While cloud computing continues to be widely discussed, its cousin virtualization continues to be strong and growing as well. According to a 2012 Kaspersky Lab survey:
- 69% of US companies are in the process of implementing or have implemented server virtualization
- 46% plan to implement a virtual desktop infrastructure
- 51% plan data storage virtualization
Although these are strong numbers, virtualization as we know it today is just the latest step in the evolutionary march.
While some people believe their needs to be a cloud versus virtualization decision, others are arguing that virtualization is cloud. VMware makes this argument and to a degree its correct. Virtualization is at least private cloud and in some cases, could be more. In fact, a strong argument can be made that virtualization has fueled infrastructure cloud adoption.
Many new developments are already here and their adoption is growing like a snowball rolling down a mountain. Three trends – Security, Cross-platform availability, BYOD - are quickly switching from nice-to-haves to must-haves.
Let’s face it. Although security is always on the requirement list for any technology, there are assumed limitations that have been accepted as “the best we can do.” This will not do. Security must be baked into all virtualization or cloud-based offerings. We can’t continue to expect enterprise companies to purchase their security from yet another company. Layering another technology on top of what is already being used is a clunky solution that should be temporary. Every new technology MUST sufficiently address security.
Originally, the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend was addressed when senior management wanted the freedom to use whatever device they chose or when the engineering and creative teams might be on different systems than the rest of the company. Today, BYOD is a must for a global, mobile workforce. When implemented well, it addresses the need for superior and flexible security, support, collaboration and cross-platform usage.
Speaking of cross-platform, 2013 is the year it becomes a must-have. Business users are running out of patience with applications that don’t operate on multiple platforms or have vastly different experiences depending on the platform. If as marketing budgets seem to suggest, 2013 is the year mobile marketing takes off, it must also be the year cross-platform become ubiquitous. Although there’s still confusion in some organizations if apps and mobile are the same thing, as the mobile experience becomes more tailored and apps become more sophisticated, it’ll become more clear how these differ.
Tools and applications that don’t operate cross-platform will begin to see declining new sales and limited adoption. Soon after, they’ll be on the list of soon-to-be-obsolete technologies. It isn’t enough to roll out tools for one platform and then a second or third a month down the road. The patience we’ve had for startups’ development roadmaps is waning. When it's an established company that's saying the "it's on the roadmap" line, it's even more unforgivable.
Forget about what will be developed in 2013 or 2014. What’s exciting are the adoption rates that will push enterprises and businesses overall to a new way of operating.
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