Seamlessly integrate applications and your network

Orchestration ties applications together with other applications, with the data being moved and with the compute, storage and network

infrastructure underneath. Orchestration technology is evolving rapidly to use APIs to connect applications and data with network services. Software- defined networking (SDN) enables the orchestration layer to issue calls to the network, turning up new connections on the fly to wherever data needs to go, and then turning the connection back down again once that data gets there. That helps save money, makes the process work more efficiently and enables greater flexibility.

The goal of the network is to connect to the needs of applications and workloads without manual intervention. Nine in 10 global IT decision makers say that the seamless integration of applications and their network is a top priority.

Drive intelligent production and digital transformation

The increasing creation and consumption of data is driving intelligent production and digital transformation that stands to significantly redefine the ways we live and work. That is one reason why technology leaders in businesses around the world see a very different job market emerging. A large majority of global IT decision makers say the 4th Industrial Revolution will make many current jobs obsolete (Figure 20) and will completely change the types of jobs that are available today (including their own).

As the 4th Industrial Revolution brings about rapid changes in technology, global IT decision makers worry about keeping up: three in four are concerned about keeping pace with technological advances during the 4th Industrial Revolution .

The nature of the IT profession is changing from managing operations to defining and enabling distributed application solutions and experiences that differentiate their businesses from competitors. To keep up, outsourced managed services are becoming imperative.

Most global IT decision makers agree that in the face of these changes, their businesses require the modern skills and capabilities of a global network provider: seven in 10 say that having a global network provider is necessary to meet modern business needs .

In addition, 91 percent of global IT decision makers say they trust technology partners with expansive global networks to help them quickly acquire, analyze, and act on data.