved network management capabilities, leading to true wireless-value realization for networking technologies.