Software-defined wide area networks (SD-WAN) will be a pillar technology in enabling the digital workplace of the future, according to new report.
The report released last week by Vertel, an Australian privately-owned telecommunications carrier, predicts industry will see as much change in the next five years as it saw in the decade from 2010 to now.
Titled SD-WAN and the Future of Work: A guide to the role technology will play moving forward , the report reveals the Top 10 technologies that will impact workplaces between 2020 and 2025.
It includes:
- Software-defined workplace infrastructure
- 5G-enabled systems
- Artificial intelligence and virtual assistants
- Simplified unified communications and collaboration in real time
- The digital twin of Internet of Things (IoT) designed and quantified workplaces
- Traceability systems
- Self-healing security systems
- Virtual reality and augmented reality
- Autonomous and semi-autonomous machines
- Automation everywhere
“Importantly, the research has revealed that SD-WAN will be a pillar technology in enabling the digital workplace of the future,” says Tony Hudson, commercial director, Vertel.
“This will be seen in many industries such as aged care, education, emergency services and construction. As the workforce demands more flexibility and mobility, SD-WAN has an important role to play in helping organisations legitimise these as part of the reality.”
SD-WAN turns organisations’ wide area network (WAN) into a software-enabled and managed environment. More than this, SD-WAN supports workloads that are increasingly located away from company offices such as in the cloud.
Tech Research Asia, which conducted the research, identified some of the key reasons for its conclusion that SD-WAN will be a pillar technology.
SD-WAN offers a more agile approach to managing connectivity and provides more granular information on the network and user behaviour.
“Its ability to balance employee needs with strong security was also called out, which is an increasingly important consideration for organisations in an environment where cyberattacks are on the rise and becoming more targeted,” Hudson says.
