Other trends that have occurred throughout the year include an increase in edge computing migration because no entity, user or device should be automatically trusted, as the basis for preventing a cyber-attack. With quantum computing being increasingly discussed, and the need for ever-more stringent and tighter data protection, SD-WAN solutions may soon incorporate quantum-resistant encryption algorithms. They can help organisations to protect their data against emerging threats. Ultimately, there is a need to advance digital business, and there has been a push for converging security and to provide digital experience assurance.<\/p>\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nIn 2025, how can WAN Acceleration fit into these trends? Well, first of all it is often also referred to as Data Acceleration because, by using AI, machine learning and data parallelisation the speed at which data is transmitted and received increases \u2013 and in a way that permits the accelerated flight of encrypted data, – which can obfuscate cyber-criminals. Still, it can fit into these trends because the likes of technologies such as PORTrockIT can significantly improve WAN and data performance and optimise bandwidth utilisation without the need to invest in higher bandwidths, or in a completely new network infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Convergence of security and networking<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The New Year, apart from some opportunistic AI-based cyber-attacks, will continue to see the convergence of security and networking into unified frameworks in the form of SASE (Secure Access Service Edge). SD-WANs will continue to increase in adoption, leaving room for organisations to add a WAN Acceleration overlay to boost their performance. The key motivation for their adoption will be to lower costs and to improve integration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere will also be an increasing use of multi-cloud networking software, and I expect industry cloud platforms to become increasingly popular \u2013 as will edge computing, which many industry commentators say will gain prominence in 2025 as a means for organisations to process data closer to its source,\u201d says David Trossell, CEO and CTO of Bridgeworks, the WAN Acceleration company. He adds that with increasing data volumes, there will need to be higher computing capacity, better connectivity, and to transfer it over large distances, while using AI and machine learning to mitigate the frictional effects of latency and packet loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pushing the limits<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Josh Howarth, wrote in May 2024 \u20185 Top Networking Trends (2024 & 2025)\u2019 for Exploding Topics, and said: \u201cThe performance of network infrastructure is constantly being pushed to the limit as businesses look for new ways to boost capacity and speed. Businesses want high-performing networks that are agile and scalable. But today\u2019s IT decision-makers face a combination of uncertainty and new possibilities associated with emerging technology.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n One challenge that won\u2019t change is the need to situated data centres and disaster recovery sites at distance from each other, outside of their own circles of disruption. Firstly, when a natural disaster strikes, organisations need to have another means of maintaining service continuity. The same applies to a situation caused by a cyber-security attack. It\u2019s vital to ensure that not all data centres and disaster recovery sites are hit simultaneously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n WAN Acceleration can do this, while enabling organisations to achieve data transfer speeds for backups and restores of up to 200 times faster than with any other WAN enhancement technology. \u201cOnce upon a time organisations would have looked to WAN Optimisation to accelerate data transfers, but it\u2019s a technology that often doesn\u2019t deliver on its promise \u2013 particularly as it can\u2019t handle large volumes of encrypted data.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Networking market 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n As for the networking market\u2019s outlook for 2025, Mauricio Sanchez, who leads Dell\u2019Oro Group’s research into the intersection of enterprise networking and security, comments in his October 2024 report, \u2018The State of Enterprise Network Market in 2024: The Great Reset Before a 2025 Rebound\u2019:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDespite the contraction in 2024, the outlook for 2025 is brighter. The fundamental demand for digital transformation, cloud migration and hybrid work solutions remains intact. As enterprises complete the digestion of their current investments and inventories normalize, spending is expected to rebound.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe rise in adoption of AI-driven workloads, 5G, Wi-Fi 7, and advanced security frameworks like SASE will drive growth across the network infrastructure landscape. Furthermore, as inflation and interest rates decrease, enterprises will benefit from improved capital availability, providing further tailwinds for market growth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Data: Opportunity to accelerate and secure<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n With this growth, particularly with regard to SD-WANs, digital transformation, and everything cloud, there is an opportunity to accelerate and secure data flows with WAN Acceleration. Organisations will increasingly look to AI and machine learning for this purpose. So, in 2025, they could do well to get the WAN they want by testing different WAN networking technologies alongside each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The focus is often on what large companies will do in a new year. However, much innovation comes from smaller companies. Thankfully, Forbes reveals that the EY Entrepreneur Ecosystem Barometer finds that \u201c73% of entrepreneurs [are] optimistic about AI, and 82% believe the market will be stronger in 2025.\u201d More importantly, AI, machine learning and data parallelisation can give you the WAN that you want and make it as fast as lightning: saving time, money and brand reputations with secure data transfers. Happy New Year!<\/p>\n\n\n\n