Reactive Microservices Breed Compelling New Reactive Networking Protocol RSocket

by Charlotte Dunlap, posted in Big Data, Cloud Enable, Mobilize, Network
C. Dunlap

Summary Bullets:

  • Reactive microservices will play a key role in furthering adoption of microservices in 2019.
  • Important OSS technologies will further this mission, including RSocket.

GlobalData’s recent report on application platforms predictions for 2019 anticipates a two- to three-year delay for microservices application adoption among enterprise DevOps teams (please see: “Microservices, Serverless Apps Won’t Take Off in 2019, but Kubernetes Importance Is Elevated,” December 18, 2018). Delays are expected for the emerging app development architecture aimed at helping companies fulfill business transformations and move apps and systems to the cloud, due to complex networking implications around cloud-native architectures. Despite delays, there are promising open source software (OSS) technologies coming to light this year which offer the most likely scenario for microservices adoption among enterprise DevOps groups. Continue reading “Reactive Microservices Breed Compelling New Reactive Networking Protocol RSocket” →

Need a Ride? Call a Self-Driving Taxi!

by Rena Bhattacharyya, posted in Big Data
R. Bhattacharyya

Summary Bullets:

  • Ford announced plans for self-driving taxis and delivery services; it expects to launch its fleet in Washington, D.C. in 2021.
  • Ford is one of many companies around the globe that is developing commercial autonomous vehicles.

Soon, if you need a ride to the airport, to the pub, or just around town to run errands, you’ll have another decision to make. Do you hop in a cab? Request an Uber? Or, perhaps… you take a self-driving taxi. What just a few years ago seemed like futuristic technology right out of a sci-fi movie will be here before you know it. Continue reading “Need a Ride? Call a Self-Driving Taxi!” →

The New Wave of Telecoms: How Open RAN May Cause Major Vendor Shakeups

by Malcolm Rogers, posted in Network
M. Rogers

Summary Bullets:

  • Rakuten has selected Nokia and Altiostar to build its RAN network, two members of the Open RAN Alliance, to have more flexibility in its network.
  • Open RAN initiatives will likely cause a shift in the RAN vendor landscape with new faces like startups and non-traditional RAN vendors gunning for market share.

During its Q3 results update, Japanese Internet giant Rakuten announced the list of vendors which will supply equipment for its mobile network. Nokia and Altisostar were selected for the RAN portion. Continue reading “The New Wave of Telecoms: How Open RAN May Cause Major Vendor Shakeups” →

What to Expect in Data Center and Cloud Services Next Year

by John Marcus, posted in Cloud Enable
J. Marcus

Summary Bullets:

• Global hyperscale IaaS providers will build capacity in new regions around the world, often leveraging colocation providers that can support their scale

• Multi-cloud requirements will drive new interoperability from major providers, more choice in multi-cloud connectivity, and more demand for cloud-native managed services

GlobalData expects core cloud market segments like infrastructure (IaaS), platform (PaaS), and software (SaaS) as a service to maintain their strong momentum of growth in 2019. For the enterprise seeking solutions, we expect to see more specialist assistance available in the form of cloud enablement solutions directly in response to the reality of a multi-cloud world. Globally, the major cloud service providers will extend their reach farther around the globe, often partnering with colocation players to speed time to market rather than buying or building their own sites. They will also need to respond along with the rest of the overall ecosystem to hybrid and multi-cloud imperatives, trading improved interoperability for continued customer loyalty. Specifically, we expect to see:

• Expansion in Middle East/Africa and Asia among global cloud IaaS providers: with China-based players now expanding beyond Asia, we expect western cloud service providers to build more capacity in the Middle East, Africa, and the APAC region. Local and regional hosting has become an imperative for some use cases, but these regions also offer the highest rate of near term growth. Continue reading “What to Expect in Data Center and Cloud Services Next Year” →

GlobalData’s Top Predictions for Data Center Technologies in 2019

by Chris Drake, posted in IT Leader
C. Drake

Summary Bullets:

  • Data center portfolios will become more distributed and decentralized in 2019, thanks to the growing use of hybrid and multi-cloud environments and edge computing deployments.
  • 2019 will see an emphasis on enhancing the performance, security, and scalability of compute, storage, and networking resources in order to support new workloads, including AI.

GlobalData’s top predictions for data center technologies in 2019 include the expectation of increased competition in the provision of hybrid cloud, multi-cloud, and Kubernetes solutions; this will be partly driven by a growing interest in on-premises workloads from leading public cloud providers. We also anticipate increased innovation around edge computing, as well as the evolution and enhancement of data center platforms and architectures with technologies that improve their ability to support AI and other advanced workloads: Continue reading “GlobalData’s Top Predictions for Data Center Technologies in 2019” →

Facial Recognition to Spark Lively Debate in 2019

by Rena Bhattacharyya, posted in Big Data
R. Bhattacharyya

Summary Bullets:

• Companies specializing in facial recognition raised sizable amounts of capital from investors in 2018.

• In the coming year, facial recognition will yield new use cases, but will also bring new ethical concerns to the forefront.

