Predictions for 2019

As the 2019 dawns, it’s always good to say goodbye to the year behind us and look ahead to the new year by exploring the trends that will amuse us, bemuse us and generally run our lives for the next year.

Obviously, since we’re network infrastructure specialists and general tech whizzes, we’re interested in the worlds of technology, business and network connectivity, so here are our predictions for what we’ll see emerging in these fields within the next year.

Security and Blockchaining

Given that most security incidents over the past 2-3 years have involved breaches in personal identity information, we can expect to see major advancements in identity management in 2019.

A recent example of this is Marriott International’s catastrophic data breach which affected as many as 500 million guests in late November of this year. With an ever-increasing number of people trusting their personal information to online forms and CRM systems, it’s absolutely vital that companies ensure they have the latest secure technology when it comes to data storage.

Blockchaining gives individuals the power to regain control of their identities and information data whilst simultaneously improving interactions with public and private service providers. 2019 should see companies beefing up and strengthening such security measures, and those data providers and network installation companies who can guarantee state of the art security will see a rise in popularity.

Smart cities…

Smart cities are the response to many societal needs. With environmental concerns being on the top of so many people’s list of priorities, smart cities look to combine eco-friendly spaces and structures with the latest technologies. In most cases, the latter can greatly help the former, and there are many network infrastructure providers out there, Nexsis Comms included, who offer eco-friendly building management solutions and will look to see them increase in popularity in 2019.

Smart cities also promise to keep us more connected than ever, which is why it’s vital that secure, cloud-based networking technology is installed throughout. This will benefit everyone from the average Jo/e on the street to businesses, who will be able to see a rise in productivity thanks to their staff’s ability to seamlessly connect to the internet anywhere they go.

…and smarter workspaces

As our article from a few weeks ago touched on, smart offices look to combine technology, innovation and a little creativity to provide a more connected, more efficient envinronment. 2019 will see more workspaces, beyond the confines of the typical ‘office’ adopt technology to achieve this result.

For example, pundits say smart phones and wearables will verify your identity passively, eliminating the need for passwords, meaning that locked doors will open for the wearer and devices will instantly load personal workstation home screen, no matter where you are in the office building. As well as this, to attract top talent within the Millennial and Generation Z ranks, flexible schedules and telecommuting will become more widely available among employers—especially as new technologies permit the safe sharing of data between the office and home.

Already, technology is being used to alter and transform the design and layout of offices depending upon the needs of its occupants. 2019 will see the introduction of walls that change colour or present images/videos via smart paint, hi-def projections, or giant display screens.

But it’s not just offices that will get ‘smarter’ in 2019. Those working outdoors, whether as a contractor, construction worker, usually have to endure gruelling yet rewarding work. Aside from stricter, environmentally-friendly building codes, the introduction of giant 3D printers will be able to construct buildings layer by layer, at a fraction of the time and costs now standard with traditional construction.

5G

As we covered in one of our earlier blogs, networks are getting ready for the introduction of 5G, which is due to hit the UK in 2020. With the public becoming more aware of the necessity of robust, reliable network connectivity, the concept of 5G technology will become even more hyped and anticipated as 2019 rolls on.

While all of this means that 2020 will be a year where the world will be more connected than ever, the brunt of the work will need to be performed throughout 2019. This could cause disruption, and the inevitable grumbles that come with new technology as creases are ironed out.

SD-WAN

Increased need for secured converged services and easier access to private and public (hybrid) cloud services necessitates service-based network infrastructure technologies such as SD-WAN

Check out our previous article for more info on how SD-WAN will change over the coming year.