July marks the second half of the year, making it an ideal time to reflect upon what the journey through 2017 has been like and where it is going. With respect to virtualization, developers have played an increasingly important role in how companies deal with network agility, flexibility and security. While the direction data centers will head over the next six months remains open, a handful of virtualization trends are shaping the path forward.
Open source software
More and more companies are leveraging open source software, which refers to software that can be copied, modified and distributed for free. A resource and community website like Wikipedia is a prime example, which enables users of various backgrounds to contribute to and update a single body of knowledge. In particular, open source software is spearheading efforts in the security of the internet of things (IoT). The model allows thousands of developers to review, spot and patch errors in code in real time. Some of the open source projects to gain momentum in 2017 include TensorFlow, Vault and Kubernetes.
Automation
Although automation isn’t exactly a new trend, it is taking on a head role in the advancement of enterprise deployments. In particular, network functions virtualization (NFV) automation has taken the telecom industry by storm, enabling operators to spin up virtual machines (VMs) that perform desired functions automatically. While management and orchestration have faced their fair share of challenges, significant progress has been made in 2017, especially with the Linux Foundation’s open network automation platform (ONAP). The platform enables end users to create, automate, orchestrate, and manage services and virtual functions.
Augmented reality and virtual reality
Major steps were taken toward augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies in 2016, which have persisted throughout 2017. IPhones have been flooded by AR apps, which provide a digital representation of a user’s surrounding environment and layers it with information in the form of texts and images. Just last month, Apple announced a tool called ARKit to provide AR capabilities in iOS. Within the year, Apple is expected to put AR software in as many as one billion mobile devices.
Virtual shopping
Virtual shopping is changing the way customers purchase products. People can use virtual apps to shop online in ways that mirror the retail experience without having to drive and set foot inside a store. Moreover, with virtual shopping, consumers can visualize what furniture and other appliances looks like inside their homes beforehand, helping them make more informed purchasing decisions. Although virtual shopping is not commonplace in the U.S. just yet, it is picking up steam in other countries like China. Even within the states, however, Cyber Monday has become a staple of the Thanksgiving holiday alongside Black Friday.
Adaptive security architecture
The bulk of CIOs mark security as their top priority, especially with a surge of breaches companies have experienced this year. Security in IoT has been a particularly difficult challenge. Security teams are collaborating with application architects to discuss security design of IoT solutions in advance. Practically all businesses will need adaptive security in the foreseeable future. Research and Markets estimates adaptive security will be a $7.07 billion market by 2021.
Several of the virtualization trends in 2017 have been taking shape over the last few years. Although the noted trends have spilled over from years past, they still have a lot of untapped potential for the rest of the year to come.
