Evolving Solutions Top Technology Investments for 2023
The last few years have taught us that disruption is the norm, and the pace of change is on a continuous cycle of acceleration. IT organizations are at the center of it all. Business leaders expect their tools and systems to run seamlessly to support their organizations’ growth. Ultimately, it is the IT organization that is on point to ensure the business derives maximum value from their IT investments.
At Evolving Solutions, we believe that in order to remain competitive and maximize results, it is essential to invest in the right technology capabilities that can provide flexibility, reliability, scalability, and security. Here are six technology investments that will enable a future-ready modern operations environment in 2023.
Hybrid Cloud Platform. Prioritizing workload value has never been more important. The true role of public cloud is coming into focus. Hybrid cloud platforms allow organizations to take advantage of the flexibility of public clouds while maintaining control over sensitive data with private clouds. This approach also provides the ability to scale up or down to meet changing client demands without sacrificing performance or efficiency. By understanding the value of workloads, companies can make the most of their hybrid cloud journey and optimize their investments. It’s no longer about public or private. It is about driving the right blend of IT resources owned by the organization, leveraging the right mix of public cloud resources, and seamlessly integrating the workflows.
Automation – Everything is Code. Hybrid Cloud requires a code-first approach. Hybrid Cloud environments bring a lot of complexity and automation is the key to unlocking its potential. Taking a code-first approach allows for the integration of applications that span legacy databases in private data centers to 3rd party SaaS data sources. It ensures changes don’t cause issues and it can free up time for more complex tasks that require human attention and expertise. To get the most out of this technology, it is important to ensure that operational resources are designed in a way that can be easily consumed by developers or low-code tools. In a Hybrid Cloud environment, automation and pipelines become standard for infrastructure deployment.
AI to Support Operations. Understanding complex operational data requires AI. Artificial Intelligence (AI) allows organizations to gain insights and make informed decisions from the voluminous data generated by complex environments. To deliver value and address business challenges, IT operations teams should leverage the AI and automation that is being built into platforms and tools. It is now a critical consideration to understand how AI is built into the tools, processes, and procedures an organization utilizes. This is the only way to ensure these powerful capabilities are leveraged and the business drives maximum productivity and outcomes.
Observability. Deciphering the real behavior of systems and their delivered value. Observability is the ability to see what’s going on, gather data, and make informed decisions. Organizations with the right level of observability can gain insight into user experiences and the inner workings of their complex environments. For example, you can use data to automate processes that remediate issues or add capacity that improves user experience based on how services are being used. To drive these outcomes, having the right tools is important, but it is essential to have the right people, skills, and processes. To get the best results, observability should be integrated into development and deployment pipelines, not added after.
Zero Trust. Securing Hybrid Cloud without defined boundaries. Zero trust security is essential for the modern enterprise, but many organizations have not gone far enough to make it truly effective. The best approach is one that breaks down any silos between security and networking departments and integrates tools and processes so that the right data is delivered to the right people at the right time. Automation is key, but it must not make it harder for end users to do their jobs. The right balance between security and usability will create a seamless experience that protects the enterprise while still allowing people to get their work done.
Data Protection. Protecting the data within your environment, and the data “of” and “about” your environment. How we protect that data has evolved and new regulations are driving more complexity and accountability. But how organizations are thinking about data protection has not evolved to the same degree. Having a robust data protection strategy with integrated solutions throughout the enterprise is critical to minimizing risk. With more software defined infrastructure and code-driven deployments, it is important to not simply protect the data that’s in your environment, but also the data about your environment, the access to that data, and how it is integrated into your operations. Automation is key, especially with continued skills gaps and security burnout. Access and remediation processes need to be automated as an integrated part of an organization’s overall security posture.
Investing in these six interconnected technologies will enable a future-ready modern operations environment for maximum business value in 2023 and beyond. From prioritizing workload value with hybrid cloud platforms to protecting data from misuse, these investments will help ensure your organization has the resilience, reliability, scalability, security—and most importantly—the confidence it needs to adjust quickly to market factors and demands no matter what they may be.
For more information on Evolving Solutions’ Key Technology Investments of 2023, watch the overview video.
