Hybrid is the future of work. Organizations are making significant investments in smart technologies to create the experiences employees want when they are working from home or the office. In 2021, organizations spent over $650 billion on remote work and collaboration technologies like infrastructure-as-a-service, IoT devices, and analytics, according to IDC.
As organizations charge CIOs with rebuilding campuses and branch offices to meet the evolving needs of a distributed workforce, IDC expects those budgets will hit more than $1 trillion in the next two years.
To ensure employees are connected to the resources needed to be productive, organizations are investing in analytics and technology made by enterprises centered on cloud platforms and the networks that connect them.
By 2023, 50% of all workloads are expected to run in the cloud. Having prepared that foundation to support remote workers during the pandemic, many organizations are now upgrading communications standards, enhancing cybersecurity, and looking to create seamless experiences for employees and customers.
Here are five technologies CIOs are using to build future-proof hybrid work environments:
Wi-Fi 6E to expand access
The 6 Ghz wireless spectrum accelerates data transmission and clears the air for high-resolution video streaming, teleconferencing, IoT data, and other high-bandwidth applications that come with the shift to hybrid work.
Increasing network demand is inevitable as more devices and sensors are connected. Whether it be 8K streaming video and virtual reality meetings for hybrid work, or IoT sensors and high-res video cameras on-site, a Wi-Fi 6E network is equipped to handle the increased bandwidth and low latency requirements.
5G makes wireless primary connectivity a reality
CIOs are rethinking network infrastructure, security, and collaboration to address hybrid work—and 5G gives businesses another option for improved connectivity. 5G speeds and improved latency will make wireless WAN a more flexible, instantly available option for primary connectivity.
Early adopters of 5G include connected cities, manufacturing, mining, entertainment, retail, quick-serve restaurants, and other industries where existing network technology didn’t always deliver a consistent experience. CIOs are looking to commercial—and private—5G to manage IoT devices in real time, enable autonomous technology for warehouses and smart cities, and deliver enhanced experiences for employees and customers.
To succeed in their digital transformation, organizations must have consistent connectivity, reliability, and security. CIOs need the flexibility to expand future growth and services as organizations transform offices, outdoor areas, and urban streets into smart spaces.
Next-gen SD-WAN analytics help see around network corners
In hybrid work environments, agility and security are top of mind. Businesses are increasingly distributed and the number of occupants across offices can change every day. Leveraging SD-WAN, CIOs can enable secure connections between users, offices, public and private clouds, and the internet.
SD-WAN analytics allow IT teams to aggregate large volumes of telemetry data, establish historical benchmarks, and correlate data to provide actionable insights across the internet, cloud, and SaaS environments. With rich wide-area-network analytics, technology teams can design smarter, more proactive networks that can predict issues before they happen, rather than react after an occurrence.
Micro-segmentation for security at scale
IT departments use network segmentation to control the flow of traffic throughout their infrastructure. This helps support organizations by controlling how traffic flows among the different parts of the network, which is especially critical in today’s hybrid environments.
Currently, segmentation technologies can be enforced by firewalls, an access control list, and virtual local area network configurations on networking equipment. Micro-segmentation hones in deeper, using even more information such as application-layer data. This empowers organizations to create even more granular and flexible policies for very specific security, efficiency, and use-case needs.
SASE helps protect employees and customers
CIOs know how vital it is to empower work-life balance for employees. This means finding secure, seamless network solutions so teams can work from home, the office, or really anywhere.
Close to 25% of the Cisco employee base worked from home for half of their week before the pandemic, and employees expect this to increase to 75% following the pandemic. This means CIOs must turn to additional solutions that give employees seamless and secure network connections.
Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) converges networking and security functions in the cloud to address this concern. SASE delivers reliable and secure access to applications anywhere users connect. This model combines SD-WAN for network security with cloud-based capabilities such as secure web gateway, firewall-as-a-service, cloud access security broker (CASB), and zero-trust network access, into one integrated cloud service.
Paired with their knowledge of business operations, integrating these technologies will position CIOs and their hybrid workforces for success. Employees and customers can safely access what they need, anywhere, from any device. CIOs can leverage these technologies today and tomorrow, helping create an environment where employees and the organization itself can thrive.
Juan Vela is Global Head of Market Strategy at Cisco Meraki.