New
predictions by F5 Networks also highlight how region is driving digital
innovation and pioneering context-aware public services
F5
Networks today announced a set of 2015 IT landscape predictions for the
Middle East, highlighting the growing influence of wearables and the
continued pressure to optimise
cloud projects.
The
global Application Delivery Networking leader also noted how emerging
markets are likely to drive digital innovation, and that the public
sector will continue embracing more
comprehensive and tailored online services.
Wearables and IoT
F5 Networks urged business-leaders to prepare for the growing impact of wearables as BYOD continues to reign in the workplace.
Research
and Markets expects the global BYOD security market to grow at a CAGR
of 35.23% over the period 2014 to2019. IDC believes that by 2017 90% of
datacenter and enterprise
systems management will rapidly adopt new business models to manage
non-traditional infrastructure and BYOD device categories.
Transparency
Market Research expects the global market for wearables to have grown
from $750 million in 2012 to reach $5.8 billion by 2018.
According
to a recent survey of IT experts by ZDNet and Tech Pro Research, 92% of
respondents were familiar with wearables.11% said wearables are being
used in their organizations
or will be implemented in the near future and 25% said they were
planning to use wearables in the enterprise but had not allocated a
budget for it.
“Wearables are could have a huge impact, and are clearly increasingly appealing to consumers,” said Diego Arrabal,
VP, Southern Europe and Middle East, F5 Networks.
“Organizations
need to be aware of the impacts and be able to manage the tricky
balancing act of ensuring security and creating a workplace conducive to
innovation and attuned to
workers’ needs.”
Focus shifts from cloud adoption to optimisation
According to the
Cisco Global Cloud Index, cloud computing traffic is growing faster in the Middle East than anywhere else.
Cloud traffic will grow at 54% a year in the region, from 31 exabytes in 2013 to 262 exabytes in 2018.
While
this augurs well, F5 Networks believes that more work needs to be done
to quickly move from adoption to sustainable optimisation.
“For
years, the hot topic in the IT industry has been the idea of getting
businesses to move their technology into the cloud. However,
there has often been less focus on efficiency, which can leave some
enterprises with OPEX bills as big, or bigger than the CAPEX they are
trying to eliminate,” said Arrabal.
“Expect
to see increased interest in cloud optimisation in the coming year,
with technologies such as traffic management mechanisms
taking on an important role in streamlining cloud usage. Enterprises
that get the balance right will be the ones to optimize IT budgets and
user experience.”
Middle East to drive digital innovation
F5 Networks also predicted that the Middle East region have a growing role in driving digital innovation on the global stage.
According
to Gartner, the Middle East IT spending will reach US$ 243 billion by
2018, which is equivalent to 5.6% of all worldwide
IT spending.
“Parts of the Middle East are at a unique developmental stage and its future is being shaped by the rapid and innovative uptake
of technology,” said Arrabal
“The
region has considerable potential to bypass generations of technology
to implement new solutions that meet particular citizen
needs– whether it is banking, education, or access to government
services. Conditions are now in place for an OPEX-driven business
culture that is explicitly focussed on performance and results.”
The continued transformation of public services
Gartner recently reported that MENA governments were set to spend US $12.2 billion in 2014. Telecom services – fixed and mobile
– are the largest single category of spending and are likely to hit US $ 5.4 billion.
“As
we see from initiatives like Dubai Smart City, there is a keen appetite
for more efficient and connected public sector services,”
said Arrabal.
“Expect an increase in context-aware, tailored services that cut through inefficiencies and help drive everything from business
prosperity and citizen health to tourism.”
