From the core to the edge: 2020 predictions

With the launch of our new brand and a number of exciting partnerships, 2019 has proven to be a momentous and exciting year for us at Aptum. We have made significant advancements in our network, data centers and business solutions, continuing to offer our customers IT solutions and data infrastructure that help them leverage technology to embark on new opportunities.

As we see 2019 draw to a close, I would like to take the time to share with you some of the predictions we see within the tech industry for the year ahead and look at where Aptum fits into this narrative.

A common theme we saw in the tech industry this year was experimentation. Businesses started to explore different technology solutions, such as AI, RPA, blockchain, 5G, and edge computing. We predict that 2020 will see the widespread implementation of the technologies that have proven to be the most effective. Notably, faster connection speeds and lower latency will precipitate a move away from centralized computing to edge computing.

5G

One of the biggest trends we have seen this year in the industry is the growth of 5G. It has been predicted by global analyst house Gartner, that 5G infrastructure revenue will reach $4.2 billion in 2020, an 89% increase from 2019. As it begins to roll out, a patchwork approach is likely to be taken, with existing sites being modified to accommodate the new technology, and new sites being built to fulfil the requirements of localised areas.

Enterprises will be able to reap the benefits of this infrastructural investment; higher speeds and lower latency facilitate a freer flow of data. Organisations will be able to deploy a new class of applications with better capabilities that will enable innovations such as augmented reality. Additionally, 5G will offer a more personalised experience to users. Applications that use AI will be able to process data quicker and produce a real time response. The implications this will have on automation, particularly within manufacturing, will be revolutionary.

Here at Aptum, we see adaptability as the most important characteristic of any tech strategy. Globally, companies need to embrace the opportunities that this technology could bring and how it can grow their business. Aptum can help wireless network operators improve capacity with our fiber footprint and vertical real estate access. And as Canada’s first neutral-host provider of 5G infrastructure, customers can leverage our existing high-performance connectivity through our 3,400 km metro network to complete transactions, communicate and innovate.

Security Services

As businesses across all industries face these increasing volumes of information, data becomes a crucial part of their infrastructure. In order to improve customer engagement and enable better decision making and risk evaluation, technology platforms and businesses alike must adapt and utilise the power of data. At Aptum, we help organisations unlock the potential of their data by providing infrastructure that enables customers to solve complex challenges and maximise the potential of their business.

As such, 2020 will see a rise in the number of security services, weak authentication systems and outdated hardware will need to be upgraded to better protect sensitive information. Legislation will help aid new systems of defence to help them become the new standard.

Within a strategy of adaptability, security is one of the most important factors. Aptum’s security solutions prepare for multiple scenarios of attack, by using threat detection and intrusion prevention software.

Edge computing

Faster processing of data from IoT and other devices will facilitate the move of compute locations to the edge. Although 2019 has seen the embrace of the data centre, for some businesses, closer proximity to their data is necessary. This gives applications that require real time computing power the ability to make decisions, based on findings, nearer to the source.

Edge computing provides a solution to issues surrounding scalability. AI has given systems the power to proceed on the data they receive where it is obtained, but the heightened capacity to make these decisions closer to the data source reduces the need for storage drastically.

Like any entity, data takes time to travel, and the larger the mass, the longer it takes to reach its destination. Hybrid solutions increase the speed of interaction between high volumes of data. Time is saved and decisions are made at a quicker pace. Edge computing will become increasingly popular in manufacturing particularly, as the desire for faster processing to increase productivity continues to be a common KPI. Aptum provides services aimed at helping hybrid cloud solutions run seamlessly.

What’s next?

As mobile devices dominate our data strategy, we should anticipate the dispersion of computing in 2020. Aptum provides a diverse range of cloud models that accommodate new innovations in obtaining, processing, managing, and accessing data. This truly is an enormous opportunity to embrace Data as Infrastructure.