The Christmas ads are on the tv, the decorations are up in stores and people are merry… so it’s official – Christmas is nearly upon us. As 2017 draws to a close I’d like to share some tech trends in Europe and North America for 2018.
2017 in Review
Edgecore's AS5712-54X 48-port 10Gbe and AS4610-54T 48-port 1Gbe data center switches have been big sellers for us in Europe this year, bundled with Finisar optics and cables.
According to Gartner's Magic Quadrant for Data Center Networking, Software-Defined Networking (SDN) and open networking - the disaggregation of hardware and software has gained traction in 2017, with software vendors such as Big Switch Networks and Cumulus Networks being included in the Visionaries quadrant for the first time. If you need advice regarding which SDN solution will best fit your company's needs, get in touch, we have strategic partnerships in place with all of the Open Network Operating Systems (NOS) vendors – Cumulus, IP Infusion, Big Switch, Pica 8, Pluribus & Snaproute - so we can pre-load your switches with exactly the right NOS for your business needs.
In June, we were awarded the accolade of one of the Top 20 Most Promising SDN Solution Providers in North America in 2017, and in September we hosted Datacenter Transformation in Frankfurt, welcoming attendees from Ireland; UK; Germany; Belgium; and Russia to hear talks from Open Networking industry leaders from Germany; California; Buenos Aires; Taiwan; and Poland.
How was your year?
What trends will impact 2018 most?
Company revenues are expected to rise, IT budgets look set to increase accordingly, and IT Departments are gearing up to adopt new technologies in the coming year. Here’s a quick overview of emerging tech trends in Europe for the next 12 months.
1. Budget forecasts are looking bright.
IT budgets are expected to stabilize and in many cases grow in 2018, leading to a boost in IT staffing. In fact, close to half of companies (44%) expect budgets to increase while 43% anticipate no change at all. Only 11% expect to see their budgets decrease.
Why such a positive outlook? As economic trends continue upward, company revenues are expected to follow course. In fact, 60% of respondents expect their corporate earnings to increase in the coming year. An ever-increasing dependence on technology in the workplace is another explanation.
2. Expect cloud to take up a bigger chunk of IT budgets.
What is the extra money being spent on? While hardware and software still claim a big portion of IT spending, at 31% and 26% respectively, hosted or cloud-based serivces are expected to account for up to 21% of total IT spend in 2018.
3. Increasing budget allocation to servers & networking
Outside of desktops and laptops, servers (13%) and networking equipment (8%) take up the largest IT budget allocation in 2018.
4. IT Departments are investing in new technologies - notably Software-Defined Networking & Storage (SDN & SDS)
From IT automation to emerging technologies, IT departments are embracing new technologies and the benefits they offer. 26% of surveyed companies in Europe are currently using SDN with an additional 20% planning on use it in the next 12 months (this compares to 22% currently using and 16% planning to use in North America). 27% are using SDS with 17% intending on adopting it in 2018.
Data Source: Spiceworks State of IT 2018 Report
If you need advice regarding which SDN solution will best fit your company's needs, get in touch, we can advise on the benefits of each solution and align it with your business objectives.
As a complete source for the physical network infrastructure required by organizations - from servers, storage, switches, network adapters, pluggable optics and cables to the network operating software that enables SDN and NFV, we can help you consolidate your procurement process while guaranteeing the highest quality product.
We stock product at our distribution hubs in Dublin, Ireland; Indiana, USA; and Suzhou, China so it’s ready when you need it.
Wishing all our readers and customers a Merry Christmas and a Happy & Healthy New Year!
The Team @ EPS!