{"id":2203,"date":"2017-07-07T11:33:28","date_gmt":"2017-07-07T16:33:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stratospherenetworks.com\/blog\/?p=2203"},"modified":"2018-06-26T12:03:51","modified_gmt":"2018-06-26T17:03:51","slug":"future-hold-department-tech-predictions-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stratospherenetworks.com\/blog\/future-hold-department-tech-predictions-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"What Does the Future Hold for Your IT Department? Tech Predictions for 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>With the year only about halfway over, you might still be preoccupied with the IT challenges of 2017. IT security awareness<\/a> and the WannaCry ransomware incident, the continued adoption of cloud solutions, the Internet of Things, the continuing rise of mobility, and a number of other trends have given IT departments plenty to tackle so far this year.<\/p>\n

Although you might still be working on conquering the top tech issues of 2017, it\u2019s not too early to start thinking ahead to next year. You could wait until the fourth quarter to budget and plan for IT in 2018, but starting work now on a roadmap for the future can help you gain a competitive advantage.<\/p>\n

If you want to start formulating your approach to IT in 2018, our tech experts have come up with a few factors and tech predictions you might want to consider.<\/p>\n

1. Wireless, wireless, wireless.<\/strong> Next year, wireless business Internet solutions will continue to become more feasible as the number of solutions increases and pricing gets more attractive. Organizations will start leveraging wireless Internet solutions for secondary or tertiary business connections. Be sure to keep an eye out for the latest news on the impact of 3G, 4G and 5G.<\/p>\n

Additionally, internal wireless access points and network access is becoming more important. As mobile devices become even more prevalent and millennials make up an increasingly larger percentage of the workforce, the need for faster and better performing wireless access will grow.<\/p>\n

Finally, wireless failover solutions will also become prevalent. Cloud-based solutions and services remain prevalent and popular: 95% of respondents to the 2017 RightScale State of the Cloud Survey<\/a> reported using the cloud. As a growing number of businesses continue to move their applications to the cloud, it\u2019s crucial for those organizations to consider a backup<\/a> or failover solution as well.<\/p>\n

One of the main disadvantages<\/a> of a cloud server can be a lack of redundancy\/backup. Cloud service\/solution downtime can come at a high cost for your business if you can\u2019t access key applications and data. The average cost of a data center outage is $740,357, according to the 2016 Cost of Data Center Outages<\/a> report from the Ponemon institute and Emerson Network Power.<\/p>\n

A backup 4G connection (a.k.a. wireless failover solution) can offer increased security and availability, minimizing downtime. If you don\u2019t already have backup in place, it\u2019s worth considering a 4G failover option for your business.<\/p>\n

2. Large enterprises leveraging more cloud solutions.<\/strong> A few years ago, small to midsize businesses led the march to migrate to the cloud. Now that cloud-based solutions and services have become more mature, we\u2019ve observed more large enterprises leveraging them.<\/p>\n

Large enterprises are rapidly migrating from traditional to virtualized environments, according to a 2016 survey by McKinsey<\/a>. 51% of large enterprises reported that they planned to have public infrastructure as a service (IaaS) as the primary environment for at least one workload type in 2018, compared to just 10% in 2015.<\/p>\n

3. More affordable IT security solutions for SMBs.<\/strong> Previously, large enterprises were more likely to implement IT security solutions<\/a> because of their relatively high cost. SMBs, meanwhile, were more inclined to hold back due to financial limitations (unless they were required to meet certain security standards under industry regulations).<\/p>\n

However, an increasing number of affordable security solutions and services for SMBs are hitting the market, and that\u2019s something small to medium sized organizations should definitely explore in 2018. As the recent WannaCry outbreak shows, IT security threats<\/a> like ransomware can still wreak havoc on businesses of all sizes around the world. Proactive security efforts and solutions are essential for any company looking to reduce the risk of a potentially disastrous data breach.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019d like to learn more about creating an IT roadmap and trends in the tech world that are relevant to your business, our expert techs can answer your questions and address your concerns. Feel free to contact us today by calling 877-599-3999 or emailing sales@stratospherenetworks.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With the year only about halfway over, you might still be preoccupied with the IT challenges of 2017. IT security awareness and the WannaCry ransomware incident, the continued adoption of cloud solutions, the Internet of Things, the continuing rise of … Read more ><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3391,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[261],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2203","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tech-tips-from-the-president"],"yoast_head":"IT Predictions to Help Businesses Plan and Budget for 2018<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Why wait until the final months of 2017 to start planning for 2018? 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