We’re nearing the end of 2018 and it’s time to look back, what was the buzzword this year? Next, to looking back I want to take a look at 2019, what will be the buzzword in 2019? Some topics are mentioned for several years, some never reach “the year of” status. The one topic that we heard more than others in the past 10 years was VDI. Did it ever reach the status of the year of VDI? some thought from my side on this.
The year of VDI?
The year of VDI was declared in 2010,2011, 2012 and again in 2013 as I recall correctly. In 2010 VDI or Cloud computing reached the top of the Gartner Emerging technologies hype cycle. The year 2010 and the years after VDI certainly got a lot of attention. There was no conference or bar you’d walk into with someone mentioning Cloud computing or VDI.
If we compare the hype cycle of 2010 with the one from 2018 we see that Cloud computing has moved up to the slope of Enlightenment. That sounds great but what does that mean? Let’s get the quote from Wikipedia on this
Quote: More instances of how the technology can benefit the enterprise start to crystallize and become more widely understood. Second- and third-generation products appear from technology providers. More enterprises fund pilots; conservative companies remain cautious. /Quote
My conclusion is that VDI has reached a certain level of maturity or commodity. It is no longer a hot topic but more one of the scenario’s when talking to customers on delivery of applications. It is not yet mainstream and it might not become mainstream ever (some other developments might overtake it’s adoption before it reaches mainstream).
2019 is not the year of VDI
In my opinion, a “the year of” can only be called on a topic when it is emerging and/or when it is the hottest topic in the market. Microsoft going into the DaaS market could have sparked a new round but conferences (like VMware VMworld and Nutanix .Next) did not mention VDI as much as they did in the years past. If VDI was still the hottest topic the term would be buzzing on the floor at conferences.
2018, the year of Women in IT
what was 2018 the year of? What is the hottest topic currently being talked about? When, like me, you visit a lot of conferences you see a pattern in sessions and topics. The topics and sessions I noticed most at conferences were;
- Edge computing
- Serverless computing
- Microservices
- Containerization (although moving away already I think)
- Blockchain (also less than in 2017)
- Artificial Intelligence / Machine learning
- IoT and edge computing
- Work (spaces/places), smart workspaces
- Women in IT (and perhaps even Women in Security)
These topics I ran into at every conference, and I’ve been to a number. I think 2018 was the year of Women in IT, inclusion was something prominent on every conference agenda and many vendors on exhibition floors have campaigns to get more women/girls in IT. It is perhaps not the most IT focused topic but I think the hottest topic of this year.
What will 2019 be the year of?
As we look at the list above I think that AI, IoT or smart workspaces are good candidates. The Gartner Hype cycle show smart workspace and IoT on the top.
So if we look at the 2019 and what could be chosen, I see two categories;
- Non-tech
- Buzzwords
For the non-tech my choice is simple. We’re not done with the inclusion and diversity talk. 2019 again has to be the year of diversity and inclusion.
For the buzzword category, AI, ML, IoT and Smart Workspaces are certainly candidates for 2019. I personally think 2019 will be the year of ML, there is so much development going on there. IoT has been a buzzword for a while as well but keeps lingering somewhere right now I feel.
and for the rest, I think the smart application portals will be a hot topic. Workspace as a Portal (WaaS) or Unified Workspace as a Portal (UWaaS) is going through a development right now. many vendors are creating and evolving their solutions. Citrix just did the last move with the acquisition of Sapho. Interested to see how we can transform the way people work.
..but with all things in life… time will tell… let’s look back in a year. Hope you enjoyed the read… some thought on a rainy Sunday afternoon.
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