There is no doubt 2020 was a very challenging year with unprecedented disruptions across the world. Businesses have experienced many challenges; including a mass move to remote working, the economic downturn, and exponential increases in cyber-crimes and attacks.
Due to the impact of the pandemic, many industries have been challenged throughout the last year and some are still operating in crisis mode today. That aside, budgets in 2021 are still under the microscope.
“Forrester has predicted that 2021 will be the year of technology acceleration. Every company, not just the 15% of companies who are already digitally savvy, will have a focus on investing in technology experiences, operations and products this year.” said Jon Evans, CEO Enablis Pty Ltd.
In this blog, “Enablis takes a look at what we believe are the key 2021 technology drivers and predictions from some of the world’s leading research and advisory firms.” added Jon Evans.
Security is top of the list
In 2020 we saw a complete transformation in how organisations and people work, with unprecedented increases in cyber-crime, with ever increasing attacks on companies and remote workers. As business information no longer resides exclusively within the known perimeter, and as data and systems have moved to the cloud, legacy technologies no longer provide protection against modern threats.
The growth in work and personal data means there will be an increased focus on cloud and mobile device security.
Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) adoption will rise by more than 100%
The move to remote working created an environment where SASE’s mix of security capabilities with a low barrier to entry, and the as-a-service model makes it the obvious choice for IT teams to protect the perimeter.
According to research firm Dell’Oro Group, SASE growth will be driven due to the fundamental changes in the way companies do business. This includes the transition to remote work as a norm, and the increased use of software-as-a-service applications.
Zero Trust adoption will continue to rise & 2021 will see Zero Trust Shape Cybersecurity Initiatives
According to Forester, Zero Trust adoption throughout Asia Pacific has lagged its global peers. As cloud adoption accelerated throughout 2020, and workforces moved to remote working models, it is now time to seriously adopt a Zero Trust cybersecurity framework in 2021.
Cloud adoption will continue to increase. Many businesses will adopt a cloud-first mentality to build or upgrade IT infrastructure
Forrester predicts that CIOs will continue to accelerate their spend on cloud, security, risk, networks, and mobility. Even firms who are struggling will be spending on the cloud as they look to gain an advantage during 2021.
As we have seen public cloud adoption increase from the impacts of the pandemic, there is now more than ever an increased role for secure software-defined WAN (SD-WAN) .
Investment in existing and new technology will rise
During 2021 companies will invest in new technologies to continue to survive and stay ahead of their competition. Companies will also be looking to optimise the value of their existing technology – as many budgets are being closely managed due to the disruption and impact of the pandemic.
IT executives will be looking to complement their existing IT stack with new technologies to support profitability, new products to market, and greater customer experiences.
Emerging Technologies will be used to support business digitalisation
Businesses will be evaluating emerging technologies and how they can be used to support growth due to the uncertainty that 2021 will bring. Many organisation’s will focus on using emerging technologies to supplement existing cloud and mobile platforms within the business.
Remote working is here to stay
Remote working will rise by 300% compared to pre -Covid. As stated in Foresters recent predictions, most companies will employ a hybrid work model. In 2021 we will see less staff working in the office and more full-time employees working from home and other remote locations.
As organisations continue to develop their processes and knowledge for effective remote work practices, the uptake of remote working will have major implications for work-from-anywhere technology and culture. This move is predicted to trigger major changes in talent acquisition.
If you would like to find out more about how to Protect your applications, data, devices and users anywhere click here.
If you would like to read Foresters complete guide to 2021’s critical business and technology trends go here.