After the year of surprises that was 2020, it was difficult for anyone to predict what the future of networking would look like – but that didn’t stop us from trying. In fact, at the end of 2020, I predicted three big-ticket items that we’re already starting to see come to fruition:

• Network visibility and analytics will be critical to optimize user experiences.
• The network of the next decade will rely on modern cloud architectures.
• With Wi-Fi 6E and private LTE, enterprises will have more wireless options than ever.

It’s clear that the first two of the above are already playing a prominent role in the networking market, but based on what we’ve seen in this first quarter of the year, we can take these predictions a step further and be bullish in saying these trends are not only occurring, but very well may define networking in 2021 and beyond. And based on the progress of governments in starting to open up more spectrum in the 6-gigahertz band, I still believe this will start to play a key role for some enterprises by the end of the year to diversify available radio frequency spectrum.

Increased investments in AI will optimize operator and user experiences

Companies now know that it’s a need – not a want – to invest in artificial intelligence-powered networking tools. The time and resource savings alone should be enough to tip anyone in the favor of AI solutions, but for those that needed an extra nudge, the pandemic was certainly that.

Most businesses are all too familiar with the challenges that remote work environments placed on networks and networking teams. Chances are, everyone has experienced bandwidth or connectivity issues firsthand over the last year, and they may even have been in charge of remedying the issues. Now, imagine how much simpler the process could be with proper AI and automation strategies in place.

AI can transform the traditional enterprise experience with proactive notifications, automation, AI-driven insight and streamlined help-desk processes. The goal of a strong AIOps solution is to bring simplicity through automation and ultimately deliver better IT experiences for both internal staff and customers alike.

Enterprises must embrace modern cloud with SD-WAN

In addition to investments in AI, it’s critical for enterprises and IT leaders to develop a strong cloud-based model for their networks, and this model must include software-defined wide-area network capabilities.

Driven by the need to support remote work and deliver secure and reliable branch connectivity, SD-WAN has become mission-critical for IT teams. As enterprises have realized, support for the distributed workforce remains a top priority, and SD-WAN is a crucial piece of the puzzle for those who want not only to survive but to thrive during this period of change.

And the latest innovation, the AI-driven SD-WAN, is a useful IT tool for network management because it provides full visibility into what’s happening across the network as well as proactive and automated remediation with self-driving capabilities. Backed by the modern cloud and paired with the proper AI solutions, IT teams have more tools than ever to get insight into user experience, enabling them to resolve issues proactively and remotely – capabilities that are critical for the next era of networking.

Deploying SD-WAN may be a significant investment, but it’s an important one for IT decision makers to make in the long run. Investments like this can prevent the scrambles many companies found themselves facing at the onset of the pandemic.

Work-from-home perks are here to stay

Finally, who doesn’t love a good workplace perk? Traditionally, these have been reserved to benefits such as parking passes, gym memberships and even onsite dry cleaning, but none of these is really what remote workers are looking for in their workplace of the future.

It’s becoming more and more commonplace for employers to offer work-from-home stipends for internet, office supplies and even electricity. Although these are certainly helpful perks to ensure a functional home office, tech companies will want to take things a step further and invest in remote work software for employees who are unlikely to return to the office before fall, if at all. Maintaining productivity and connectivity while keeping distributed networks secure must be a top priority for IT leaders.

The importance of secure, seamless network connections both in the main office and micro-branches won’t go away anytime soon. If and when employees return to the office, there is likely to be much more flexibility with remote work, meaning companies will need to keep up their current remote practices for the foreseeable future. This includes the continuation of WFH perks to ensure all company networks are par for the course.

The bottom line

So much has changed in the last year, and we know those changes are bound to continue. The point of predictions is not to be able to say, “I was right.” They can help us learn from the past and get ready as best as we can for what’s waiting around the corner. Though we can never be certain, we can check in regularly to assess the landscape and prepare for the next step in the future of networking.

Christian Gilby is senior director of enterprise product marketing at Juniper Networks Inc. He wrote this article for SiliconANGLE.

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