As we start 2022, we still see numerous of the identical challenges surrounding networking that we managed head-on in 2021. The ongoing pandemic has turned into our new normal. That means people will remain to work and learn from anywhere. Businesses will have to permit secure connectivity to company applications, regardless of where people are connecting from. We’ll continue to see an expansion of the network edge, be it run by users looking for further continual ways to enter applications or security enterprises linked with the multiplication of IoT devices. With this context, these are Aruba’s top 2022 networking forecasts.
1. Devices connected to a network will continue to outnumber people.
Digital transformation is pushing an increase of IoT devices, and Machine to Machine (M2M) communications are growing swiftly. Now, devices connected to a network outnumber people 5:1. Over the ensuing three years, there will be 10x additional connected devices compared to people. This makes automated and secure connectivity of IoT of ultimate significance. Without an automated avenue to onboard, provision, and secure these devices, institutions will be left vulnerable to security breaches, which are constantly growing in complexity.
2. Two clear paths to SASE arise.
As SASE (secure access service edge) deployments escalate, the market will see a clear divide in approaches. Small and medium-sized businesses will be attracted to the each-by-one SASE offerings, where simplicity is prioritized over higher capabilities. On the other hand, great companies will stay unable to gamble on security, reliability, or the quality of user experience. They will search for a dual-seller approach, pairing a best-in-class SD-WAN partner for on-prem security and WAN facing capabilities. This setup also includes a completely-fledged cloud-delivered security partner providing secure web gateway (SWG), cloud access security broker (CASB), Zero-Trust network access (ZTNA) services, and more.
3. The transition to the Wi-Fi 6E network will accelerate.
While significant attention has been given to 5G cellular for the campus and within companies, we are on the brink of a rapid transition to Wi-Fi 6E. Wi-Fi 6E delivers great capacities with a further 1200 MHz of a new range while retaining backward compatibility. An influential market intelligence establishment, 650 Group, expects over 200 percent unit growth of Wi-Fi 6E enterprise APs in 2022. This denotes that business associations see the possibility of 6E. This is evident especially with the persisting reliance on bandwidth-intensive activities such as videoconferencing, telemedicine, and remote education.
4. Hybrid working will impact the growth of network “microbranches” powered by AI automation.
Work from home is here to stay. This new normal will drive the emergence of the microbranch or “branch of one.” In the early days of the pandemic, organizations rushed to extend VPNs and position remote access points (RAPs) to connect their locked-down staff and disseminate pop-up testing kiosks. In 2022, we will find enormous growth for purpose-built microbranch offerings that fuse enterprise-class Wi-Fi access with sophisticated multi-path WAN connectivity and advanced AIOps. These contribute to their goals that focus on dependability and unfluctuating user experience. These microbranch offerings will securely stretch the business to the “branch of one.”
5. There will be a higher demand for consumption-based services like NaaS.
Organizations are less engrossed on devices and capex and more attentive to the business aftermaths of their technology investments. Organizations demand greater fiscal flexibility and cost predictability while being capable of compounding IT effectiveness and keeping pace with innovation. An adaptable infrastructure consumption model, which NaaS provides, allows for all of this. And for those institutions that are not completely ready to take the plunge, flexible consumption models give the chance to “try before purchasing,” so that businesses can borrow the new model — or not — at their own pace. This will result in a substantial increase in demand for consumption-based services like NaaS in 2022.
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