Facial recognition is a hot topic. During 2018, several companies active in image recognition, and specifically facial recognition, raised sizable amounts of capital. China-based Sensetime raised an additional $1 billion in September of 2018, bringing the company’s total funding to $2.6 billion. After its Series D funding in July 2018, Megvii’s Face++ had raised a total of $607 million.

During 2019, investment in companies pursing visual recognition and developing new applications for the technology will likely accelerate. Given recent trends, there is a strong possibility that much of this new funding will be flowing into China, which has been very public about its aspirations to lead the global AI arena. Continue reading “Facial Recognition to Spark Lively Debate in 2019” →

Digital Transformation Requires a More Local and Collaborative IT Services Partner

by Rena Bhattacharyya, posted in IT Leader
R. Bhattacharyya

Summary Bullets:

• 2019 will bring renewed efforts by IT services providers (ITSPs) to shore up their local presence, particularly international players that have traditionally serviced their client base via an off-shore or near-shore model.

• To remain competitive, ITSPs must change the nature of their client interactions, which will require deeper relationships to implement transformative solutions.

Most of the large, global IT services companies generate a substantial portion of their revenue from the U.S. market. In the past, U.S. clients were often served in large part by international teams based overseas or by teams brought in from other countries to support specific tasks or projects. However, the changing political climate in the U.S., and its potential to impact the issuance of H-1 visas, as well as the evolving nature of client engagements, has caused many organizations to reevaluate their localization strategies. As a result, several large players are growing their U.S.-based teams and hiring local employees. It’s a strategy that has extended beyond that U.S. and has been applied to other countries as well.
Continue reading “Digital Transformation Requires a More Local and Collaborative IT Services Partner” →

What’s New in Enterprise Mobility Services?

by Kitty Weldon, posted in Mobilize
K. Weldon
K. Weldon

Summary Bullets:

• The enterprise mobility services market is often seen as a cash cow, with a relatively static set of offerings hampered by a number of commoditized market segments (e.g.,a MDM), with few innovative service introductions.

• However, GlobalData’s latest analysis of this market shows clearly that there are still new often-innovative capabilities being introduced by operators that not only help business customers but also provide market differentiation.

GlobalData’s Competitive Landscape Assessment of the Global Enterprise Mobility Services market describes, ranks, and analyzes the latest portfolios and new service launches of top mobile operators (including AT&T, BT, Deutsche Telekom, Orange Business Services, Telefonica, Verizon, and Vodafone). The report also analyzes the key trends in the market. Continue reading “What’s New in Enterprise Mobility Services?” →

Microservices, Serverless Apps Won’t Take Off in 2019, but Kubernetes’ Importance Is Elevated

by Charlotte Dunlap, posted in Cloud Enable, IT Leader
C. Dunlap

Summary Bullets:

  • Kubernetes holds the key to integration with important OSS technologies such as Istio and Knative and for easing ongoing complexity around microservices and serverless apps.
  • Blockchain will continue to rise in importance as the digital ledger to modernize business processes, shifting in 2019 from PoCs to the early stages of moving blockchain apps into production.

As GlobalData reflects on what has been a whirlwind year in the application platforms and DevOps space, including mega multi-billion dollar acquisitions, the growing importance of OSS technologies, and a fast growing competitive landscape, we’ve determined Kubernetes will be at the forefront of importance. No other technology in this space maintains the same clout as Kubernetes for its ability to address the most pressing needs of DevOps teams which are looking to refactor apps into new development architectures. Whether operations is deploying monolithic or microservices-based applications into production, Kubernetes container orchestration technology has become the most viable element in the application platform toolkit. Continue reading “Microservices, Serverless Apps Won’t Take Off in 2019, but Kubernetes’ Importance Is Elevated” →

Hyperscale Cloud Firms Will Fiercely Target On-Premises Workloads in 2019

by Chris Drake, posted in IT Leader
C. Drake

Summary Bullets:

• In 2019, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft, and other leading cloud providers will accelerate their efforts to target emerging hybrid cloud opportunities among enterprise customers.

• AWS, Microsoft, and the other hyperscale clouds will face growing competition from China’s Alibaba, which in August announced the availability of its Aspara Stack on-premises offering outside China.

Hybrid cloud environments have rapidly evolved to support a range of IT and application requirements, and in 2019 a growing number of organizations will make use of them. Hybrid clouds combine dedicated private cloud infrastructure (often maintained on-premises within an organization’s own data center) with public cloud services provided by companies like AWS, Microsoft, and Google. Recognizing this, AWS, Microsoft, and other leading cloud providers will accelerate their efforts in 2019 to target emerging hybrid cloud opportunities among enterprise customers.

Although AWS is the largest provider of public cloud services globally, this does not guarantee its success in the hybrid cloud space. AWS already has several options for organizations that require a hybrid cloud solution and, in 2019 it plans to launch a new managed on-premises version of its cloud platform called AWS Outposts. Once available, Outposts will allow customers to deploy configurable compute and storage racks based on AWS hardware and software in their own data centers, and integrate their on-premises AWS environment with the AWS public cloud. However, information on features, services, pricing, and availability has yet to be provided. Continue reading “Hyperscale Cloud Firms Will Fiercely Target On-Premises Workloads in 2019” →