Installing network connectivity at a new branch office used to be a time-consuming process. It might take weeks, or even months, to establish multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) pathways, and a network professional would need to be on-site to ensure that all devices were correctly configured. Today, network virtualization has streamlined
Among the number of factors influencing networking technologies, any one of them would be enough to shake up an industry: the move to the cloud, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the permanency of hybrid and remote work environments. Together, they are causing some technology trends to shift. Here are four that
Nobody can truly predict what could unfold for business trends in 2023. It’s been an interesting time for companies in all industries over the last three years, which provides some direction for what could happen over the coming months. One thing that is certain is that as you navigate
After the pandemic launched much of the workforce into remote offices, many companies were surprised to find that productivity didn’t suffer. Cloud technology allowed for access to the right tools and corporate resources, and workers didn’t mind giving up their commute. Still, after the dust settled, many companies
Cyber security weighs heavy on the minds of IT leaders in every industry, and the pandemic has only made the worry about digital risk more pressing. With so many companies now using a hybrid model of work-from-home and in-office teams, there are more targets for cyber criminals, resulting in a
The pandemic convinced companies that remote work could be both productive and profitable, and workers appreciate the work-life balance stemming from remote opportunities. In some cases, companies are adopting a permanent hybrid work model, allowing employees more flexibility in their locations and schedules. But equipping the network and applications for
Many companies were using cloud technology and equipping remote work before the pandemic started. However, COVID-19 forced companies to get the answer to a question they had been pondering for years: could a permanent remote work environment be sustainable on a long-term basis? The answer is yes, thanks to secure
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses were already pursuing digital solutions to their most pressing business challenges. The ability to provide an excellent customer experience and optimize productivity had many opting for cloud migration when there was an opportunity for an upgrade. But these widespread changes are coming with technology challenges.
Cyber attacks have gotten so commonplace that companies no longer wonder if they’ll get hit by an attack but when it will happen. The hybrid work conditions that began during the pandemic have only exacerbated the situation. The reaction from organizations, small and large, has been to build up
The devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic came with many difficulties, but there were a few consolation prizes along the way. For companies, one of those was the ability to see whether remote work could be a viable option as a widespread policy. As a result of this forced experiment, many
Digital transformation was already underway for many companies before COVID-19 in 2020, but a quick shift to remote work caused strategies to accelerate their plans. Once the initial scramble to connect remote teams was passed, companies needed to bolster secure connections. As the switch to remote teams has transitioned to
Cyber security threats were already ramping up before the pandemic hit. Still, with the abrupt change to remote work and the permanent shift to remote and hybrid work environments, cyber security concerns have become more complex. Here are three challenges that have created complexity in addressing cyber security threats: Multiplication
From improved productivity to fewer interruptions and a better work-life balance, remote work that began with a pandemic scramble looks like it is here to stay. Employers and employees alike appreciate the flexibility and convenience of working from anywhere, and cloud technology has made it possible, and even easy, to
Malicious actors are always looking for low-hanging fruit. In a post-pandemic world, that image may represent companies still operating with a pre-COVID cyber security posture. While many companies raced to adopt cloud solutions, the corresponding changes to security haven’t necessarily been pursued with as much urgency. There are steps
The pandemic accelerated cloud adoption, with many companies racing to implement cloud solutions that would accommodate their business processes with a geographically dispersed team. The result was a cobbled-together IT environment that introduced a complex and vulnerable security plane. Rather than address cyber security from a cloud-native approach, many companies
Identity sprawl is such a common challenge for companies that you may be tempted to dismiss effective identity management as a possibility. But there are two key reasons you should prioritize identity management: * It is achievable and necessary. * Your employees having different usernames and passwords across different applications presents a
The pandemic brought about a host of changes to the entire world, but one of the lasting impacts it has made on the workplace is that a hybrid work situation has become a permanent option for some teams. As a result, both remote and in-office work have presented new challenges
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, most companies equipped their few remote workers with virtual private networks (VPNs), but now that a permanently hybrid workplace has become the reality for a large segment of the workforce, IT security teams are changing their strategy. Zero trust is being adopted as a policy to
The pandemic changed the way employees collaborate in and out of the workplace. In March 2020, the beginning of a massive transition to cloud-based solutions to support remote work changed the user experience. Even as companies have since welcomed employees back to the office, many are adopting a hybrid workplace
More than two years after the pandemic forced companies into remote work, the post-pandemic workplace does not bear much resemblance to its pre-pandemic version. While some employers are bringing their employees back into the office in an attempt to restore normalcy, others are fully embracing the hybrid model. Companies moving
Between the high levels of productivity witnessed during the pandemic and a struggling labor market, companies don’t have much argument to support ending remote work. As managers get comfortable with permanently remote or hybrid teams, IT executives have been forced to address vulnerabilities related to dispersed workforces. For many,
Prior to 2020, cloud adoption was a long-game, sometimes sluggish process. The pandemic forced many companies to quickly pivot to cloud migration. The combination of a shift in consumer behavior to almost exclusively online purchasing and the impracticality of on-premise solutions meant distributed teams shifted quickly to cloud environments. Even
How’s your security posture in this post-pandemic era? It’s a question many companies are asking now as they assess where they stand after the initial scramble of the pandemic and how they can meet today’s needs while preparing for the future. The first priority when companies went
For any company considering a move to virtualized networking, the pandemic provided the right motivation for the migration to software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN). With workers and teams no longer centralized, the ability of SD-WAN to offer connectivity to corporate resources from a geographically dispersed workforce made it possible for
Consumer behaviors constantly evolve, but the pandemic pushed some new characteristics that have some companies in panic mode. The post-2020 consumer wants more than price and quality; they want to feel that brands know and understand them. They want a customer experience, not just a purchase. Companies know this is