5 WAN Edge Trends to Leverage in 2021
Businesses in America, like so many others around the world, were shaken up considerably in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic. In the U.S., pre-COVID, just 3.4% (7 million) people were working remotely, a figure which jumped to 42% during the height of the pandemic. 2020 proved more than ever the importance of technology and just how much enterprises and remote workers rely on online solutions for connectivity. This brings us to the WAN Edge trends your business needs to leverage in the upcoming year.
Trend 1: WAN Edge Market Expected to Grow Exponentially
Where WAN Edge is concerned, the International Data Corporation (IDC) predicts rapid growth in the coming year. Experts anticipate a compound annual growth rate of 69.6% and a penetrative reach of $8.05 billion.
Growth in this market will largely be driven by digital transformation. As the world slowly emerges from the disruption experienced in 2020, more businesses will look to adopt cloud infrastructure and use big data and analytics in their efforts at restructuring and rebuilding. Retain a competitive advantage by investing in sophisticated WAN Edge solutions now.
Trend 2: Major WAN Edge Providers Gear for M&A/IPOs
The leading WAN Edge companies on the market will seek opportunities for consolidation through M&As or IPOs. Silver Peak® already made the leap this year when they merged with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) in September. As the top SD-WAN vendor, an investment in Silver Peak and HPE WAN Edge services is a sure step in increasing agility and productivity in 2021.
For context, what exactly does Silver Peak offer to users that make it stand out?
Firstly, fast and affordable Amazon Web Services (AWS) real-time data backup and access to centrally hosted services and apps. Thanks to Silver Peaks, you can now enjoy an accelerated cloud for AWS. Integrating Silver Peaks into AWS allows you to:
- Mitigate spend: By getting rid of more than 50% of your current cloud traffic you stand to benefit from reduced AWS expenses
- Boost Performance: By deploying Silver Peaks instance you’ll be able to monitor and control connectivity, as well as migrate data because of
Silver Peaks’ higher throughput, ability to support 1Gbps, and 256,000 flows.
Additionally, Silver Peak proved attractive to HPE because it presented robust optimization features, particularly WAN and voice optimization and SaaS acceleration.
The future is also bright for other SD-WAN vendors such as Aryaka who managed to raise $50 million in seed capital from Goldman Sachs in 2019. There are also rumors of a potential IPO in the not-too-distant future. While Fatpipe Network entered into a non-exclusive partnership with BATM, 2021 might prove a favorable time to attempt another IPO after the failed one in 2010.
Trend 3: Wider Adoption of WAN Edge in 2021 by U.S. Organizations
Data from American market research companies Forrester and Gartner suggest that the coming years will see widespread adoption and integration of WAN Edge. Gartner analysts predict that at least 60% of U.S. enterprises will have implemented SD-WAN by 2021. In comparison with 2020 figures, this will be a 100% increase.
WAN Edge infrastructure will allow businesses to realize network connectivity from various multiple distributed company locations. As a forward-thinking business, you can get ready to leverage this widespread adoption of WAN solutions to deliver fast and reliable connections to your remote teams.
Trend 4: Merging of SASE and Network Security
There has been a lot of discussion around the strengthening of enterprise network security with Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) cloud-native architecture. SASE has been one of the most talked-about topics in IT this year and as VP of Product and Technical Marketing Silver Peak Derek Granath stressed in his October Aruba Digital presentation, what SASE brings to the table is really and truly a “network transformation”.
Granath went on to further cite the importance of WAN Edge in the proper implementation of the SASE framework. “Advanced SD-WAN infrastructure is fundamental to beginning one’s journey with a Secure Access Service Edge,” he said. What this means, in a nutshell, is that as more businesses integrate SD-WAN into their operations there will be a corresponding increase in SASE adoption in the coming year.
Trend 5: Increased Strengthening of WAN Edge by Service Providers
The 2020 International Structure Group (IDG) State of the Network World study report brought to light the fears of many enterprises regarding WAN Edge security. 77% of respondents said they are acutely concerned about edge computing security. 51% of surveyed businesses were worried about the increased attack surface that comes from the middleware involved with edge solutions.
These anxieties have not fallen on deaf ears with WAN providers working hard to improve service delivery and end-user experience. On the upside, predictions show that businesses will not let security concerns stop them from adopting edge computing. Enterprises are aware of the edge’s potential to mitigate network latency, reduce operational expenses, streamline bandwidth use, and permit real-time data processing.
Get Started with Secure WAN Edge Solutions
Are you looking for a cutting-edge modern WAN Edge solution for your enterprise? Comport is a proud Aruba partner and can assist you with the right IT infrastructure to meet your office and remote workers’ needs.
Get started with WAN Edge by requesting an Aruba Wireless Assessment from Comport’s in-house experts.
