2021–2023

Emerging Technology Road Map

for Large Enterprises
IT Professionals from 437 Organisations Collaborated to Benchmark
Adoption Plans, Anticipated Value and Risk for 111 Infrastructure
and Operations Technologies

In Monitoring
In Planning
o rk Se
cu
tw
Ne Application Security
rit
y
In Pilot Orchestration and
5G Services Correlation (ASOC)

Zero Trust
NFV and uCPE Endpoint
Network Access
Protection
Wi-Fi 6 Platform (EPP)
(802.11ax)
Deployment
Hardware-
Completion Based SASE
Mobile Threat
Defence (MTD)
Cloud-Managed Networks (CMNs) 2022 Security
Cloud Security Static Application
Identity-Based Posture Endpoint Security Testing (SAST)
Service Mesh Segmentation Management Detection and
(Microsegmentation) (CSPM) Response (EDR)
Cloud Workload Protection
Container Platforms (CWPP)
Networking Virtual Private LAN
Services (VPLS)
Managed Detection SaaS-Delivered
Enterprise
s

Serverless and Response (MDR) IAM

Software-Defined Wide High-Productivity
ice

Computing Dynamic
Area Network (SD-WAN) Application Database Audit Application
Platform as a
Deployment Security and Protection
Serv

Multicloud Intent-Based
API Management Testing (DAST) Service
Networking
PaaS Networking Completion Network Access Control (NAC)
Technologies
Hybrid 2021 Firewall as
Security Orchestration, Automation
Augmented
Software- a Service
astructure and Platform

In-Memory AI Cloud WAN Reality

Defined Cloud and Response (SOAR) Solutions
Computing (IMC) Services
Interconnect
Extended Detection Citizen Integrator
Edge and Response (XDR) Tools
Cloud ERP Functional Platform Networking Workstream
as a Service (fPaaS) Cloud Access Security Collaboration Tools

Digital Workplace
Brokers (CASBs)
Data Science and Cloud Management Citizen Data
Machine Learning Platforms Tooling Science Tools
Hyperconverged Team Collaboration
Infrastructure Devices
Digital Experience Virtual
Software Container
IoT Platform as a Cloud UC Assistants
Management
Platform Service (DXPaaS) (UCaaS)
Unified Endpoint Natural
Multicloud Management Language
Business Edge Computing
Management Processing
Analytics PaaS Services (MCMS)
Edge Servers Cloud Migration Workplace Face
Cloud Data Tools Analytics Recognition
Warehouse
te Infr

Distributed
Cloud Systems OS Containers
Network Digital Desktop as a
Automation and Adoption Service (DaaS)
Blockchain Orchestration Solutions
Microservices
Platforms Tools
u

Object Virtual Reality

p

Storage
Com

Cloud DBMS
Digital Event Stream Bots
Integration Platform Experience Processing
as a Service (iPaaS) Monitoring Infrastructure
as Code (IaC) PC as a Service
(DEM)
(PCaaS)
Automated Storage Tiering
File Analysis
Public Cloud Strategic Portfolio Software Asset
Software Service
Storage Management Tools Management Tools
Cloud Data Orchestration
Container-Native
Backup and Automation
Storage (CNS) Cloud-Testing Virtual Support
Tools and Services Platforms
Computational Agents
Storage Artificial Intelligence Robotic Process IT Service
Disaster Recovery Software-Defined IT Operations Automation Dependency
as a Service (DRaaS) Storage (SDS) (AIOps) Platforms Mapping Tools
DHCI NVMe-oF Intelligent Automation
for Infrastructure
Enterprise Information IT Resilience Automation and
Managed Services
Archiving (EIA) Solutions Orchestration (ITRO) Tools
Solid State
Storage Class
Arrays Enterprise DevOps Value Adaptive Project
Memory (SCM)
Endpoint Backup Stream Delivery Management and
Platforms
St Application Reporting Tools
Hybrid Storage

or Arrays Performance
Continuous Configuration
ag
Monitoring (APM)
Non-Relational Automation (CCA)
n
ea DBMS
io
at
Cloud Tools

nd Unified Storage Application

m
to
Discovery
Da u
ta b
as e IT A

Deployment Risk Enterprise Value

The risk factor awarded to each technology is based on the The value factor awarded to each technology is based
analysis of potential risks posed, including marketplace/vendor on the analysis of value drivers, including increasing cost
maturity, architectural fit/complexity, security risk, talent efficiency, improving speed and agility, enabling resilience,
availability, regulatory compliance challenges, implementation enhancing employee productivity and increasing revenue
cost and disruption to existing processes and services. through improved products and/or services.

