2 Important Networking Trends You Must Consider

One sometimes-frustrating aspect about computer networking comes from the always-changing nature of technology. For example, let’s say that you have your network perfectly set up with everything running smoothly, then comes along some newfangled IT trend or mission-critical technology workflow that requires you to change everything. You can’t prevent this from happening, but you can stay on top of the latest IT trends so that you’re not caught off guard.

To that end, here are two IT trends that will cause you to make some major changes to your company’s network.

Mobility (BYOD)
Business today is going mobile as workers utilize their personal devices for work purposes. Many companies are adapting to this trend and providing their staff with mobile devices so they can get work done more efficiently. Providing devices for your staff takes away the worry that’s inherent from the security risks of BYOD (bring your own device). In fact, in a recent IT survey by Forrester Research, “65 percent of respondents said they plan to expand their enterprise mobility services to meet their business priorities.”

What this means for your business is that you’re going to have to accommodate this trend, or else have your network be overwhelmed by mobile devices. One of the challenges of BYOD is that it opens the door to twice as many access points that all need to be managed and secured. Plus, you’re going to need to increase your network’s bandwidth, or else experience some major lag issues when the number of mobile devices accessing company files inevitably doubles.

Unified Communication and Collaboration
What you’re sure to run into as you continue to do business in the modern age is more companies and clients requesting meetings via video conferencing and other digital collaboration tools. NetworkComputing explains:

Communications and collaboration solutions now allow businesses to assemble the best people to do a job, regardless of their location. Information sharing between companies – in organizational settings; between suppliers, vendors and clients; or for special projects – has also become the norm.

If your business isn’t equipped with these tools, then you're going to miss out on potential sales and networking opportunities, as well as a powerful way to streamline internal communications with your team. Equipping your network with a solution like Voice over Internet Protocol will give you the modern communication capabilities that you need, without crippling your current IT infrastructure. Preferred can provide you with a VoIP solution that’s perfect for your needs.

Of course, these are only two IT trends that promise to disrupt your company’s nice and tidy IT network. Also, be on the lookout for advancements in cloud computing, big data and analytics, new security compliances, and The Internet of Things--they’re sure to really shake things up! At Preferred, we stay on top of all of these trends and explain them to you so that you’re not hit with any surprises that require you to make drastic changes to your network. Instead, the best approach new technology is to gradually adopt it as your business has need. We can help you with this, call us today to learn more.