Hyperconnectivity: Embracing a Connected Future

As I continue to search for my next endeavor one of the things that I have always enjoyed is writing and presenting content on subjects I find interesting and engaging. Especially when it comes to technology and how we as people interact with it everyday. So with that said lets talk about hyperconnectivity and its impact on the modern office.

So what is Hyperconnectivity? Simply put, is the driving force behind our interconnected world. It's a concept that has revolutionized the very fabric of our lives, empowering us with the ability to seamlessly connect with people, devices, and information like never before. The most amazing thing about hyperconnectivity is that it has seamlessly become an expectation within our daily lives; be it at our homes, in the office or even while traveling between the two.

With the rise of smartphones, tablets, and lightning-fast internet speeds, we find ourselves in an era where constant connectivity has become the norm. No matter where we are, we have the power to access a wealth of knowledge, connect with friends and colleagues, and collaborate in real-time. As a result networks, both at home and at our places of work have had to quickly evolve to keep pace. Adding more avenues for connectivity, creating a more dense network for access purpose while adding more backhaul to support the ever growing number of devices on the network.

Network densification is a concept that has long been in place in the service provider world. As more homes require more bandwidth, the nature of many of these networks oftentimes requires the deployment of newer, faster technologies. This trend has followed suit into the enterprise network space. Wireless and mobility technology has become nearly as reliable as a hardwired connection for many use cases. So much so in fact that we have seen a change in how many enterprises allow their users to connect, how they utilize their floor space and in some cases how they build their networks.

In addition to the demands of users who rely on the network to access the systems and data they require for their day-to-day jobs, we have seen the rise of network-enabled building systems or Operational Technology (OT) systems. These systems often are the services and utilities that allow a building to operate: utilities like power or water, HVAC, lighting, building entrance systems and the like. These systems have always had some level of intelligence and reporting within themselves. However being able to communicate and aggregate information from these systems gives building owners and operators the opportunity to more intelligently utilize space, save money on utilities and run their properties in a more intelligent and sustainable way.

The convergence of IT and OT networks has been a trend many in the networking industry have been watching closely. Historically, IT networks (data processing and communication, user generated traffic) and OT networks (managing physical processes, typically machine to machine traffic) have operated in silos. However, as industries become increasingly digitized, merging these networks becomes increasingly important.

However, there are many realities of these networks that oftentimes are at odds with each other. Heavy, bursty user traffic could potentially overwhelm the steady-state traffic of building systems. A network to support, test and integrate building systems needs to be in place, far in advance of any users populating the building. As architects and builders of networks we need to take into account all of the options and difficulties that network convergence brings to the table as well as the capabilities and efficiencies it enables.

Hyperconnectivity is revolutionizing our world, and network densification and the convergence of IT and OT networks are at the leading edge of this transformation. As hyperconnectivity continues to evolve the way we work and connect, organizations must adapt their network infrastructure; from the way it is planned and designed, to how it is built and deployed to meet the evolving demands of the digital era.

New ways of designing networks, new technologies offering new ways to connect, with more speed and even lower latencies and new innovative ways to power these networks and devices ultimately make hyperconnectivity more of a reality. It is up to those of us who keenly are aware of the trends and changes coming in the future to help spread the word, share our experiences and knowledge to better prepare for this new hyperconnected reality.