IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Future of Connectedness 2024 Predictions

IDC FutureScape Figure

• Figure: IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Future of Connectedness 2024 Top 10 Predictions

Executive Summary

IDC FutureScape Predictions

• Summary of External Drivers

• Predictions: Impact on Technology Buyers

• Prediction 1: By 2026, Customer Experience Will Overtake Employee Experience as a Top Priority, with 90% of Cloud-Based API Platforms Offering AI-Enabled CPaaS/UCaaS Capabilities for Personalized Customer Engagement

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Business Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 2: By 2028, 80% of Enterprises Will Integrate Low Earth Orbit Satellite Connectivity, Creating a Unified Digital Service Fabric That Ensures Resilient Ubiquitous Access and Guarantees Data Fluidity

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Business Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 3: By 2026, Integration Complexities, Undifferentiated Software Experiences, and a Lagging Compatible Device Landscape Will Result in Only 35% of Enterprises Realizing Material Benefits from 5G Use Cases

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Business Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 4: By 2025, 40% of Enterprises Will See Large-Scale Project Success from Generative AI as They Evolve Various Aspects of Network Strategy, Design, Performance, and Security

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Business Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 5: By 2027, 100% of the Global 5000 Will Use a Cloud Networking Service with Orchestration Overlays to Connect to, Within, or Across Clouds, Driving Multicloud Adoption and Reducing Risk of Cloud Lock-In

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Business Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 6: By 2026, with the Accelerated Adoption of GenAI, 35% of Enterprises Will Enhance Edge Computing Use Cases with Contextual Experience, Further Aligning Business Outcomes with Customer Expectations

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Business Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 7: By 2025, 55% of Enterprises Will Benefit from Optimized Operational Efficiency, Enhanced Security, and Reduced Network Costs by Leveraging SD-WAN and Security for Cloud-Managed Networking and Security

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Business Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 8: By 2026, 75% of Enterprises Will Have Assigned All Deployment Responsibility, Operational Control, and Technology Innovation for at Least One Major Network Domain to a Trusted Management Partner

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Business Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 9: By 2024, 60% of Enterprise Professional Services' Emphasis Will Be on Adoption of New and Existing Network Technologies to Help Drive Utilization, Optimization, Value, and Renewals from IT Investments

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Business Impact

• Guidance

• Prediction 10: Enterprises Will Rely on Partnerships with Service Providers to Integrate ESG Use Cases for Efficiency and Regulatory Compliance, with 60% Automating the Management of Sustainability Metrics by 2027

• Associated Drivers

• IT Impact

• Business Impact

• Guidance

Advice for Technology Buyers

External Drivers: Detail

• AI Everywhere — Generative AI Takes the Spotlight

• The Drive to Automate — Maximizing Efficiency and New Opportunities

• Cybersecurity and Risk — Building Resilience Against Multiplying Threats

• The Digital Business Imperative — Competitiveness and Outcomes

• Everything as a Service Intensifies — Transforming Models to Drive Change

• Shifting Tech Regulatory Landscape — Navigating Risk and Opportunity

• Operationalization of ESG — Measuring and Implementing Sustainability

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• Related Research