Key Points to Take Away

1. I&O and IT leaders have increased the adoption of several “as-a-service” technologies. machine learning platforms, while intelligent automation for
emerging technologies as organisations begin to recover infrastructure-managed services, blockchain platforms and
5. I&O leaders are creating distributed platforms, supported
from the pandemic by seeking innovation opportunities. IoT platforms are in the pilot stage this year.
by cloud technologies, which can enable an “anywhere-
Across all technology domains, 58% of respondents reported
operations” model for employees. To allow the smooth 9. Demand for new digital workplace technologies plateaued
either an increase or a plan to increase investment in movement of work environments and information between in 2021 compared to 2020 due to the maturing responses
emerging technology in 2021, compared with 29% in 2020. physical and virtual locations, organisations are investing to the pandemic. Only 12% of digital workplace technologies
In tandem, I&O functions have witnessed a reduction in heavily in creating a strong hybrid cloud base, supported have moved ahead in the adoption cycle in 2021, compared
deployment timelines, with all technologies in deployment by several multicloud technologies. with 41% in 2020.
expected to reach adoption within the next six to 18 months.
6. Improving and maintaining IT infrastructure security 10. Enterprises are more selectively adopting technologies
2. Talent shortages are a rising and significant challenge for is a significant priority for organisations as they tackle related to automation in 2021, leading to the cautious
the successful adoption of emerging technologies.This rising threats, particularly to endpoint devices in the new deployment of several emerging IT automation
year, for 64% of emerging technologies, respondents feel hybrid work environment. From 2020 to 2021, the number technologies. Of all the IT automation technologies profiled
that talent availability is the largest challenge to the adoption of security technologies in deployment rose sharply—from this year, only 20% of them have moved ahead in the
of emerging technology, compared with just 4% in 2020 and 15% to 84% of evaluated technologies. Also, in 2021, 64% of adoption cycle since last year, compared with 30% in 2020.
14% in 2019. respondents reported that they have either increased or are
11. The adoption of storage and database emerging
3. The need for resilience drives the business case for the planning to increase investments in security technologies,
technologies slowed this year as organisations seek to
majority of emerging-technology deployments this year. a significant jump from just 31% in 2020.
maintain and optimise existing data centre infrastructure.
Enterprises are deploying emerging technologies (64%) 7. I&O executives are deploying highly disruptive emerging The number of storage and database technologies in
to meet the objective of “enhanced resilience”. This is technologies to ensure continued, uninterrupted the deployment adoption stage dropped this year—from
significantly different from last year when the investment access to enterprise networks and effective delivery 38% in 2020 to 30% in 2021. I&O leaders are working
justification most often cited was “increasing speed and of network services within organisations. Investments towards rationalising their current storage and database
agility” (cited for 66% of technologies). in network technologies have seen continued growth, as infrastructure, with 50% of storage and database
4. Emerging technologies that enable democratised delivery 53% of respondents note that they have increased or plan technologies remaining in the same adoption stage as in
are becoming increasingly important for I&O leaders. to increase investments in network technologies in 2021, 2020.
compared with 32% in 2020.
This year, 82% of I&O leaders either agree or strongly agree 12. Edge technologies that enable swift analysis of
that enterprise leaders outside of IT influence decisions to 8. Organisations are investing in technologies that enable information closer to the point of data generation are
adopt emerging technology across all technology domains intelligent data and analytics capabilities to scale in focus. Technologies such as edge computing, edge
evaluated. Furthermore, 85% of respondents either agree enterprise-wide digital ambitions. I&O functions are servers and edge networking are in deployment this year.
or strongly agree that they have metrics in place to track deploying enterprise technologies that can sculpt change Organisations that do not align their edge solutions to strong
customer experience before and after technology adoption. in 2021, such as artificial intelligence (AI) cloud services, business use cases will face issues in their strategic adoption
To enable self-service delivery, I&O functions are establishing AI IT operations (AIOps) platforms and data science and plans.

Source: Gartner
Note:Large enterprises are defined as organisations with more than $1 billion in revenue.

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